Sometimes there is a sad story behind the smiles.

When my old friend, Carolyn, put this photo of myself and my adorable daughters, along with Carolyn's son and husband at that time, on face book, I was filled with a mix of emotions both sad and happy. I was happy to see a photo of my girls and I - when they were young. Their dad and step mother destroyed pictures of me with my daughters after the divorce. So you can imagine the joy I felt when I saw this. The story behind this picture was also heart breaking for me, yet here in Carolyn's home I felt safe for a while. Her generosity and support got me through a very difficult time. My girls and I lived with this special family for about a month or so after their dad had beaten me up quite severely. I had to do my best to heal from the injuries and yet remain positive and joyful for the sake of my girls. I have done that over and over and over, tried to hide the fact that I was scared to death of their dad, hide that I was hurting, hide, hide, hide to keep my girls world feeling as safe as I possibly could. It's not an easy thing to do because for anyone who has been beaten up you know the tole it takes on you emotionally. My girls were my world, and I still adore and love them. But life has a way of twisting things. I will not continue here but the story lies in my journals. I pray that all things will turn to glorify our God. This picture was taken about 23 years ago, but the memories haunt me and the future of what lied ahead after this photo has been heart breaking for me. But my love for my daughters remains and I stand firm on the words of Julian of Norwich, "All is well, All shall be well, All manner of things shall be well."