This Little Light of Mine

About the Book

This story gives a detailed description of Shirley's struggles of having lived through decades of unsolicited abuses as a child while living in Eastern, Kentucky. After marrying to get away from home, she lived in Texas thinking that she could escape her past injustices. After being divorced in her late thirties and having two teenage children to look after, Shirley found it hard to be on her own and eventually ended up homeless and without her children. Despite her living situations, Shirley took back her life and emerged happy, healthy and whole. Within the pages of her story you will see clearly how she kept her faith in the God she had been raised to believed to be a crude and unloving being, but pressed on to learn that He is indeed a friend that sticks closer than a brother. She was able to receive the love of her Father in heaven and have restoration with her earthly father as well.

About the Author

Shirley Adame was one of eight children growing up in a farming community in eastern Kentucky during an era when factory and retail jobs were steadily drawing individuals to move to larger cities. As a young schoolgirl, she began to realize that her family was poor, but it took much longer to understand that most other families did not experience violent temper outbursts, manipulative psychological games, or other behaviors leading to depression, oppression, and twisted defense mechanisms. Shirley found a way of escape while still a teenager. She moved to Houston, Texas, with her new husband. That event changed her life profoundly. Shirley’s inquisitive curiosity and persistence led her to discover her natural talents, new skills, and true desires for a whole and healthy life. She got training as a hairstylist and found she was good at it, which would help her earn money off and on it for decades. When Shirley met her husband, she thought he was going to be her savior, taking her away from all the craziness of her childhood. How shocked she was to learn that she had jumped from the frying pan right into the fire because her husband had also grown up in a family with little affirmation, encouragement, or support. They started marriage desperately hoping for life-giving love from each other. Two children later, Shirley was still anxiously throwing energy into being the type of wife and mother shown on television at the time. Those mothers were always beautifully dressed and groomed, full of wise words and good deeds, and possessed perfect homemaking skills. Shirley’s husband brought home a good salary, and that stable income was so much more than what her mother had received. Shirley had a big, beautiful home, lovely clothes, and many expensive pieces of furniture and jewelry. However, habitual shopping wasn’t quenching her deep thirst for love. She became increasingly dissatisfied. She and her husband had followed the same paths that both of their parents had, and they would find themselves in constant states of arguments, and sometimes, they would be physical. After an eighteen-year marriage, Shirley had grown weary of the battles that she and her husband seemed to be imprisoned by and had no hope of it changing. She decided to take a break from her husband, hoping that he and she could come back together fairly soon, but her husband took another path in an opposite direction. He met another woman and filed for a divorce. This brought utter disappointment to Shirley, and she then found herself spiraling downward as she tried to cope with being rejected and divorced. Shirley had endured many unsolicited abuses as a child as well as a teenager, along with learning legalistic religious rule and regulations, while growing up. Shirley found it emotionally draining to beg on her own and think about her two teenage children. Shirley eventually ended up being severely depressed and was homeless, losing everything and was without money or a job. Despite the living situations, Shirley ultimately emerged whole, healthy, and happy. The miraculous story of this journey is contained within the pages of Shirley’s story.