Ms. Lanigan launched the Evolving Woman project and published survivors’ stories in The Evolving Woman:  Intimate Confessions of Surviving Mr. Wrong.  I was delighted to read that ten of the evolved women were treated to three days at a spa, which I’ve long thought was more important to survivors than a month at a shelter.

The Evolving Woman has informed and inspired me tremendously.  It is one of my favorite books.   Ms. Lanigan powerfully, vividly, and eloquently shared her own experiences:

When you’re emotionally homeless, you become a squatter in your own life, fighting to stake a claim to happiness, always worrying when ill fate will blow through the door. . .

I was evicted from the sanctity of my own marriage. . .I accepted his coldness, and turned a blind eye to his manipulative behavior.  I was willing to feast on the crumbs of affection he gave me. . .I felt like an unwanted stranger in my husband’s embrace. . .my spirit was dying. . .

I was so preoccupied with giving love, that it never occurred to me that I should be getting some in return. . .I finally started setting my sights on a place of self-respect I could call home.

Her husband’s callous indifference during an acute kidney infection motivated Ms. Lanigan to file for divorce.  She has returned to her hometown of La Porte, Indiana.  It appears she has remarried.

Ms. Lanigan shared her experiences of when angels intervened in her life in her most recent book Divine Nudges.

 She survived.  She’s thriving and has found joy. 

  October is Domestic Violence Awareness month.  Please join me in wearing your purple and celebrating survivors.