I received a submission a few days ago from a woman who opened by writing, “I don’t think you will be able to publish this story because it is not a feel-good story.” And she was right; I am not able to publish her story as she wrote it, because the subject matter (a first-person account of childhood sexual abuse) was too awful and the descriptions were too graphic. It was horrific, and here at TDSP my goal is to publish “feel-good” stories that make people want to stand up and cheer. However, this very short story ended on a very good note, and even without the details (most certainly without the details), it’s worth cheering about. It told of a little girl treated horribly by her father, a girl who later fell into a bad marriage. But she escaped, taking her daughter with her (describing her as “the love of my life”), and raising her as a single mom. Here is how the story ends:

“(My daughter) is now an adult, 37 years old, married to a wonderful man, and the mother of 2 beautiful daughters. I am so happy that I was able to raise her to be such a successful woman. She makes me proud every day. I know my story is not a feel good story. But it is a story of success. Success in living through some awful times and being able to still come out on the other side and give my daughter the tools she needed to become a success in her life. I don’t think this story will be published on this blog. There is only one good father mentioned in this and he is my son-in-law. He takes care of my daughter and my two grand-daughters and does it well. I am very happy that my daughter found such a good man.” 

As I read this story, my heart at first broke (and broke hard) and then swelled. Horror turned to gladness. From epic failure to rousing success. From bad men and lousy fathers to a better man and an awesome father. So no, I will not publish this woman’s words verbatim and in their entirety, but I will stand up and cheer about the outcome.

Triumph!

Bravo!

How I love those last few words, “…such a good man.”

Keep fighting for our families and our children!

And may God continue to do His healing work in families everywhere!