“Stroke of Love” is my heartfelt response to God’s call, an invitation to share my journey
through the valleys of depression, the shadows of childhood trauma, and my battles against
cancer and stroke. It’s a story of vulnerability, resilience, and the power of faith.
Life presents us all with a series of obstacles and tests. My path has been strewn with
hurdles, each an opportunity to rise stronger with God’s grace. He gives His biggest battles to His
strongest warriors; my life has been a testament to this belief. From the grip of depression rooted
in childhood trauma to the profound loss of loved ones, my faith has been my beacon, guiding
me through the darkest times.
The journey to reclaim my spirit involved deep introspection and an unwavering commitment
to shift my perspective from victim to victor. “Stroke of Love” offers clarity and inspiration,
empowering you to harness your inner strength and resilience in the face of life’s trials. Every
day, I’m thankful for the chance to rewrite my story and to inspire others to navigate their
challenges with courage and hope.
Life is about those special moments that we never forget. The ones where we don’t remember
what happened beforehand or what happened afterward; we only remember that split second that
changed our life. That was this moment for me. It was a ho-hum day, and I had installed a new
app on my phone called CLUBHOUSE. I was learning how to navigate it. There were live rooms
with different titles and topics. I gravitated to a room that was discussing tools on how to
overcome adversity. Some people chose to raise their hands and share their stories. At first, I laid
low and listened to everyone else’s share. Something stirred inside me, and I lifted my hand to
speak. Suddenly, my adrenaline started to pump, and I felt empowered. Before I was done
sharing my story, a voice interrupted and unmuted her microphone. She says, “Oh my goodness,
when are you writing your book?”.
I thought, book? What book? I’m not a writer; I don’t have what it takes to be an author. I
believe everyone has a story, and it’s up to them whether to sit on the sidelines and miss out on
the action or get in the game and help others along on their journey. One of my favorite verses
from the Bible is, “FAITH the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.” That split second
was my mustard seed, and I continue to move mountains.
I didn’t take any action with that statement for a while, but it continuously resonated in the
back of my head. “When are you going to write your book?”
Well, until this next moment, I was sitting on the sidelines. It was about a year after that night
in CLUBHOUSE. I was resting with my youngest daughter. Around 3 am, I felt a nudge and
heard a voice say, “Get up and write this down.” I tossed and turned and tried to ignore it, but it
was relentless. I heard again, “Get up and write this down, or you’ll never forgive yourself.” Ugh,
I was so warm and comfortable, but I knew the sooner I listened, the sooner I could return to bed.
I walked out of my daughter’s room, through the dining room, into the kitchen. It was dark, and I
didn’t dare turn on the light. I grabbed anything that would write and some scrap paper; with my
eyes closed, I wrote what HE told me to write and hurried back to bed.
The next morning, as I entered the kitchen to make my coffee, I noticed the chicken scratch
on the scrap paper. it said, “STROKE of LOVE,” and that, folks, is how this dream became my
reality.
