Have you ever awakened from a restless night of sleep and just couldn't do it you couldn't wear that mask another day, acting as though everything were okay. Could anyone possibly understand what you were going through? Or are you on the other side of that coin? Times are tough, though you know people have survived worse. But how do others overcome staggering mountains and valleys? What we wouldn't give to absorb their wisdom. Author Alicia M. Smith sought answers to the questions shared above, questions occupying real estate within the shadows of our minds. Her quest was to speak with said people. Those who understood the struggle and the loneliness but who could also share their stepping-stones toward higher ground. The moments shared by these individuals are humbling, to say the least: A life-altering car accident. A woman's quest to escape addiction and life under a bridge. A nurtured passion, years of hard work and memories, stolen by Hurricane Katrina. A late-night phone call, notifying a woman that the police may have found her husband's body. A vision bestowed on a man, moving him and others to walk away from safety and toward the unknown. How do these anecdotes apply to you? Are there common denominators? Or are we all separated by our own circumstances and experiences? The lessons gleaned from these testimonies are invaluable sparks of hope demanding to extinguish the shadows

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