Not "Just" a Lunch Lady
Woman, Survivor, Veteran, Mother, Dreamer, Pin-Up Girl, and a Heaping Tablespoon of Lessons Learned
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
As soon as his son swam away, he turned to me and said, “Don’t tell anyone what just happened. I will be back. Just wait here”. I watched him until I couldn’t see him anymore, then I swam as quickly as I could to the middle of the pool where several people were surrounding me. I ducked down just enough to hide most of my face with my inner tube, peeking slightly above it, so I could watch for him. He returned and looked for me, but he walked away when he didn’t find me. As soon as he was out of sight again, I got out of the pool quickly and went back to where my mom was. It is amazing the little details you remember when something traumatic happens to you. I still remember the swimsuit I was wearing that day. It was a light purple sparkly one-piece swimsuit I borrowed. It took me one entire year to get the courage to tell my mom what happened that day. I remember it like it was yesterday. She and I were at our hometown’s local park, sitting on the big rocks next to the swing set. I couldn’t stand to hold it inside anymore, and it broke my heart to tell her the bad news. Of course, she was very upset and cried. That hurt me even more to see her upset. Even though I was embarrassed and hurt, it felt so good to finally get it off my chest. It was like a huge weight had been lifted. In that moment of time one year before, a grown man decided to do something that would scar me for the rest of my life. That one decision he made caused a ripple effect of emotional and mental issues that would follow me for years to come. I can still see his face in my head. This moment was just the first of many traumatic moments to come later in my life.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
What if I said you don’t have to travel to the other side of the world to find or heal yourself like they show you in the movies? You can do it in your own backyard. I have called many places home including a floating city aboard an aircraft carrier and inside the walls of a connex box (large metal cargo container) with a roommate in a war zone. I even lived among the orange and lemon orchards and beautiful beaches of Sicily. I have flown on some of the coolest military aircraft in the company of high ranking Officers, listened to the sounds of mortars and volcano eruptions outside my window on a nightly basis. I have experienced first-hand the challenges and proud accomplishments that can come with being a woman in the military. I am neither rich nor famous, but I have been through the good, the bad, and the ugly! This book is the story of my life fully lived, in spite of my lifelong struggle with depression and anxiety. It is about somehow always finding a reason to smile. This book will assure you it is okay to be angry, to grieve, to take your time forgiving others, to make mistakes. Remind yourself that you can’t control the actions of others! This book is a guide to smoothly and sometimes not so smoothly navigating this moody ocean called life. Hope anchors your soul to life when nothing else keeps you from the depths of despair.
About the Author
Hope Smith is a Navy veteran from Oklahoma. She has an undergraduate degree in Business and Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in Special Education. She enjoys singing, songwriting, gardening, and true crime. She has traveled the world, but her favorite place will always be home with her three kids.