Surprising Connections

I don't know why I'm surprised, but I am. Today, I met with the woman who is an amazing artist. We had lunch and it was so nice to hang out with her. We'd met through a mutual friend and  I had let her read the first twenty or so pages so she could get an idea of what the book was about. 

Naturally, I asked her what she thought. She told me that she had been abused most of her life and she identified with Merili. She then went on to tell me her story and it was powerful. She survived.

As I was speaking with another woman who I'd met along the path and she told me about a family member who is suffering from alcoholism. She told me part of her story and it was heartrending. I could see how she and her family were suffering and being affected by the disease. She's anxious to find out how Merili gets through her issues of abuse and addiction.

I know that  the reason God gave me this book to write was because people needed to read about it. I remember watching an Oprah show about a woman who was in an abusive relationship. Oprah asked her why she stayed. At the deepest part of my soul, I knew why. It's not that easy to leave, in fact, it's very hard. Telling someone that they should leave is almost like telling them to clean their glasses if they're blind.

A person who is caught in a spiral of addiction or is in an abusive relationship has to connect with a deep part of herself or himself that they don't even know is there. They have to believe that they don't deserve to live in the hell where they are. Not only that, they have to find an inner strength and a connection with a power greater than themselves who can help. It takes a willingness to be different and also a true dedication to allowing their lives to change which isn't always comfortable, especially if you don't know how your life is going to change.

I'm anxious to meet others who are going to relate to Merili's Wine and who are waiting for the story to be told. I'm glad that God is showing me that it's worth it.

photos taken by Sam Cudney