Baptized by Love

A powerful, loving presence I can't quite describe pulses through me . . . clearing my mind at last . . . I am astonished by this second chance-this feeling of warm, tender, indescribable, and unconditional love permeating me.

Here, in my naked vulnerability, I think of how, just forty-eight hours before, I felt the cold steel of a barrel beneath my chin and the icy determination that I didn't deserve to live. Rewinding the reel of those last hours chills me to the bone. How am I afforded this moment of grace, this chance to choose love over fear? How is it that love found me in the rubble of self-loathing, of shame, of abuse and abject failure? I don't know, yet that "I don't know" is merciful freedom. I breathe it in, dispelling the chill.

Danét's ability to unflinchingly express her raw innermost thoughts and feelings during moments of darkness and coming into her own light provide a powerfully transforming read. This memoir is a story of forgiveness, redemption, and the restoration of self-love and abundant joy-a resounding promise that no matter the heartbreak, violence, or trauma you've experienced, you can use your pain to uncover a life of present joy.