I am a PK, a preacher's kid, who struggled for many years to understand and accept myself and God. My father was a strict fundamentalist and as I grew older, I rebelled against all the rules that I felt forced to keep. 

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Elementary school was difficult. The parsonage was on an island in the NC Outer Banks. At school, the kids made fun of my speech impediment. I felt different. At home, I was the youngest, trying desperately to find my place. Later, I labeled myself as the Black Sheep. 

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I married, for the first time, on my eighteenth birthday. For all the wrong reasons. God blessed us with two wonderful children. Nine years later, we divorced. I felt worthless and ostracized by the church. As a single mom, I had many doubts and insecurities. 

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Five years later I remarried, again for the wrong reasons. I thought he'd be a good stepfather. He wasn't. 14 years later, we divorced. Seven years into this marriage, my father died. After his burial, with the family gathered at my mother's home, my brother expelled me from the family. He expressed all the reasons I was a failure, said that no one in the family loved me, and that I was never to come back home again. That was the worst day of my life. 

 

Gradually, years later, I worked my way back into my family. I tried marriage one more time. We almost made it! I finally accepted my past. My life experiences influenced my decision to become a counselor.

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Shortly after starting my new career, I broke my kneecap. A routine surgery turned into a three-year nightmare. I developed an infection, had four more surgeries, and was flat on my back for months. After my third surgery, the doctors told me they might not stop the infection. I could lose my leg or my life. I was so close to finding my life's purpose. Now this?

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Eventually, I returned to work. The accident weakened my body but strengthened my faith. I had the honor of counseling and ministering to individuals in their most difficult moments. 

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Maybe you or someone you know has experienced similar pain or loss. My father called me Maggie. Why I chose Maggie's Ministry as the name for my non-profit.

 

Thank you for reading my story. 

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