Shannon Martin

Shattered, No Longer Broken Shannon Martin

Shattered, no longer broken, is a reference to how many different pieces life can break us into, shattering us and keeping us from living as we were intended to do. Life's experiences can stop us from growing, cause intense pain, anxiety and fear, make us question ourselves, and doubt that we are even deserving of anything better. It is a reference to all these shattered pieces, being put back together into a beautiful, strong, unique, mosaic piece of art. This book is about my life experiences, my own personal pain and trauma from a life long journey filled with addictions from loved ones, as well as the learning and realization that in order to help others you have to stop enabling them, taking responsibility for them, and trying to control them and force them to make changes. It is about allowing them to face their own consequences and live their own life paths. This book is about learning to take care of yourself, even when everything around you is dark and hopeless. It is about us finding ourselves, our hope and courage to make changes in only those we can control: ourselves. It teaches us that self care, is not selfish, but is very important and vital in our personal growth and recovery. It teaches us to not be dependent on others for Our happiness, self-worth, or purpose. It teaches us to love ourselves, accept ourselves where we are at, and take care of ourselves, so that we are able to support others, without becoming entangled and one with their addictions and behaviors.