She Is Stronger Than She Looks

This well-grounded, earnest child is now better able to bear the weight of the long body. Her strength and determination allowed me to survive to adulthood. As an adult I have been able to seek the necessary help to heal her pain and fragmentation. The girl who was split apart by trauma has been unified by self-knowledge. As a further step towards wholeness, I gave her the gift of "Take Charge". That training in self-defense has given her bone deep knowledge that she can defend herself. She easily supports the long distance swimmer, the young adult self who carried me from the dangerous waters of childhood to the shores of maturity. It was the young woman who discovered the valley that has become my home and the man who shares it with me. At the same time, visual expression was given to me as a tool of self-discovery. Through the labors of these younger selves the mature self has the opportunity to fulfill her potential, to validate the years devoted to artistic development and to redeem the child's pain.



Chapters: Intro | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08