I was molested as a child by two family members whom I loved and trusted (my father and a cousin).  Little did I know those acts of lust would change my life and follow me from childhood to adolescence to adulthood and ultimately into my marriage.  Now that I think about it, I understand some of the directions my life took and some of the not-so-good decisions I made.  Decisions that have caused me much pain, sorrow, guilt, and shame.  Decisions that could have taken me to the point of no return, but because of the Grace of God, my life took a turn for the better.

I married a man who loves me unconditionally.  A man who stuck with me through years of uncertainty, years of not knowing what had happened and why I was so unresponsive to his love.  All the time he wondered what he had done.  Over twenty years into our marriage I finally gained the strength through the Lord to open up and tell him my story.  His response was the total opposite of what I had feared for all of those years.  After allowing the news to sink in for a few minutes, he jumped into his "Priestly" status, pulled me into his arms, prayed for me and spoke into my life.  He declared and decreed that these incidents in my life were meant to destroy me, but God would turn it around and allow it to bless other people who had experienced the same thing in their lives.

Telling my husband the truth about my childhood opened the door for me to be completely free.  Eventually, I was able to confront one of my abusers (the other person had passed on).  It was hard for me to have a level minded conversation because in the back of my mind I wanted much harm to come to him in any way God saw fit.  Yes....I said, God.  Little did I know that this perfect opportunity to lash out and express my anger was a set-up.  As I talked about the molestation and asked why, he began to cry and ask me to forgive him.  I had no intention, when making this phone call, of forgiving anyone.  But when the words "please forgive me" reached my ears, the Love of God reached my heart and I immediately forgave.  The weight of the world lifted off of me and my life changed that evening.

Of course, this is not my entire story.  It could not be told here, but it will be told eventually, to every person who will listen.  Why? because my story will save millions of children from being molested. Unfortunately, 8 out of 10 women have been molested as a child, and statistics say 400,000 children will be molested this year alone.

What's your story?  Are you struggling with unforgiveness, guilt, shame, hurt, confusion, or bitterness?  I've experienced all of these emotions and I can truly say, "I feel you..." and I want to help you through the process of Moving Forward.  You have a wonderful life ahead of you!

In the last years #ME TOO took center stage and started a revolution in Hollywood.  Molesters were exposed, victims came out of hiding and stood together strong declaring to the world that my story, your story, and our stories needed to be told and that NO MORE would we hide, NO MORE would we be silenced, NO MORE would we be ashamed of being victimized; but we would stand strong together, "Shining a Light in Dark Places and saving Generations from Sexual Abuse."