A Necessary Read for All Who Have Endured Loneliness

Olsen's true story is heartbreaking and real. She hits on issues that are hidden in so many of our hearts, ones that most people refuse to talk about, much less heal from. Her journey is full of anguish and healing. One of her statements I found relatable was how she became "addicted to relationships (boys) like one becomes addicted to drugs". This, for many young girls, is a hard issue that needs to be brought to light, as Olsen rightly does, so that the truth can set you free. A desperate need for a man does not come from nothing; as she shares, there were some inappropriate experiences she went through beforehand, and I found myself wondering if she ever told her parents for I thought that might have made differences in the terrible situations she got into thereafter (I personally didn't and went from one bad relationship to another as she did). **On a side note, the word 'alright' is misspelled throughout. My heart broke for Olsen all the way through. I wondered what happened to her parents' relationship when it seemed that all was fine before. I became very upset for her over the abuses she faced with Granny, her brother-in-laws, and especially her father-in-law. As Olsen points out, Jesus is our King and Protector as is the man of the house and no one in her life came forward to stand up for her, to protect her. This unsettled and concerned me. It is no wonder she felt all alone; the people who were to love her, those closest to her, were too concerned about pleasing themselves or put someone else before her. I wanted to crawl into the pages of her story and hug her! I also questioned someone's faithfulness; even if there isn't a physical relationship, an emotional betrayal can be even more hurtful. At some point, she says "it’s better to cast this person from us so we may save ourselves" regarding one of her brother-in-laws, but I did constantly wonder why this never applied to her very abusive father-in-law; I was upset that they continued living on her in-laws property as well as this only allowed easier access for him to hurt her. It takes a lot of strength and vulnerability to share such a story and I thank her for doing so. I hope she is at a better place, one where she knows how valuable she is, where she realizes that she does deserve to be treated with love and respect, and a place where those who are supposed to love her will ensure that from now on.