Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    I Survived, so Can You
    I Survived, so Can You
    I Survived, so Can You
    Ebook108 pages1 hour

    I Survived, so Can You

    By Lisa M. Sobry

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Anger, frustration, fear, worthlessness, determination, strength, resolve, and joy are feelings we experience at one point or another in our life. Many of these emotions are caused by traumatic events such as death and birth or abuse and success. Knowing that someone has endured and survived gives us hope. Sharing these experiences allows us to begin our own healing process and assist thousands of others with theirs.

    Within these pages are stories shared by everyday people. They shake us to the very core of our being, stirring up emotions we never knew existed within ourselves. These are genuine stories, telling the real truth about what people live through on a daily basis. If you feel like you are the only one going through your situation, realize that you are not. Someone else has suffered similarly. Have faith, trust in yourself, and believe you can do the impossible. If these people can survive, so can you!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBalboa Press
    Release dateSep 18, 2013
    ISBN9781452581682
    I Survived, so Can You
    Author

    Lisa M. Sobry

    Lisa M. Sobry has studied psychology and social work and implements the techniques she’s learned in her life as well as in her writing. Sobry is a Certified Life Coach, Past Life Regressionist, Reiki Master, Medium, and Angel Card Reader. She facilitates workshops and retreats and publicly speaks about her books and abuse throughout North America.

    Related to I Survived, so Can You

    Related ebooks

    Self-Improvement For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Winning Letter

      Oct 7, 2022

      I’m sitting here on a weekend bush break with the smell of braai, the grasses in the veld, the cry of the loeries and the warm spring breeze. While soaking up the sun and thinking things couldn’t feel better, a local radio station is celebrating Heri

      5 min read

    • Article

      Cool Dads: Tough Times Edition

      Jul 3, 2022

      Cool Dads: Tough Times Edition
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Words That Stick

      Mar 14, 2023

      The Words That Stick
      9 min read

    • Article

      Winning Letter

      Jun 16, 2023

      I THINK I’m hitting that mid-year winter slump. It’s cold, dark and beyond irritating to navigate the complications brought on by Eskom (a washing machine full of not-quite-done laundry because I miscalculated the loadshedding schedule doesn’t exactl

      6 min read

    • Article

      The MOTHER ODE

      Apr 18, 2022

      The MOTHER ODE
      5 min read

    • Article

      Parent Opinions

      Mar 3, 2022

      Parent Opinions
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Ninth Step

      Aug 26, 2020

      The Ninth Step
      6 min read

    • Article

      THE greatest LOVE

      Oct 21, 2021

      THE greatest LOVE
      10 min read

    • Article

      ‘I Hate my Reality’

      Jul 22, 2022

      ‘I Hate my Reality’
      11 min read

    • Article

      Mi querida Sanaë

      Jun 16, 2020

      Mi querida Sanaë
      11 min read

    • Article

      Kate Baer Poet Author Mother

      Jun 2, 2022

      Kate Baer Poet Author Mother
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Return Of Empathy

      Nov 13, 2020

      WHEN RESULTS FIRST began to trickle in on Election Day, I’d already been reliving several days’ worth of PTSD from what I’d experienced in 2016. I was still a single parent then, with two young girls safely asleep in the 660-sq.-ft. apartment we had

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Return Of Empathy

      Nov 13, 2020

      WHEN RESULTS FIRST began to trickle in on Election Day, I’d already been reliving several days’ worth of PTSD from what I’d experienced in 2016. I was still a single parent then, with two young girls safely asleep in the 660-sq.-ft. apartment we had

      2 min read

    • Article

      Spending Fridays with Dad

      Jul 19, 2020

      In the decade I’ve had the privilege of writing this column, I’ve shared every major life event except one: the death of my mother in 2012. I’m not about to get into that now – too painful for me, not much fun for you – but I’ll always be grateful fo

      3 min read

    • Article

      An Open Letter To My Biological Mother

      Sep 16, 2019

      Every year, for as long as I could remember, my birthdays were spent thinking of you. Wondering why you had to give me up. Who were you? Were you famous? Rich? Happy? Did you secretly watch me from afar, proud of my achievements, content that you had

      4 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Oct 30, 2020

      I RECENTLY landed up in hospital, and as I’m a coffee addict I was taking a bit of strain. In the ward they served coffee only at 5am and 6pm. Desperate for my fix I thought I’d try my hand at charming the lady who brought my lunch. So I decided to p

      3 min read

    • Article

      Aisling Bea

      Feb 6, 2024

      Being an adult is… Being constantly aware that death is simultaneously very close and very far away, so each day is a rush to slow down so that you can get enough energy from stillness to speed up and get going. What are you worried about currently?

      3 min read

    • Article

      Perfection

      Jun 9, 2020

      For years I could barely write a page. I thought I was becoming a virtuoso of smallness while the grief, which is wordless, occupied an ever-greater volume. My friend lived in the estates on the bad side of town. Let’s go to the forest, she said when

      9 min read

    • Article

      Letter To My Younger Self

      Dec 13, 2021

      Letter To My Younger Self
      3 min read

    • Article

      What A Head Trip

      Sep 15, 2021

      What A Head Trip
      3 min read

    • Article

      Hitting the RESTART BUTTON

      Oct 14, 2019

      The suicide rate in South Africa is alarming. According to the World Health Organisation, about 800 000 people take their own lives every year, with our country recording the sixth-highest rate of suicide in Africa. What these figures also show is th

      4 min read

    • Article

      Winning Letter

      Apr 7, 2023

      I’M ALWAYS delighted when we can add extras in the magazine that our readers may want. And I’m hoping you’re going to love the extra puzzle section in the middle of this edition. You’ll notice it’s not quite the same as the usual puzzle pages – there

      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for I Survived, so Can You

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      I Survived, so Can You - Lisa M. Sobry

      Copyright © 2013 Lisa M. Sobry.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      Balboa Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

      Balboa Press

      A Division of Hay House

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.balboapress.com

      1-(877) 407-4847

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      ISBN: 978-1-4525-8167-5 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4525-8168-2 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2013916148

      Balboa Press rev. date: 9/17/2013

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      I Survived the Death of a Loved One

      A Complicated Grief

      You Left Me

      Dad’s Passing Away

      Suicide Hurts

      Why I Tried to Commit Suicide

      Choosing to Live or Die

      Women and Children: Mentally, Physically, and Sexually Abused

      Where is the Love?

      I Am Only 14!

      How Dare You?!

      High School Confidential

      A Child of Divorce Speaks Out

      A Mother’s Love: What Is That?

      Words of Encouragement

      Resources

      About the Author

      22304.png

      This book is dedicated to all the women

      that have survived.

      22308.png22312.png

      The stories within these pages are true.

      The names and places have been changed to protect

      the privacy of those involved.

      22314.png

      Introduction

      I Survived—So Can You is a compilation of stories, by women in Canada, who have survived losing a loved one, attempted suicide, mental and physical abuse, and date rape. They submitted their stories in hopes you would understand you are not alone, that someone else has suffered and survived what you may have gone through, and that you can find help regardless of the situation you are in.

      Their words are from the heart—filled with anguish, loss, love, determination, and the strength to survive.

      The Comments section after each story is based on information provided by the author.

      I Survived the Death of a Loved One

      Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult situations people have to face in their lifetimes. Whether it’s a child, spouse, parent, grandparent, or friend, it still makes us feel sad. It is very important to acknowledge these feelings and work through the grieving process. By the way, there is no right or wrong way to grieve—you grieve the way you are supposed to grieve. Many people experience sadness, move through anger and frustration, come to terms with the loss, and eventually move forward. Some people may take a month and others may need a year. Everybody experiences life differently, and it’s important to recognize that each person needs their own time to grieve. Part of the grieving may be a change in lifestyle; financial situations may cause frustration, especially if a will isn’t prepared or last wishes set forth. It is very important for everyone that has a child or is over the age of 18 to make sure that they have their wishes written down, either in a will, final wishes, or a letter.

      The following stories are filled with sad regrets for the things left unsaid.

      A Complicated Grief

      We meet in the back parking lot as usual. Kara is juggling her oversized one-strapped shoulder bag and has her first double-double coffee of the day clenched in her teeth. She shuts her car door with her foot and we walk to Building J together—another start to a long Wednesday. In lecture room 103, Mrs. Gray is dwarfed behind the podium. The title of today’s PowerPoint slowly emerges on to the white board behind her. I hate PowerPoints.

      I trudge up to the third row from the back. Kara follows. We settle in to the strident tone of Mrs. Gray’s roll call for last week’s homework assignments. Not a fan of busy work, I read the Family Systems text—author Mrs. Gray—but rarely complete assignments; I wonder if she knows my name. Even if she doesn’t, I sometimes feel as if she is directly talking to me, in lectures, in her book.

      Today I will learn I am dysfunctional because I haven’t properly grieved the loss of my father.

      It is a silent walk back to the full parking lot, where Kara and I park side by side. I know she is unpacking memories of her childhood, as am I.

      See you tomorrow, I say to my best friend.

      Yeah, you too, Kara responds with a blank stare.

      With no urge to drive home, I put the key in the ignition but cannot turn it. I light a smoke left over from the weekend. Mine is one of the last cars still there in the lot. What happened in my life to make me feel so empty? I start to cry, not for my loss, but for the lack of memories. My five-year-old self who never accepted the loss of my father now emerges to face it. Now what?

      The three of us stand facing Mom. I am in the middle; my left hand is sore from Martha’s grip. I look at her. She is looking down and ever so gently shakes her head to the ground as if she is saying no—the silence only broken by sniffles. My right hand is in Eva’s—she is crying, not loudly, but tears are forming on her cheeks. She has a loose grip; Eva always called my skin clammy. I bet she is only holding my hand now because Mom is watching us. I am fidgeting. I would rather stand with Mom and Aunt Margret, but my sisters won’t let me go. Everyone wears black, both single and married ladies wear black deukes. The married ladies have deukes that look larger than usual, with raised brims reserved for rare occasions. The singing sounds familiar, High German from the green books I remember from church. I never liked the green books; the songs in the blue ones were in English and more fun to sing.

      Martha! My hand! I whisper. But she doesn’t respond. The crowd parts as men approach with the casket.

      My mother was severely depressed for nearly five years after the death of my father. My sisters were seven and nine years older than I and not willing to open up. This left me in a position to explore alone the death of my father in my late teens. I was told about the service, the food, and my relatives visiting from Texas and Mexico. I was told about the next five or six Christmases, Easters, and Thanksgivings that we didn’t bother to celebrate. I pretended to remember but really, those years are a blank.

      My home was very quiet, with no mention of my father’s passing away from my two older sisters or my mother. The subject was taboo. Because of the silence, my curiosity about death was never addressed, but I came to understand that it was final. It was not until I was in my early teens that my dad’s name was ever mentioned.

      I have vague memories of some things: The white Mustang in the garage… me sitting on the red Snap-On tool box, picking out all the red, yellow, blue, and green plugs from the small, top left drawer, resting my feet on the abundance of multi-colored screwdrivers in the first big drawer. I can remember the smell of Dad’s hands when he picked me up to go into the house for dinner after a long day of fixing the Mustang and sorting his colorful plugs. I remember the surprise trampoline in the backyard after school that made my mother cringe. I remember how much fun it was to jump around with Dad, being double-bounced so high that I thought I was flying. Mere months later, the trampoline sat idle. I had

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1