Third Place Winner: Laura Moseley's Story

“Transformation, I have to say, is not for the weak of heart. It is work, it is hard, and it will ultimately physically hurt. The only thing I can attribute it to is when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. The struggle, I have discovered, is what causes beauty.”

Laura Mosely

In this March edition of our blog, weHeroines, I share another prize winner from our 2024 Heroine’s Writing Contest (Be sure to read about our four fabulous judges below.) Each of the Heroine Writing Contest stories I’ve shared with you so far (Carolyn’s in January, Shondra’s in February) have been stories of struggle. They have been about hard journeys. That’s the environment in which Heroines are forged, and Laura’s quote says it perfectly: “It is work.”  Personally, I remember being young and wanting things to stay easy. I didn’t want hardship to come into my happy life. But it came, regardless, and I’m glad it did. I grew as a result.

Laura’s story won our third-place award and is about an experience that nearly killed her. The difficult subject of the story is domestic violence. She comes out of her great trial triumphant. She writes, “ I turned my sadness over my marriage and my lost identity into anger and purpose. I had to become angry in order to charge forward and dare boldly, which is frightfully scary, not knowing what the outcome could be.” It’s a very moving essay.  I extend so much gratitude to Laura for entering our contest and bravely sharing her story. Be sure to check out all her channels, and you’ll see that she provides a huge service to her community. I especially like her blog and website, which are both full of resources and inspiration.

 Our Judges

Margaret, Kim, Kathy, and Phyllis were our four distinguished judges. They had a month to read the entries and score them. The judges evaluated the entries according to the contest criteria, and their scores were remarkably similar, making it easy to decide on the First, Second, Third, and Honorable Mention winners.

We couldn’t have done the contest without the four of them. Here’s a shout-out to what these talented women do – heroines in their own right.

We've linked their names above to their sites. Take some time to check them out. You'll be glad you did!

Coming up in April: Be sure to read our Honorable Mention winner’s entry, You Asked Me by Elizabeth Starr.

She Needed a Hero, So That’s What She Became

I have always been intrigued by mythology and hero lore, unaware that I would one day go on a quest of my own. I grew up as a very loved, mousy girl who simply wanted to live in a library and be a writer. However, as a young adult, I met a man I thought to be my soul mate. Little did I know I was actually in league with a gorgon in disguise. You see, he morphed himself to mimic my hopes and dreams as his own. These sweet and naive “dreams” would be dashed on the rocks of the sea of reality all too soon. His mask of deception would fall, showing me the real Hades.

My call to adventure started as soon as I found myself pregnant and married. I resolved to be the best wife and mother, putting my dreams on hold for those I loved so much. I was raised to be selfless, so I kept putting my needs last. I made sure my family was taken care of as I worked jobs and went to school, little by little, bettering them by depleting myself. As my marriage progressed, I would have to run the gauntlet of emotions and would sacrifice my own identity to appease my husband and to keep my family together and functioning. As I progressed through his trials and testing, I thought that persevering would make my marriage and family stronger, but it only made my children and me weaker and more compliant. Unbeknownst to me, I had married a narcissist, which is simply a fancy word for a succubus who poses as a caring person. 

When it came to facing challenges, I had decided I had experienced enough of the verbal emotional, and physical abuses my husband used to keep us "in line." It was a stale and fruitless life, being a subordinate. I started standing up to him and intervening. Getting between him and my children usually resulted in a physical beating behind closed doors – and I would be the main target of violence. I realized that I was walking around life as if in a trance. I was either going to fight back or die trying. I had no idea how close I would get to dying. My trials by fire only ended up making me stronger. God was my blacksmith and He was not allowing me to become a weak piece of iron!

Transformation, I have to say, is not for the weak of heart. It is work, it is hard, and it will ultimately physically hurt. The only thing I can attribute it to is when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. The struggle, I have discovered, is what causes beauty. I had to leave the relationship and distance myself, doing whatever I needed to do to keep my family functioning, yet safe. The final time I was getting ready to leave the abuse, the monster I was married to decided to beat me in front of my young son, in one final hurrah, nearly killing me in the process. I got away from him, thanks in part to my local police force; however, keeping him away was going to take all of the Phoenix power I could muster. I turned my sadness over my marriage and my lost identity into anger and purpose. I had to become angry in order to charge forward and dare boldly – which is frightfully scary, not knowing what the outcome could be. However, if I failed, I knew I could pick myself up and go again in another direction, without fearing for my life. At that moment, it went from frightening to enlightening!

Now, as I seize the sword of truth and light, I fight for those whom have been victimized. I bring the elixir of truth of how “unglamorous” surviving abuse is; however, it is wonderous and unwritten, so pursuing freedom is still highly advisable. I am heavy in the activism of DV law reform. I write a blog geared toward domestic abuse victims and survivors. I have a “coffee chat” group, to keep the awkward conversations going. I speak on podcasts and radio shows about the real dynamics of abuse, for those who have NO idea about the true “safety” in leaving: in reality, regaining your independence can quite literally kill you. I couldn’t wait for a knight in shining armor to show up, so I brandished the sword myself!

Contact Info: 

• Website: http://www.dvwalkingwounded.me/
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/dvwalkingwounded/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dvwalkingwounded
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-moseley-4957bb27/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Lmgoodwin1203
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWBL34DWzQVrlYiFpt6hrwg