Darkness To Light With Hope

All these years while my children were growing up, it was too difficult for me to talk about my past. The immense terrifying madness that had erupted in history, and in the conscience of humankind was too painful As my children grew up they started to ask questions about their grandmother and grandfather. Finally I told them a little history of the war in Europe. The Nazis in Germany set out to build a society in which there simply would be no room for the Jews. Toward the end of their reign, their goal changed; they wanted to leave behind a world in ruins in which Jews would never to have existed. The Germans everywhere in Russia, in the Ukraine, and in Lithuania, carried out the Final Solution by turning their machine guns on more than a million Jews, who were not only killed but were denied burial in a cemetery. It is obvious that the war, which Hitler and his accomplices waged, was a war not only against Jewish men, women, and children but also against Jewish religion, Jewish culture, Jewish tradition, therefore Jewish memory. Yet having lived through this experience, I could not keep silent no matter how difficult, if not impossible, it was for me to speak. I had many things to say, I did not have the words to tell them. How was I to speak of what happened without trembling, heartbroken for all eternity, The hunger thirst fear transport selection fire chimney. When it came to tell them, what did happen to their grandparents, aunts and uncles, no words came out of my mouth, we all started to cry. In 1974, November I was given a testimonial dinner for serving as post Commander of the J.W.V. in Orangeburg New York. The editor of our town's newspaper came to our house to interview me knowing that I was a Holocaust survivor.

The courage it takes to? · Run into a burning building· Lay down your life for your child· Fight and defend our country ?is the SAME courage it takes to reach out for help when the tools and resources you have are no longer working. Mental health battles do not discriminate. We all have scars people can't see. But we can find HOPE on the other side of pain. During my two-year battle with suicide, it felt like my mind was kidnapped and held for ransom. Join me as I share what it took to get my life and mind back. I hope to help you find the courage to save yourself! - Jennifer Tracy?Walk with Jennifer as she holds nothing back and takes you inside the mind of suicide. Jennifer will light the way with Hope for those who are still in the fury of the storm. She'll inspire you to think differently as she shares how her two-year battle with suicide prepared her to fight for herself and her surviving daughters after the death of her husband and daughter. This book is packed with the powerful lessons she found buried beneath decades of pain.

Not that many books are out there. This is only one other memoir. (Possibly more coming out before this one.) This one combines her descriptions of the illness with descriptions of her therapy. It goes into why she does it and how she is able to heal herself. It provides support from Bettie Young, PhD.

“[A] landmark book . . . Solnit illustrates how the uprisings that begin on the streets can upend the status quo and topple authoritarian regimes” (Vice). A book as powerful and influential as Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me, her Hope in the Dark was written to counter the despair of activists at a moment when they were focused on their losses and had turned their back to the victories behind them—and the unimaginable changes soon to come. In it, she makes a radical case for hope as a commitment to act in a world whose future remains uncertain and unknowable. Drawing on her decades of activism and a wide reading of environmental, cultural, and political history, Solnit argues that radicals have a long, neglected history of transformative victories, that the positive consequences of our acts are not always immediately seen, directly knowable, or even measurable, and that pessimism and despair rest on an unwarranted confidence about what is going to happen next. Now, with a moving new introduction explaining how the book came about and a new afterword that helps teach us how to hope and act in our unnerving world, she brings a new illumination to the darkness of our times in an unforgettable new edition of this classic book. “One of the best books of the 21st century.” —The Guardian “No writer has better understood the mix of fear and possibility, peril and exuberance that’s marked this new millennium.” —Bill McKibben, New York Times–bestselling author of Falter “An elegant reminder that activist victories are easily forgotten, and that they often come in extremely unexpected, roundabout ways.” —The New Yorker

“In The Radiant Midnight you will find not merely abstract ideas about the essence of darkness or how to go about facing it. You will also find humor, Wisdom. Honesty. You will find Melissa’s very bone and blood…it is here, then, in reading—rather, perhaps, listening to—her words, that your heart, trapped as it may feel in its own midnight, begins to see the first signs of dawn.” –Curt Thompson, MD, author of Anatomy of the Soul Grace and Hope for Long Dark Nights Have you ever suffered with depression, sadness, or the feeling that you just can't seem to get it together? Do you wonder if you could ever view your deepest wounds in a different light? Through candid storytelling, biblical truth, honest lament, and unexpected humor, The Radiant Midnight is a bold refusal to simplify the experience of suffering by moving too quickly to try to relieve it. With questions to guide you and practical suggestions to lead you through dark moments, this book takes you on a journey of surrender, suffering, rest, and restoration as it encourages and comforts you in whatever struggle you face. The message of The Radiant Midnight is fueled by the passionate belief that not only will God lead you out of darkness, He will be fully and beautifully present within it. You can find deep contentment in painful circumstances and discover a profound intimacy with a compassionate, tender God who is with you in every moment—in each hope-filled dawn and every radiant midnight.

2021 Illumination Book Awards, Gold Medal: Spirituality What is the “inner chapel”? The place within where God meets us. We can trust God—and we can trust in God’s promises to us, including: We are never alone. We are loved--unconditionally. We have a companion in our suffering. Each of us has a unique call. But how do we experience all that God has given us? By going to the inner chapel, that sacred place within each person where God waits to love us unconditionally. There, God gives us all we need to find our way to a life of hope instead of despair, peace instead of continued restlessness, and joy instead of anxiety. Becky Eldredge offers readers down-to-earth stories, prayer experiences to try, and enthusiastic encouragement for spiritual growth and a deeper friendship with God. The Inner Chapel will inspire individuals but also provide excellent material for small groups and people going on retreat.​

David L. Dyer, brother to world-renowned motivational speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer, has his own inspirational story to share. It took David sixty-eight years and the life-altering diagnosis of Parkinsons disease to truly grasp the signifi cance of his brothers famous mantra, Do not die with your music still in you. Once he did, however,he was able to use his gift of languagea long-suppressed talentto confront the demons that have haunted him for decades. In his memoir, From Darkness to Light, David recalls stories of his life, from his earliest memories to his most recent years. He recounts childhood memories of playing with Wayne, two years his junior; going into foster care after his father abandoned his family; facing bullies and teasing; and struggling to learn to swim. As he grew older and drifted away from his close friendship with Wayne, David turned to partying and alcoholand the latter would stay with him for years. He later joined the army and found himself serving in Vietnam, where he witnessed horrific events that would aff ect him for decades to come. From Darkness to Light takes a cathartic journey through the events of one mans life, following him up to the present. It celebrates the bond of brotherhood, and it embraces David as a boy, as a veteran, and as the man he is today.

Clinical psychologist and clergywoman Lucille F. Sider adds her voice to the chorus of women in the #WhyIDidntReport and #MeToo movements. This is Lucille’s story of resilience and hope as a survivor of sexual abuse. She explains the challenges of finding her way out of a fear-based spirituality into one that is full of grace, hope and forgiveness. The unique richness of her book is that she wrote it to spark healing discussion. As she describes her experiences in these pages, she also steps back and offers helpful analysis as both a psychologist and a clergywoman. At the end of the book, she includes a complete study guide with questions for reflection for individuals, small groups and classes. “The book is arranged to be a valuable tool in the hands of persons in the helping professions, such as clergy, social workers, psychologists,” writes the Rev. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita and Ambassador of The Wesleyan Church. “This writing is so powerful, yet gentle, that people will be able to add their own words to combat the pain. Lucille’s credentials enhance the power of the story. Truly a book for these days!” Lucille was just 6 years old when she was abused both physically and sexually by a hired man on the family’s farm. Lucille’s inner conflict about these experiences, propelled her into a childhood of guilt and shame. While Lucille was an outstanding student, singer and athlete, she lived with an underlying fear, loneliness and mild depression. A second sexual abuse by her brother-in-law, when she was just 15 years old, added to Lucille’s fears. When she tried to tell her parents about this, their response was only to pray for her—so, she kept these painful events secret for years. Many years later, her brother in law was arrested for molesting a 15-year-old girl. Lucille and others, including his own daughter, testified against him and he was incarcerated. Raised in a conservative household and faith, Lucille went to college and seminary to search for a theology that was full of grace and forgiveness. She found this especially at Yale Divinity School, though she always lived with a mild depression. Her struggle to understand both her faith and psyche led her to earn a PhD from Northwestern University in psychology and religion. She became a clinical psychologist and pastoral counselor and later the Executive Director of The Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Center in Evanston, Illinois. At age 50, when her husband suddenly divorced her, Lucille was cast into darkness and despair which resulted in major depression. Lucille became dysfunctional and had to step down as Executive Director of her counseling center. Years of therapy led her to new ways of offering and sharing her gifts, which included writing stories and ministering to seniors, especially those suffering from dementia. In Light Shines in the Darkness, Lucille F. Sider shares her unique story of sexual abuse and severe mental illness, including depression and PTSD. She describes her legal battle in fighting for justice and her ongoing persistence in finding ways to remain stable. She calls these her mental health and spiritual practices and they include: counseling, medication, meditation, healthy diet, exercise, daily prayer and church attendance. In sharing her story, Lucille now is helping others along their journeys from sexual abuse to stability—to find their own hope and their own light that shines through the darkness. “Timely, compelling and courageous, this autobiography lays bare the trauma of both child and adolescent abuse,” writes Carol Schreck, Professor Emerita of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Palmer Theological Seminary. “This book deserves to be read by any adult who, living in a culture where 80 percent of females have experienced some form of sexual abuse by the age of 18, are no longer content to keep their proverbial head in the sand.”

After her mother took her own life, Wendy Parmley learned firsthand the heartache, despair, and loneliness that accompanies suicide loss. Reinvent your definition of saved, perfect, and forgiveness as you read this true narrative of a woman opening her heart years after her mother's suicide and learn how to overcome any loss in your own life.