New Nonfiction Proves Power of Faith in God
Childhood has a lasting impact as it turns into adolescence and then adulthood, and the experiences of our early years often shape us for a lifetime. In some circumstances, we are forced to rise above trauma and abuse, making a vow to stop the cycle and emerge on the other side a compassionate, well-adjusted adult. Hannah T. Merritt offers readers a combination of historical events, personal real-life experiences and biblical encouragement to convey how God has a plan for all of us even when things are at their bleakest.
Shreveport, LA (Vocus) August 18, 2010
Childhood has a lasting impact as it turns into adolescence and then adulthood, and the experiences of our early years often shape us for a lifetime. In some circumstances, we are forced to rise above trauma and abuse, making a vow to stop the cycle and emerge on the other side a compassionate, well-adjusted adult. In her unique new book, Storms…in Our Lives: How God Brought Us Through (published by iUniverse), Hannah T. Merritt offers readers a combination of historical events, personal real-life experiences and biblical encouragement to convey how God has a plan for all of us even when things are at their bleakest.
In what the author calls “a testimony of God’s grace and mercy towards a Southern family struggling to survive hardships of negligence, abuse and forced labor,” Storms…in Our Lives takes readers back to Wilson, Ark., in the early 1950s, where Merritt and her family relocated from Grand Bayou, La. The family lived in a small house, a situation made even more tense by her father’s violent, volatile temper.
Deprived of a formal education and forced to work long hours picking cotton for her father, Merritt candidly shares the details of a grim childhood in a chapter titled, “Living With Dad Was Hard”:
Dad was so cruel. He showed no concern for his children and he caused us to be troubled. He did not demonstrate love at home. He even took our mother’s money. That was disrespectful of her rights. Dad seemed to think we had no rights. After all, we worked and he took the money and used it as he pleased. It appeared that we were to obey his orders at all times, and we were not allowed to make mistakes. Children should be taught to work, but they should not be forced to earn a living for the family rather than get an education. Dad did not set a good example of a father. Scripture says Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Rather than let her tribulations bring her down, Merritt took inspiration from her mother and learned to give her life over to God. Despite enduring years of abuse, she is able to look at life as a gift. Take inspiration from her courage in the pages of Storms…in Our Lives.
About the Author
Hannah T. Merritt attended Grambling State University and Northwestern School of Nursing. She enjoyed a successful 33-year career working at Louisiana State University’s Health Sciences Center. Merritt is also the author of DEFINE YOU! (also published by iUniverse).
IUniverse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www. iuniverse. com.
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