Something Within Me: My Journey from Wounded to Warrior of Light

Excerpt: “…this book is dedicated to all of those individuals whose real lives are much stranger than fiction. It is dedicated to those individuals who have struggled to find their respective places of serenity in the sun. This book is for the lonely, the rejected, the abandoned, the confused, and the hurting. If you’re one of them, then this one’s just for you…” In June of 2014, I was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in situ--a form of breast cancer. During my initial round of recovery from a bilateral mastectomy, I made a sacred vow to the Lord. I promised Him that, if He spared my life, I would serve Him with every day I had left. He kept His end of the bargain. What follows in this chapter is the result of me attempting to keep mine. What you’ll find is a focus on God's grace, something I happen to know a great deal about. The goal for this book is simply to promote a sense of compassion for those we meet along the way. Each and every individual we encounter is fighting battles we know nothing of. They are (like me) mothers, daughters, teachers, ministers, cancer survivors, sexual assault survivors...the list goes on and on. They are Warriors of Light who refuse to quit. Instead, they fix their faith firmly upon Romans 8:28, believing without a shadow of a doubt that all things will ultimately work together for their good. As you read the pages of this book, I hope you’ll be inspired to tell your own story--to stand firmly in your own truth and proclaim to the world that, in spite of it all, you are here and deserve to experience all of the love, joy, and happiness your heart can hold. My prayer is that this collection of prayers, stories, essays, and sermons will help keep you just as they have kept me. Furthermore, I pray that, in some way, they encourage you to let your light shine just a little bit brighter than ever before. Through my pain, and especially my praise, my hope is that you’ll be made whole because, sometimes, the venom and the antidote are one in the same. I command you to get your peace back through my pieces.