“Rachel,” as we’ll call her, has been healing for many years from the physical and emotional effects of domestic violence. Because of the threatening nature of her former husband’s abuse (they are now divorced), Rachel wants to remain anonymous and keep many details of her life private.

However, “I do want to tell my story,” she says. She wants to encourage other women who are also trying to recover from serious domestic violence. After several months in temporary shelters, Rachel found the Julia Greeley Home. She finally had the time and security to stand back and review her life and she could begin to think again about recovering her once-flourishing career in management positions. “I felt safe at the Julia Greeley Home because it gave me the time to figure out my next step,” she says. “I have been without a stable home for so long, and I haven’t been able to think through what I need to do to get back on track.”

For most of her life, Rachel, in her late 30’s, has been “on track” in a highly successful way. She grew up in the shelter of a large extended family of achievement-oriented, educated, and God-loving people. Divorce was unknown in the family, and faith was all-important. “I was never rebellious, I always wanted to be a good girl,” she says. “I never experienced drugs or had sex outside of marriage. I didn’t want to be a ‘baby-mama’ — a single mother. I wanted to be married first and be able to have my children grow up in a good home with a mother and father, like I did.”

She thought she found that in the charming young man she met as a young woman of 20. “It was true love — at least I thought it was,” she says. “I would still love him if he hadn’t changed.”

Instead, in a few years he went from the love of her life to a mortal enemy. He resented the fact she was successful in her career and he was not. His rage grew as Rachel became the main breadwinner while he struggled in a series of dead-end jobs.

Yet Rachel stayed married for nearly two decades and raised beautiful children. “Maybe he would change,” she thought. Instead, her husband’s years’ of emotional and mental abuse finally turned into violence. Her life was in danger, so she left the state she grew up in and moved to Colorado.

Today, Rachel has recovered her stability and is embarked on a new managerial career. Her children, now grown, are encouraging her from  afar. She recognized that she had to recover her emotional stability on her own.

“I needed to get back to my faith,” she says. She was struck by the life of Julia Greeley, and her bravery in the face of great odds. Added to the inspiration of Julia’s story was the practical help she found during her time as a resident: “Thanks to the Julia Greeley Home, I also found a wonderful therapist who is helping me work through things. I also have some physical scars that I feel are disfiguring and it makes me self conscious about finding work. But I’m finding the right medical help for that too.”

After living for years with fear and uncertainty, Rachel finally has found the path to healing and wholeness — the kind of life that her family gave to her when she was growing up. “Finally I feel I am on my way again,” she says. “It’s taken a long time, but I know I’m getting my confidence back, and everything else too.”