Beschrijving
Deep in the Northwoods of Minnesota in the frigid January of 1978, the brown sticky walls of our poverty-stricken house weren’t the only toxic things to touch. The air was stiff and tight in the winter and loose and hot in the summer, much like my birth mother – loose, hot, and in heat half the time. CPS had been on Wanda’s trail for the last 2 years, poking into her life every few months to snatch up my brother and me when she decided to start a new life somewhere else, leaving us behind. She fled the county after receiving an ultimatum, where it then appears she set my crib on fire within the month. Following the blaze, I died three times in the ICU, having lost most of my skin to the fire, but God sent me back. I wasn’t done living. The resulting wounds ran like ink on wet paper, staining everything and destroying normal boundaries. After 70+ surgeries and a lifetime of pain, Joni is finally ready to share her story. A year after the incident, she was adopted by an elderly couple. DeSchane’s adoptive mom thought the idea of corporal punishment was the stress reliever she’d been searching for. In a bold, courageous moment, Joni went and sought advice from the school counselor. Two days later, her belongings got packed into black trash bags by CPS, yet again, and dropped off at what would become a steady procession of new homes. Joni spent years running, being chased by a past that wouldn’t let her rest, longing for the same freedoms that civilization takes for granted.
The struggles Joni has walked have deepened her understanding of the wider world and her place within. Dying has taught her that peace is our birthright. You have to love yourself enough to struggle if that’s where you keep ending up. As you struggle, you get stronger. The wounding is where the light comes in, where strength’s rallying cry begins. The butterfly knows that there may come a time when you have to let the past go in order to fly. Follow along as DeSchane unfolds a lasting peace within herself amid the turmoil of … A Life Born in Flame.