If I had known when I started writing Little Texas Sweetheart what a challenging and difficult journey it would be, I would have done it anyway.  I believe strongly in the redemptive power of confession and in sharing what I have learned.  I believe that everyone can benefit from my story.  It is true that domestic violence and abuse against the weak ones in society transcend all boundaries: be they race, age, economic status, or educational level.

Statistics tell us that one out of every four women in the United States has been or will be abused either sexually, emotionally, mentally, or physically at some time in their lives. There are so many among us who have experienced this bitterness!  There is hope available, and this book helps to point the way to healing and freedom.

I have come to be thankful for the eighteen-year experience that has built in me courage, strength, joy and an unwavering faith in God. When you read the book, don’t feel sorry for me, rather be glad that I had the stamina to survive and grow and learn from my journey through domestic violence.  Because of that experience I have the understanding and empathy to enable me to reach out to those who are abused, hungry, homeless and without hope.  I have been there and back!  I can reach out to these victims and tell them that there is a way out.

I do, however, mourn the fact that my children, especially the older ones, had their childhoods taken away from them.  They did not deserve that!

As one daughter had said, “When you have had nothing and have survived, then nothing scares you.”

I am so happy to tell you that I am the proud mother of eight children who are all college educated, thriving, successful, good citizens.  I am the grandmother to fifteen little ones whose parents have seen and experienced what domestic violence can do and have determined to make their children’s lives better than their childhoods were.

Hope abounds, and God’s grace can heal all of our wounds.  It is a joy to be able to share that message and point to what God has done for me and my family as proof of what I am sharing with the world.