Julie-Anne
Dear Readers,
Of course this section is supposed to tell you all about me. However, since my book is an autobiography, you’ll learn everything you ever wanted to know by reading it. I will say that I’d always believed my childhood and family to be both typical and perfect. I knew I had an amazing family with four older brothers and a Dad who kept me busy, and a Mom who’s love I’ve never doubted. Only when my life unraveled did I look back and see some patterns that, if I'd identified them earlier, I could have avoided certain pitfalls. As they say “hindsight is 20/20.”
I will tell you WHY I decided to write the book, thus exposing all of the “skeletons in my closet:" I am here simply to help others. By writing my story from a place of authenticity, sharing both the darkness and the light I’ve experienced, and discussing how I’ve managed to overcome it all, I hope to help others avoid the mistakes I’ve made. It’s much easier to learn from the mistakes of others than to make them yourself. My story isn’t always easy to read as I went through some years that I’m far from proud of, but here I am!
I asked a friend who’d seen me through many years to read the first draft of Nothing but Respect, and this is a bit of what he had to say: “Wow. You had a lot to say and you said it. Kudos to you! Your story runs the gamut from funny to tragic, erotic to inspirational and ultimately very compelling. I certainly knew a lot of those stories but not all of them. I didn’t know the full weight of what you were going through at the Sheriff’s Department, and with the combination of Fibromyalgia and Depression. You are so fortunate to have such a supportive network of family and friends. I am proud of you to have come through all of that with such a positive attitude and to be doing so much to inspire and encourage others. You are really doing a great thing with your book and Facebook page.”
And so that’s what I can tell you “About the Author.” For additional information, please see my website or pick up your copy of Nothing but Respect.
With Unconditional Love and Gratitude,
Julie-Anne
“In 2008, I was the woman who thought she had the world by the tail: the "perfect life." In 2010, I was the woman without hope who thought she had no life left to live. Which woman am I today? Neither. Both were illusions.”
“Circumstances don't determine who you are, or what you will be. Only you do that. You either decide, or you don't. Even the decision not to decide was still yours.”
“Life is too short for anger, resentment, hostility and "should have." It is too short to put off doing what brings you joy. Live each day as if it were your last, because one day it will be.”
“True friends are to people what lighthouses are to ships. No matter how stormy it gets, they stay put and light our way.”
“The road of life is filled with sunshine and clouds, black and white, triumphs and tragedies. As we continue down the road, we decide which things we bring with us, and which we leave in the rear-view mirror.”
“Because I have forgiven my past, and God has forgiven my past, no person on earth can make me denounce my past. It's what made me who I am today.”
“You can't sail towards your future if you're still anchored in the past.”
“Knowing that you are perfect as you are does not mean you will no longer grow. It means that everything you've experienced up to this moment has made you who you are, and that is perfection. Tomorrow, you will be an even more perfect version of yourself.”
“The more I focus on the positive, the more positive my life becomes.”
“Without darkness, we may never know how bright the stars shine. Without battles, we could not know what victory feels like. Without adversity, we may never appreciate the abundance in our lives. Be thankful, not only for the easy times, but for every experience that has made you who you are.”
“Though the harbor is safe, ships were made to sail the sea. The same can be said for you and me.”
“There is no shame in having been the woman I was. She made me the woman I am.”
“We all deserve to be treated with nothing but respect. In order to command respect from others, we must first and foremost respect ourselves.”