Life doesn't always work out the way we planned. Things happen that we have no control over and circumstances seem overwhelming. I never thought I'd marry an abusive man, a man whose mental demons turned him into two different people. I never imagined being a widow at the age of thirty-eight. I never dreamed that one decision could so profoundly change my life and my viewpoint of mental illness. I didn't know how much I still had to learn about myself.

Through these circumstances I now know more about who God is. I also know who He is not. I know more about who I am now - and I know who I will not be anymore. I have always believed in my head God could work everything out for good and that He loved me - now I know in my heart. Head knowledge and heart knowledge is completely different.

I invite you to read these pages with an open mind and heart. Allow our story to shed light in dark places. Freedom is within these pages, the freedom to be yourself, to be loved for who you are and to bring your hurts into the light of God's love where He heals all things. Remember, love is the greatest of all things and it does conquer all. Love has already won.