SAPPHIRE RAIN, my memoir illustrates how to heal heartache and pain through seven primary phases like trusting intuition and speaking truth. In this inspirational narrative, I revisit my personal experiences of abuse, teenage pregnancy, divorce, and clairvoyance. My story lays the groundwork for surviving solo, and my charming touches of humor ease the intensity of the subjects.
When I was three-years-old, I was sexually abused. No one knew about the uncomfortable gazes, inappropriate touches, and conversations about sex throughout my childhood. Without knowing the adverse effects abuse would have on my future, I welcomed another abuser into my life. I met Judas my junior year of high school at a party.
The connection was magnetic, but what started as passion, confused as love, quickly developed into deception and lies. I missed the warning signs. He cheated. He manipulated conversations to work to his favor. He had complete control over me. When I was 18-years-old, my decision to move away from our hometown drew out his aggressive behavior. He chased me around town in his car, bumping into the rear-end of mine. Two days after my high school graduation, I moved in with my sister who lived states away. It took Judas about a month to convince me to let him visit. He bought a two-way plane ticket and never took the flight home.
We became parents not long after that. I became a safe harbor for our two children when things were too intense for anyone in the house to handle. Fearing the growing possibility of physical abuse, I started building a business as hope for a way out. I began working with families as their postpartum doula. As my business, The Momma Hop, became a household name, Judas’ behavior only got worse. It took my own health being compromised and a spiritual encounter to find the courage to leave. Not long after that, I sold my wedding ring to buy a computer, trading in the old story for a new one. In the following years, I've been able to slowly rebuild. However, the real success of our story is breaking the cycle of trauma.
My foundation rests on unfavorable statistics. I am one in three women who have been sexually abused as a child—not by one, but two people in my life close to my heart. I’m one of the 25% of abused children who ended up pregnant as a teenager. I am also part of the percentage of abused children who found themselves in an abusive relationship as an adult.
I’ve dedicated many years to healing the story that was handed down to me and my children. I’ve studied and currently practice Japanese Reiki and Shamanism. I own and operate two businesses, all while working full time as a Legal Assistant. My long-term goals are to create additional tangible products for both brands and establish a 501 (c) 3 to give back to the community and resources that have offered me an opportunity to excel when the odds have been stacked against me.
