Stories that Empower

Patti was raised in a dysfunctional family. She found herself surrounded by alcohol, drugs and the loss of her mom. Her life seems focused on destruction. All she wanted was to be loved and cared for. Patti feels that her decision to travel with Jeff (then boyfriend, now spouse) saved her life. It felt like divine intervention. Patti turned her life around. She didn't want to repeat the mistakes of her mom and wanted to be completely present.

Betsy married a gentleman, who was a widow with a young child. She loved her new family, but saw they may need time/space to heal from their loss. Betsy realized that "love and loss live side by side". She also lost 3 loved ones, due to suicide. This taught Betsy that new things can grow even after a loss, such as a more affectionate family. Her "platinum rule" is to do unto others what they want done. Betsy also reminds us to: seek a trusted confidant/advisor, don't try to figure it all out on your own, learn from others, get wiser and read books. Betsy Graziani Fasbinder became a second mother to her first son when she married his widowed dad. Filling Her Shoes: A Memoir of an Inherited Family is a series of snapshots of the moments of becoming a second mother to a little boy whose first had been taken. This is a sweet-bitter, happy-ending story of family, revealing that love and loss, grief and gratitude are not opposites, but co-habitants in any family and that patterns of past family abuse can be broken. Betsy is also the author of the critically acclaimed novel, Fire & Water, and has been a licensed psychotherapist in California since 1992. tags: Betsy, Graziani, Fasbinder, betsygrazianifasbinder.com, author, memoir, Filling Her Shoes, A Memoir of an Inherited Family, love, loss, grief, gratitude, Fire & Water, From Page to Stage, psychotherapist, storiesthatempower.com, stories that empower, empowering stories, empowerment stories, stories of empowerment, stories of empowering others, self empowerment stories, stories empower, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, uplift, uplifting, upliftment, hope, light, Sean http://www.betsygrazianifasbinder.com/ https://www.facebook.com/BetsyGFAuthor/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1631524631/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/filling-her-shoes-betsy-fasbinder/1124577413 https://www.amazon.com/Filling-Her-Shoes-Memoir-Inherited-ebook/dp/B06VWW91K9/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1535272810&sr=1-1&keywords=Filling+Her+Shoes%3A+A+Memoir+of+an+Inherited+Family+kindle&dpID=61%252Bnn%252B7gX1L&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Water-Suspense-filled-Passion-Madness/dp/193831414X https://www.bookpassage.com/book/9781938314148

Betsy married a gentleman, who was a widow with a young child.  She loved her new family, but saw they may need time/space to heal from their loss.  Betsy realized that "love and loss live side by side".  She also lost 3 loved ones, due to suicide.  This taught Betsy that new things can grow even after a loss, such as a more affectionate family.  Her "platinum rule" is to do unto others what they want done.

As a child, Barbara felt like an outsider, didn't belong, lacked self esteem, had misguided goals, felt empty and was competing with everyone for everything. She had an AHA moment: we buy things that we can't afford to impress people that we don't care about. At 50, she needed to flee her life. So, she signed up for 300mi bike ride, which became the vehicle that enabled part 2 of her life. Barbara reminds us to be true to ourselves, to make small changes if we are unhappy, to belong to ourselves and to something bigger than ourselves. Each day, we have an opportunity to try something new, pursue new interests that are exciting and create an opportunity to share with others. Barbara Santarelli. R.N., B.S.H.C.A has been an actively employed nurse more than four decades. She has authored articles on sex education for tweens as well as articles for a local newsletter , Senior Voice. She credits her long nursing career for a cryptic sense of humor and persistent optimism. A lifelong resident of New York, she currently lives in North Salem, New York with her second husband and mini daschund. An avid cyclist, reader and grandmother of five. Barbara is the author of "Everything I Never Wanted: A Memoir of Excess". www.everythingineverwanted.com https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Never-Wanted-Memoir-Excess/dp/1631522582 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/everything-i-never-wanted-barbara-santarelli/1125527262 (tags: Barbara, Santarelli, nurse, author, memoir, cyclist, Everything I Never Wanted: A Memoir of Excess, everythingineverwanted.com, storiesthatempower.com, stories that empower, empowering stories, empowerment stories, stories of empowerment, stories of empowering others, self empowerment stories, stories empower, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, uplift, uplifting, upliftment, hope, light, Sean)

As a child, Barbara felt like an outsider, didn't belong, lacked self esteem, had misguided goals, felt empty and was competing with everyone for everything. She had an AHA moment: we buy things that we can't afford to impress people that we don't care about. At 50, she needed to flee her life. So, she signed up for 300mi bike ride, which became the vehicle that enabled part 2 of her life.

Rebecca got divorced with two young children. Her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. This enabled her to reconnect with her mom. Rebecca shares these wonderful nuggets of wisdom: look inwardly, become awareness of your fears, face your vulnerabilities, let go, allow life to unfold, enjoy what comes, be in the moment, be grounded and get to know your loved ones. Rebecca Whitehead Munn is a healthcare change catalyst and value creator, author and speaker. Her goal is to inspire others to be courageous and learn about their loved ones' wishes, while creating life-long connections. Her debut memoir, The Gift of Goodbye: A Story of Agape Love, was released July 18, 2017. Kirkus Reviews says her memoir "tells of her own journey of self-discovery after learning of a parent's terminal illness. Rather than give in to grief, she embarked on what she calls a 'heart-opening journey', one that she deftly and intensely recounts in this memoir." https://rebeccawmunnauthor.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Goodbye-Story-Agape-Love/dp/1631522302/ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gift-of-goodbye-rebecca-whitehead-munn-mba/1124824551?ean=9781631522307 https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781631522307 (tags: Rebecca, Whitehead, Munn, rebeccawmunnauthor.com, Gift, of Goodbye, Story, Agape, Love, healthcare, change, catalyst, value, creator, storiesthatempower.com, stories that empower, empowering stories, empowerment stories, stories of empowerment, stories of empowering others, self empowerment stories, stories empower, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, uplift, uplifting, upliftment, hope, light, Sean)

Rebecca got divorced with two young children.  Her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  This enabled her to reconnect with her mom.  Rebecca shares these wonderful nuggets of wisdom:   look inwardly, become awareness of your fears, face your vulnerabilities, let go, allow life to unfold, enjoy what comes, be in the moment, be grounded and get to know your loved ones.

As a child, Linda's inspiration, leadership and determination enabled her and her siblings to win all-inclusive trips for her family to Disneyland 3 consecutive years! Linda shares this wisdom: you can make your dreams come true, don't be afraid to try new things and set the goals that you are most important to you. Linda has a daughter with special needs. Her advice to those caretakers that are challenged with this responsibility? Recognize that you will have your hard days. Put one foot in front of the other, give it your best shot, don't give up and keep trying. Good things will happen. Linda Atwell lives in Silverton, Oregon with her husband, John. She earned her BA from George Fox College, but it is her entrepreneurial and adventuresome spirits that have inspired her career goals. Atwell owned a successful home décor business for ten years before switching to adjusting catastrophe insurance claims and climbing roofs for a living. Now she writes. Her first book, Loving Lindsey: Raising a Daughter with Special Needs was recently released by She Writes Press and was the selected Winner in the 6th Annual Beverly Hills Book Awards in the categories of Relationships and Parenting & Family. Loving Lindsey was also selected as a Finalist in the 2017 Best Book Awards. In addition, her award-winning work has appeared in print and online magazines. Atwell irregularly writes a blog about her daughter with special needs. She is happiest traveling the world and hopes to get fifty stamps in her passport before it expires. http://www.LindaAtwell.com https://twitter.com/outoneear https://www.facebook.com/outoneear/ https://www.instagram.com/linda_atwell_writer/ https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Lindsey-Raising-Daughter-Special/dp/1631522809/ (tags: Linda, Atwell, lindaatwell.com, author, outoneear, out one ear, Loving, Lindsey, Loving Lindsey, Raising a Daughter with Special Needs, She Writes Press, storiesthatempower.com, stories that empower, empowering stories, empowerment stories, stories of empowerment, stories of empowering others, self empowerment stories, stories empower, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, uplift, uplifting, upliftment, hope, light, Sean)

Linda shares this wisdom: you can make your dreams come true, don't be afraid to try new things and set the goals that you are most important to you.

Sheila felt compelled to write her mom's story after her stroke, otherwise it would disappear. She then realized she wanted to write more, so she wrote a novel called "Appetite". Sheila's advice to caregivers is to find a support group and do something you love. Her advice to writers is get going, write, there's no perfect first draft and enroll in a class. Toward the end of her forty-year career as a leader of science museums, Sheila Grinell began to write fiction. Her debut novel, APPETITE, was published in May 2016 and she has just finished writing another. Sheila talks about how her second career as a novelist helps her meet the challenges her husband's Parkinson's disease has imposed. https://www.sheilagrinell.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Novel-Sheila-Grinell/dp/1631520229 https://www.barrowneuro.org/get-to-know-barrow/centers-programs/muhammad-ali-parkinson-center/ (tags: Sheiila, Grinell, sheilagrinell.com, Appetite, science, museum, fiction, novel, Parkinson's, disease, storiesthatempower.com, stories that empower, empowering stories, empowerment stories, stories of empowerment, stories of empowering others, self empowerment stories, stories empower, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, uplift, uplifting, upliftment, hope, light, Sean)