Dear Woman in Crisis,
I feel your pain, despair,
confusion, and anger. It's okay to cry, to
curse, and to shriek what you are feeling.
You feel frightened. Trapped.
Hopeless. Unable to cope. You feel that your
future is being destroyed by the child within
you. Your baby's future or your own? How can you
decide?
You need not choose between
your future and your child's. You can both have
a good future. You can both live well.
You will learn, like so many
other women, that the enemy is not your baby.
Instead, the enemy is fear, self-doubt, anger,
pride, envy, and perfectionism.
Fear of rejection and
self-doubt about making decisions, following
through, and persisting when life gets hard.
Anger about this unforeseen crisis and pride
that makes you resist help and change. Envy of
others' talents, time, and resources.
Perfectionism, which believes that life should
always be easy and always planned.
Maybe you're used to being a
superwoman, handling things alone and helping
others. Now is the time for others to help you
and your baby. Many people are willing to help
you. This book will tell you where to find those
people and how to help yourself. Reach out to
them!
Reach up! Expand yourself and
your abilities. Almost two thousand years ago
Paul of Tarsus wrote, "There are three things
that last--faith, hope, and love." Not
perfection. Not planning. In faith, hope, and
love, reach for a brighter tomorrow. You will
have it.
Reach deep! You have a hidden
strength and this book will help you find it.
Things you never dreamed of are within your
power. Believe in yourself.
Love yourself. You have the
ability to handle this pregnancy, to make good
decisions, and to give birth, even if others are
telling you "no."
Believe that you will emerge
from this crisis a stronger, better woman.
Because you will.
Madeline Pecora Nugent