PopSyndicate.com

The details of my suicide were planned right down to the final moment.

The first words of Debbie Williamson’s breakout memoir, Stand, hold readers captive to the grandmother’s journey from dark, abusive memories to a life of joy.

During a near brush with death, Williamson says a little divine intervention from her grandmother promoted her to write a book about her life. She felt compelled to share her story with others in the hopes that they, too, could benefit from her journey.

In Stand, Williamson chronicles her formative years, filled with abuse, and how it swept the joy from her life. She tells how a spiritual awakening helped her forgive her abusers so she could feel joy not overshadowed by harsh memories for the first time in her adult life. She talks about how she worked doggedly to keep the three-generation cycle of abuse from reading her own children.

This week, Williamson shares portions of her memoirs and talks about her life.