Rainbows After the Storms of Life: A True Story of a Quadraplegic Mother and Her Family Overcoming Tragedy

I, Julia Dean Childress Widlacki, was born in Bristol, Tennessee, on July 28, 1939. I grew up in a dysfunctional family and came to love and make animals my companion. I was very athletic and loved dancing, to the point where I became a professional, interpretive dancer.

I met a sailor and married him before finishing high school. I had five wonderful children before I was twenty-three years old. Four years later, a devastating car accident changed all that in a moment's time. My story is how my family and I survived, coped, grew, and overcame.

My future was bleak, my family was in turmoil, and nothing was certain about my recovery. Events that might have ruined our lives made us grow stronger and closer as a family, but nothing on that long path to recovery was easy... far from it. Medical opinion was that I would be wheelchair-bound for the rest of my life, and walking again was an absolute impossibility--yet I did it!

My book not only tells of the "journey" to become a "walking" quadriplegic, but it also contains excerpts from each of my five children and husband, who were highly impacted throughout my difficult experiences. This story states how my "healing" journey affected them into adulthood as well as how each of them overcame the effects of our family hardships.

My story speaks of miraculous healing, surrender, acceptance, forgiveness, and human interest. It speaks of my spiritual growth with the Lord, and when He took me to heaven, it was the greatest experience of my life. I pray that this story will encourage my readers and know that with faith, a positive attitude, and trust in the Lord, you can overcome.