About the Memoir
My memoir, The Truth So Help Me Good, is about my experiences of childhood sexual abuse as told through the lens of complex family dynamics, societal and cultural influences, as well as the innate sense of inner truth that guides me on my journey. It tells the story of people who both betray and support me, and how I find the way to overcome my circumstances.
Some of the experiences shared in this memoir could be considered tragic and shocking, but that is not the purpose for writing it. Instead, it has been written to empower and inspire, to facilitate transformation and healing, and to provide hope. Certainly, there are difficult details of my life, the sharing of which are necessary to convey what is most important in what I have learned on my journey. It is a blessing for me to do so.
For almost thirty years, I spent my professional life as a family law attorney, which included serving as an advocate for children of divorce, and child abuse and neglect cases. Some of my most significant and gratifying cases involved representing victims of sexual abuse, through which I learned that we rise up from our challenges not in spite of them, but because of them.
There is also a spiritual thread that is part of the story, a glimmer of inner guidance as a child, evolving into a spiritual journey as an adult which led to teaching yoga, meditation, and the pursuit of interfaith studies.
My memoir carries with it an intention to be as honest and transparent as I can be. In order to be truly free, there is no hiding of oneself. I do not claim perfection, or to have all the answers. I only have my perception of the truth of my own experience, and that I promise to give you to the best of my ability.
The title of the book came from a chapter that was originally entitled The Truth So Help Me God, but was written as The Truth So Help Me Good in the Table of Contents. Although it appeared to be a mistake, I knew that it wasn't. It is the Truth that has helped me find liberation and healing, and that is as good as it gets!