Mary Vasquez - Love Poems from God: My Poems and Practical Exercises

Unabridged Book Review What a story of faith and survival. This book should be in every clinic, every doctor and dentist office, on the pulpit of every minister to help bring those who need it comfort and to remind those who trespass that they should not. NIKKI GIOVANNI World-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, educator, and one of Oprah Winfreys living legends

My Poems and Practical ExercisesBy Mary VasquezDivinefulness Publishing, Inc.Chicago, IL
Dedicated to YouMay your healing journeytake you far beyondyour hopes and dreams. Whether your spiritual journey leads you to Jesus, Adonai, or the divine creator by another name, please know I respect your spiritual nature and hope you will read this book, substituting the name of your higher power wherever I mention God or Jesus. God is love, and as pure love, He is always inclusive, and I believe that we should be, too. God speaks to everyone. We just dont always listen.

I know I dont. You will notice that some of the poems contain lines in italics. Thats God talking. Those were the rare moments I was really listening. Feel Gods awe-inspiring, unconditional love and hear his gentle whispers as they console, ignite, and resurrect your spirit. If you struggle with self-injury, one inspirational poem, The Truth, may elicit flashbacks.

Although the ending is uplifting, you may want to consult your therapist before reading this poem. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, my spiritual path has led me to experience the darkness of pure evil and the blinding brilliance of interior peace. For those who are ready to take a journey back in time with me through the darkness as well as the light, I offer the unabridged edition of this book, A Rape Survivors Spiritual Journey: My Poems and Practical Exercises, with journal pages for readers to use. Whenever you are having a difficult time and need a quick dose of encouragement, I hope you will find this book inspiring. I pray one or more of these poems speaks to you and helps you in your healing process. Musically, spark your spirit with a free copy of my song, When Life Gets You Down, Get Up! See the last page of this book for details.

Please also consider using the journal pages. Writing down my feelings and being able to go back and look at them with my therapists help have been invaluable to me. As a child, pretending the abuse never happened helped me cope, but when I became an adult, it wasn't working anymore. However, this book is not recommended as an alternative to therapeutic counseling. If you or a loved one is suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS) or another anxiety illness and is not in therapy, I urge you to immediately seek professional help in your community. Located in the back of this book, the Resources section can help you.

I am not a licensed doctor or therapist. I am someone just like you or your loved one who has conquered the darkness and no longer suffers from PTS. For details, please read the afterword. Thank you for choosing this Divinefulness Publishing, Inc., ebook. As a bonus for reading this book, Love Poems from God: My Poems and Practical Exercises, join our email list, and you will receive Marys song, When Life Gets You Down, Get Up! for FREE . See the last page for details.

To hear a song clip, go directly to our Website at divinefulns.us/MarysSongClip. Then share it. Help Mary write her next book, Loving Me 101: Loving My Divinefulness, and receive advance notice about future online retreats. For details, see the Connect with Mary Vasquez page.

My biological father sexually abused me from about the age of five until I turned 13. During one of the darkest times of my life after the abuse, I lived at the YMCA in Chicagos Gold Coast in a room the size of a large walk-in closet and worked as a security guard in a River North condo building.

Thats when I was blessed with the remarkable experience and privilege of writing a book I never wanted to write. It all started at The Leaven Center during a writers retreat for women in Lyons, Michigan, in January of 2005. I went there to find clarity and focus for writing my screenplay. When I returned, poem titles kept popping into my head and repeating themselves, like a two-year-old on a sugar high, until I wrote them down. As it turned out, the compiled poems tell my life story. I now realize that God gave me these uplifting and dark poems to help me heal myself from my horrifying childhood.

They were, literally and figuratively, a godsend. Even though I fought God pretty much all along the way, I knew that forging ahead was the only way out of my misery. I wish I knew then that holding onto my faith in God would lead me to conquer post-traumatic stress. This abridged edition of A Rape Survivors Spiritual Journey: My Poems and Practical Exercises contains only the uplifting poems with journal pages for readers to use. The unabridged version is available for purchase. Whenever you are having a difficult time and need a quick dose of encouragement, I hope you will find this book inspiring.

I pray one or more of these poems speaks to you and helps you in your healing process. Musically, spark your spirit with a free copy of my song, When Life Gets You Down, Get Up! See the last page of this book for details.
Excluding free offers, when you purchase this ebook, $1 will be donated to the YWCA for sexual assault counseling. Copyright 2015 by Mary Vasquez Published in the United States by Divinefulness Publishing, Inc. PO Box 34288, Chicago, IL 60634 https://divinefulnesspublishing.com Spiritual Books for People with Life-Altering Experiences, Loved Ones, and Care Providers Love Your True Self Author, Editor, and Interior Designer: Mary Vasquez Author photographs on cover: Mike Pocius Cover design concept: Shawn Noel Simmons Cover design: Vila Design Original crucifix artwork: Sylvia Gierasimczuk Artists website: www.sylviagdesign.com Layout: Polgarus Studio All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The author is not a licensed doctor or therapist, and this book is not recommended as an alternative to therapeutic counseling. She is someone just like you or your loved one who conquered the darkness. If you or a loved one is suffering from post-traumatic stress or another anxiety illness and is not in therapy, the author urges you to immediately seek professional help in your community. A Resources section located in the back of this book can assist you in your search. When using any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for your actions. Library of Congress Control Number: 2015901890 A Rape Survivors Spiritual Journey (Unabridged Edition) ISBN: 978-0-9886717-2-0 Unabridged Epub ISBN: 978-0-9886717-4-4 Unabridged Kindle ISBN: 978-0-9886717-6-8 Unabridged Paperback Unabridged Ebook: First Edition, February 2015 Unabridged Paperback: First Edition, March 2015 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015918127 Love Poems from God (Abridged Edition of A Rape Survivors Spiritual Journey) ISBN: 978-0-9886717-3-7 Abridged Epub ISBN: 978-0-9886717-5-1 Abridged Kindle ISBN: 978-0-9886717-7-5 Abridged Paperback Abridged Ebook: First Edition, October 2015 Abridged Paperback: First Edition, November 2015

Gods unconditional love, priceless faith, and infinite graces saved my life.

Recently, long after I wrote this book, I struggled through the worst depression I ever experienced. My mind, senses, and spirit constantly wrestled with the bleak darkness, and my only consolation came during prayer. Thank God I met William Rosado, another survivor, who helped me achieve a miraculous breakthrough. I still cannot believe I no longer suffer from post-traumatic stress (PTS) nor feel traumatized by flashbacks, and I finally feel normal. Read more about my breakthrough in the afterword. My mother, God rest her soul, practiced what she preached.

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