How to Slay the Drama Dragon - BE YOURSELF!

"Finding Angela Shelton" - Day Twenty-nine...

Well, I haven't posted anything about the Joy Journey since January 25. Are you ready for Day 29? I know I am!

I was so excited this morning when I read today's task! I've been unknowingly doing the very thing that was assigned for today since the day I posted my mission statement! Today's task: BE YOURSELF!

I have had the biggest whirlwind of an adventure since I last discussed the Joy Journey in my blog. In the last 20 days or so, I have been through the fire - and I have emerged refined and VICTORIOUS! Sparing the details, let's just say that as a Christian woman, I felt like I was "under attack" by the enemy, otherwise known as Satan himself. But one thing held true through every ordeal I was faced with - I remembered that I am BRAVE, COURAGEOUS, and STRONG. Remember those affirmations? Lo and behold, I am pretty darn sure those things have taken hold in my psyche, because I fought my way through every fiery trial and slayed each "dragon of drama" with my trusty sword.

So many survivors have a difficult time when they're told to be themselves... I would have counted myself among them at one time, but thanks to the time and effort that I've devoted to healing, guess what? I know who I am! Do you know how empowering that is?

Do you know who you are? Look at what you've survived already! Here's one thing you are: A SURVIVOR! What's holding you back? Can you let loose and let your true feelings and your true self shine through? Are you able to tap into your inner warrior spirit when you're faced with adversity? I challenge you today to do the very thing you've been dreading... Be yourself! Move through that pain and find the joy!

I'll be back soon with Day 30... that's right - DAY 30! This is it, folks! Can you believe it?

Many Thanks (Blog-a-thon Post 25)

WE'VE RAISED $570.00 AND WE'RE STILL TAKING DONATIONS! VALENTINE'S DAY IS THE DEADLINE...

Here we are at the final post of this 24-hour adventure of a fundraiser. If you have not yet made a donation to the Angela Shelton Foundation, please consider doing so. Donations for this blog-a-thon will be accepted until Valentine's Day (February 14, 2010). Click here to donate.


Thanks to all of you who submitted your stories for this blog-a-thon, and thanks to all of the donors. Thanks to everyone who kept me AWAKE!!! Thanks to my sister for watching my kids so I could devote my energies to this project. I cannot find the words to tell you how truly grateful I am for all of you.

Thank you, Joanna Doane, for inspiring me to stop making excuses and to stop saying that there's nothing I can do to help. Thank you for showing me that I really CAN make a difference if I'll just get off my patootie and do something.

Special thanks to all of the ladies and gentlemen in the "We Support Mackenzie Phillips" facebook support group, which has recently undergone a name change to include ALL survivors speaking out against abuse. I love you all so much that just the thought of you makes me smile!

A super-special thanks to Angela Shelton, who truly gets it. Angela understands that we're all in this together, and she works harder than you can imagine to be sure that we as survivors of trauma have a place to find the resources and support and LOVE and JOY that we all need so desperately.

Angela, thank you for all you have done and for all that you do... but most of all, thank you for teaching me that I have within me the capability to make a huge difference in the lives of others by first and foremost recognizing that I am not my trauma. I never believed in myself until I found your story. At 32 years of age, I have found TRUE confidence in myself for the first time in my life, and I owe it all to the things God has revealed to me through your story and your efforts to educate and empower survivors.

Watch "Searching for Angela Shelton" - the film that started it all - for free:




Dear Survivor,

So many people want you to know you are not alone. Over the course of this blog-a-thon, other survivors have shared their stories. Visit Survivor Manual to learn how you can find healing and purpose and joy through telling your own story. Share your truth. Someone is waiting to hear it. You'll see.

Blessings to you all, and thank you for everything!
~Meggs

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIANN DIAZ!