The Story Behind the Story
I sat up with a shock. The morning sun had yet to pierce my room, yet as my eyes flung open I could feel the sweat forming on the back of my neck. Hyperventilation squeezed at my chest. I could see her face. Feel her pain. And, as the rain pelted her windshield, I could feel the love she had for her child.What I wondered about was her love for herself.
I sat in the darkness of my room processing it all for a minute. Eventually my heartbeat slowed to a normal pace but not before I’d logged onto my laptop. Furiously my fingers began to rap at the keyboard.
Before sunrise, the character of Megan Hamilton was given life.
The abuse Megan suffered was only the start of her problem. Mistakenly she’d calculated the riches and possessions in her life as the measure of her worth. She defined her value by the price-tag on her jeans, the car she owned, and even the number of shoes in her closet.
It didn’t take long to realize that I’d met Megan. She’s the trendy girl at the mall, the beautiful young mother at the park, the perfect lady at church. Maybe you’ve met her a time or two too. Maybe she’s your neighbor. Maybe she’s your best friend. Maybe she’s you. From the outside Megan had everything. With a perfect husband, a flawless figure, and seemingly everything money could buy, how could her life be anything but rosy?
The truth of the matter is, I think every woman - to one degree or another – has a little bit of Megan inside her. Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that money, or fame, or whatever our personal vice is will bring happiness. Sadly we often set our sights on things that we think will make us happy when, in fact, real peace and joy have nothing to do with the quantity or quality of “things” we manage to gather.
And that’s why I had to tell Megan’s story.
I’ve witnessed the horror of physical and mental abuse in the lives of women that I love. And it’s not always a spouse or a loved-one that deals that abuse. Often women are their own biggest oppressors. But I’ve also witnessed the strength and the beauty in those women as they’ve conquered their fears and moved past the oppression.
I couldn’t wait to introduce Megan to the people that would help her get to that place of peace, joy, and self-love. I wrote All the Finer Things for me, for you… and for every woman out there fighting to find the beauty within herself and the value of the simplest joys in life.
Stephanie Worlton is the author of All the Finer Things and Hope's Journey. She lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains where she enjoys frequent opportunities to observe nature and feed her creative spirit. She spends her days designing, building, painting, drawing, landscaping, and snuggling with her dogs. She has her own collection of power tools, a plethora of camera equipment, and a passion for shoes. All the Finer Things is her third published work.To learn more about Stephanie and her other books, please visit her website.
