This heart-rending anthology is penned by 21 women who reveal the essence of self-determination...sharing the extremely moving details of their life challenges, and how they overcame pain, shame, and intimidation. SHINE presents the authors' narratives of how they broke their chains...using their newfound freedom to live powerful and effective lives..."speaking truth to power." For you, the reader, each page will pour out new possibilities for freedom in a new life that's filled with the power of God. I Will Shine Again! Andrea Dudley "There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires." --Nelson Mandela "Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal." --The Gospel of John 12:24-25 Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. The problems began when Chippie's owner decided to clean Chippie's cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She had barely said "hello" when Chippie got sucked in. The bird owner gasped, threw down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie...still alive, but stunned. Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do, she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him. A few days after the trauma, the reporter who had initially written about the event contacted Chippie's owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie does not sing much anymore; he just sits and stares." It is not hard to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over. That is enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart. Chippie's story is my story and yours. Many of us have been battered, scarred, and left for dead through divorce or sickness, job loss or the death of a loved one. Each one of us has a story. It is one thing when you do not have control over things that happened to you as a child, or if you're an elderly person or someone incapable of fending for yourself. It is another thing when you allow life to happen to you and you don't take responsibility for your own actions. If you've been sucked in, washed up, and blown over, don't be like Chippie. Rise again and start singing. Shine! The truth is, everyone will have challenges and setbacks, and we are exactly where we are supposed to be based on the decisions that we have made. We all experience life-altering obstacles that threaten to dull our shine or even extinguish our light altogether. "Into each life some rain must fall, but too much is fallin' in mine," are the lyrics to a song. Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? Or why good people seem to endure such a rain of tremendous hardships? The truth of the matter is, we are not exempt from experiencing challenging seasons in our lives. No one will go through their life with everything coming up roses. There are times in life where everything is really just excellent, life is prosperous, and everything you touch turns to gold! The premise of this book is that you can shine even in the midst of tremendous obstacles! That when you speak "your" truth to opposing forces, your light will brightly shine.