Beyond Fear
A Witness to the Power of Happiness
by
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CHAPTER ONE – THE BEGINNING
“What we think, we become”
Buddha
This is a story that spans a lifetime, somehow capsulated in the years of my life with Peter….and the time since his death. I am telling it from memories that are etched in my mind. Like words written in the face of a mountain of stone, they are immutable.
I remember the pounding in my chest and dizziness that made it hard to think. Confused thoughts swirling in my head as early morning fog engulfed me, swallowing me whole. I struggled with the truth that was trying to emerge, dark as the throat of a giant snake, gripping and choking me. There was no escape. No, no no!! How could this happen?
The sun had yet to shine on that fateful morning. I stood breathless, my legs weak while the reality I was trying hard to deny invaded me, stealing sanity and reason. The little boat floating free on the still, moonlit water told the tale.
Only moments before, I had discovered a concise and controlled note left by my husband of 13 years explaining why he was making the final and greatest decision of his life. If there could be any doubt about what he meant, an undeterred floating vessel bellowed the shocking truth. He was gone, by his own choice and by his own hand. Realization stung my mind as I suddenly remembered the dream – the dream that had been stalking me for weeks, terrorizing my nights and filling me with dread.
It is not unusual for me to dream. Dreams have been a significant source of intuitive information since I was ten years old. I have come to acknowledge dreaming as a valid way of accessing advice and guidance. They are comforting to me. I can’t imagine life without this special way of “seeing”.
When a dream becomes repetitive, I know that its message is important; life is trying to tell me something. Just previous to Peter’s suicide, I had such a dream. Every night for three weeks, it had come, exactly the same in every detail.
I saw myself in water with Peter. I was trying to hold onto him as he sank into the depths below. At last, I could not hold him and I watched in anguish as he slipped from my grasp to his watery grave.
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About the Book
Trauma and loss can come suddenly, and in the face of the unexpected, we may be unprepared for what comes next. For author Lisa Beaumont, catastrophic loss brought an end to life as she had known it when she discovered that her husband had taken his life by drowning in the lake behind their home.
In Beyond Fear—A Witness to the Power of Happiness, Lisa shares her difficult, heartfelt, and inspiring journey from a tragedy that left her homeless, jobless, and without apparent resources. Yet even more, this tragedy evoked an internal crisis that surfaced latent and painful feelings of self-doubt and worthlessness as she struggled with profound questions about her deeply held faith. Though she struggled through years of PTSD, Lisa would find a way to happiness that she did not know existed—with faith, commitment, and love leading her to the other side of devastation.
Lisa’s story is a chronicle of overwhelming challenges, but it is also a testimony of victory found through the restoration of a redeemed life. Happiness and peace spring from devastation in this inspirational and motivational story of miracles and triumph.
About the Author
Lisa Beaumont struggled with suicidal ideation and PTSD following her husband’s suicide. Upon deciding she would not leave a legacy of suicide for her children and grandchildren, Lisa began on a long and difficult road to rebuild her life and seek inner peace and joy. She hopes to be a force for positive change in the world, and she serves as a life coach for those wishing to create happier lives. Today Lisa lives in St. Pete Beach, Florida, where she works in real estate and teaches online classes designed to help people find their own way to a better life through faith and a connection with God.