I truly believe that fate plays a big part in peoples’ lives when it comes to who and when people meet one another. Nine times out of ten the impact of those meetings are monumental. While attending an event a few weeks ago I happened to meet a lady who also faced many hardships of abuse in her childhood. She took these painful memories and went on to write a book about her life. In this book she talks about her thoughts and opinions on matters regarding healing after going through such trauma. Little did I know that this magnificent lady, Marion Witte, and the book she autographed to me that day, Little Madhouse on the Prairie, would have such a positive impact and help me better understand the healing process that I am going through in my life today. While reading her book I found myself agreeing with a lot of what she was saying. This is one of the first times in my life I actually felt as though my feelings were validated and not crazy emotional reactions. Although I have many caring and trustworthy people in my life who share with me some of the things that I will encounter in my future that are a direct result of my past…I find it hard to believe what they say to be true. Mostly because they have not experienced it firsthand. Most of these individuals suggest to me how I should “manage” these “issues” based upon what they have learned. Nothing compares to reading Marion’s story since she has directly experienced all of it already and I can relate. Everything about her life’s work, her passion, and her ability to overcome obstacles is so inspiring to me, and because of that I had to meet with her again. During our lunch meeting I shared with her bits and pieces of my story and how inspiring and helpful her book was to me. Marion graciously donated $500 to Luggage of Love and talked to me about future endeavors together. I am so happy to now have Marion in my life and honored to call her my friend. I would highly encourage anyone who would like to have a better view and understanding of child abuse and ways to heal from it to purchase Little Madhouse on the Prairie. I would like to thank Marion for helping me understand how to heal and inspire me to touch others with my story. Please visit her website below to find out more about her story.