When not documenting information products and software, Anna Moss refurbished a small farm in the foothills, rescued cats and dogs, raised horses, built bonfires and hosted dinner parties.
Anna’s life has been shaped by fortuitous events and personal tragedy.
She has studied, lived and worked in many parts of the US and Europe
She lost most of her family to a drunk driver
She experienced three serious injuries that required long recoveries and had no guarantees
These experiences taught her the value of the gift of life and the importance of self action. They also enabled her to survive and then reverse-engineer a highly abusive marriage. The end result is the book you're reading about now.
Every Picture Tells a Story...
A Message from the Author
One evening a few years ago, I sat in a tiny room in my husband’s
house thinking about all the events that had led to that day. I was finally aware that he had been trying to get me killed in a riding accident in the back country. The sole reason his attempts had failed was my brave and noble horse, who kept his head and took care of me in circumstances I still shudder to think about.
But back then, I felt alone, depleted and shaken to the core. Little did
I realize that those thoughts and feelings would help me break free
and lead me on a quest not just to reclaim, but to transform my life.
After four weeks of confinement in that room, I left with
nothing but my personal belongings and my horses. I left and never looked back. I faced enormous adversity and uncertainty, but I wanted a second chance and I wanted it
badly.
Since then, I have learned a great deal more. I have gone through hell and paid a dear price
for all that knowledge. I have learned and am still learning about the soul-blasting wasteland of abuse—where
truth is stranger than fiction, where evil poses as good, where you learn that everything you loved about him was a lie and everything you are is used against you.
In the world of abusive relationships, nothing is as it first seems and a single mistake can later cost
you everything.
RELATIONSHIP RED FLAGS was not planned, but that didn't stop it from coming forth. It evolved out of my search for understanding and my desire to join the fight to put out the fire.
The things we lose to abuse, we can recover, maybe; the time, never.
Not one woman in a thousand knows this information. Be one. Step up to the plate. You're here for a reason. Nourish your gifts, fulfill your purposes. By God, it's your life!
Anna
"Knowing is not enough;we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do."
~ Goethe
Forced to Surrender
These are the cats and dogs I had to surrender when I entered the women's shelter. They each came to me at a different time and in a different way. Buddy showed up as a young pup at my farm. Elizabeth emerged from some tall grass as a tiny kitten. Hootie was rescued from a parking lot as a weanling pup. Joey and Mila were born to a barn cat I inherited. They were lively, loving animals who endured, but did not deserve what happened to them.
After the pain of realizing I'd married a hopelessly abusive man, having to give up my animals was another knife in the heart. My former husband used to say that anyone who loved animals had a defective personality and was incapable of loving people. It was another example of the extent of his lack of compassion and conscience.
Forcing a woman who has been abused to give up her animals is another problem with the system. Some women's shelters are now allowing their guests to keep their animals, but not enough. This is the sickening fate of millions and millions of cats and dogs in this country. If only I'd known then what I know now, none of this would have happened.
