Ponderings On Shattered Innocence

The book came from thoughts and inspirations that occurred to me when I returned to Canada after separating from my wife and three beloved children. I believe the poems show a progression from utter sadness and despair to acceptance, patience, and hope. Underpinning all the poetry is an unwavering faith in the Almighty Creator, whose designs and miracles cannot always be fully understood. I tried to write, too, about the beauty of nature and humanity and, ultimately, about forgiveness. It is sincerely hoped the reader will derive some inspiration or hope through their own paths.

Hope Rises from a Shattered Innocence will help those who have suffered trauma to receive God’s love as the key to releasing shame, rejection and hurts of the past; replace self-image confusion with knowing their identity in Christ; take realistic steps in learning to make disciplined choices; replace out-of-control behavior with spirit- empowered responses; replace self-defeating mindsets with confidence-producing beliefs; renew lost faith by nourishing it with relevant spiritual insights. In struggling through the destabilizing emotions of despair, depression, anger, social anxiety, and DID, from the innocent girl who was abused to becoming the authentic woman she is now, Lorraine managed to overcome what she felt was an internal hell. As a woman of faith and a former masters-level rehabilitation counselor, with God’s help, she developed a faith-based holistic approach that helped her move beyond her own trauma. Over the past ten years, she has been involved in supporting women affected by traumatic events—childhood abuse, partner violence, sexual abuse. Hope Rises from a Shattered Innocence inspires hope in others that they, too, can leave their past behind and step into their God-originated identities in Christ.

Shattered Innocence tells a gripping dramatic story of teenage innocence mixed with adult family drama. Brent Miller, main character, is the town hero due to his superb athletic ability and his presupposed destiny of being a professional athlete. His best friend Frankie Sutter idolizes Brent. When tragedy strikes Brent’s life, Frankie must carry the burden of responsibility for what follows. Another young teenager filled with rage kills his father who was sexually abusing his little sister. Leaving his father in a pool of blood, Johnny Walker races away in an old pickup truck which crashes into Frankie’s Mustang killing Brent’s girlfriend and leaving Brent paralyzed from the waist down. Brent believes his life is over. No longer the Hero, Frankie, who survived the accident with a few broken bones, must deal with the guilt and trauma of Brent’s Paralysis, his fall from town worship status and responsibility for the death of Brent’s girl friend Kelly.

What is the theological significance of art? Why has the Church always encouraged the arts? What is so profoundly human about the arts? In A Wounded Innocence Alejandro R. Garcia-Rivera answers these questions in a series of sketches" that are mixed spiritual and theological reflections on various works of art written in a poetic style. These reflections explore the relationship between the multi-dimensional spiritual and the arts. The first *sketch, - *The Beginning of Art, - introduces the rest that go on to explore further the human, artistic, and theological implications of a wounded innocence. Each *sketch - reflects on a particular human work of art. Some are conventional works of art. Others may never find their way into a museum but, then, that is one of the implications coming out of this book. A museum does not define what a work of art is, its human depth does. In these deeply studied yet spiritually written reflections on each work of art, it is hoped that the reader will find his and her own creative depth described, perhaps even revealed. A Wounded Innocence is both inspiring and informative. Readers will learn about art, spirituality, and theology, and will find themselves inspired to look at works of art, and even to produce a work of art. It sets a new way of doing theology that is at the same time spiritual. More importantly, Garcia-Rivera describes a theology of art. Chapters are *The Beginning of Art, - *The End of Art, - *Human Freedom and Artistic Creativity, - *Heaven-with-Us, - *The Human Aspect of Atonement, - *The Tyger and the Lamb, - and *A Wounded Innocence. - Includes black and white art. Alejandro R. Garcia-Rivera, PhD, is associate professor of systematic theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. The author of numerous articles, he also wrote a Catholic Press Association award-winning book on theology and aesthetics titled The Community of the Beautiful (The Liturgical Press). "

Growing up poor and with a set of parents who couldn't care less about her, Jessica Evans was on her own. She knew she wanted better and was determined to make it through college. Her only problem was that she was broke, and college was expensive. That's when she was introduced to the world of depravity and scandal that she currently resides in. Damon Shaw has just been assigned to take over the day-to-day operations of the escort service where he's has been working for almost five years. He immediately bumps heads with the sexy and stubborn Jessica. Damon is determined to show Jessica who is in control and make her follow his every instruction. When the two get together, sparks begin to fly. Jessica and Damon will challenge and enrage each other at every turn. The sting of words and the temptation of seduction are ever present between them. Damon is not at all what he seems. When all hell breaks loose, will Damon and Jessica make it or will she send him packing?

The image in the mirror, the tears, the degrading, the name aLittle Bastard, a the circle where you went if you wanted the candy, the little hands that had to do the touching, the priest with the hand on the shoulder, the knee, the arm around you and them saying it was Godas way of showing he loved youa!a childhood of not knowing who you were and being told you were the Devilas child, but you survivea!the only way you knew how: You pretended. You lived. Raised in a Catholic orphanage from birth, I had to leave when I graduated. I mastered the art of pretending because, by doing that, I was covering up the hurt of everything that had happened to me. I was not me! Or so I thought, until one day, I started to write down the things that haunted me. As I put those words on paper, I realized that was me on the paper. A healing process, I thought. No, it happened, all of it, some with a sense of humor and some with such a great pain I felt it would never go away. It has taken me years, and once done, I put those words away. Now I give them away so that others who have lived with the same pain know that they can stop pretending and live. Maybe those same things will never happen to another child in a Catholic orphanage or Catholic school ever againa!.Welcome to Shattered Innocence.