“Everything that happens in our lives is for us to learn and evolve from, even abuse. There is a gift in everything.” Some people are a little surprised when I say that. I believe that all our experiences and relationships offer us a gift… if we chose to find it!

I survived childhood abuse – mental, physical, emotional and sexual abuse. I had suffered a long time until I discovered self-help techniques – hypnosis, meditation, affirmations and energy healing. Through these modalities, I learned the power of understanding, forgiveness and acceptance, viewing another’s and my own situation from a different, a spiritual perspective, one of my greatest gifts. I went from survivor to thriver! I chose to turn a horrific experience into a gift…a gift that has allowed me to evolve into who I am today. 

The woman in the picture is me and the man sitting next to me is my Dad…the person who abused me as a child. Some people question how I could want to spend time with him, let alone forgive and accept him. And, more challenging is when I say that I love my Dad, that he was my friend and my greatest teacher.

I learned how to understand and accept my Dad for exactly who he was. More importantly, I learned how to understand and accept myself! I know that I was an innocent child, as was my father. I know that he suffered from abuse and became an abuser because he didn’t have the courage, strength or love for himself like I do. Once I understood that, I began to heal.

Would I wish abuse of any kind on anyone? Never! Would I want to relive all the heartache and pain? No, thanks! Am I grateful for the lessons learned? Absolutely!

What I learned from this experience was a catalyst for change! I learned more about myself than I ever imagined. I learned that I could survive anything. And, more than survive…thrive. I remembered my courage to reclaim my inner wisdom, to heal and overcome obstacles; to trust in myself, my intuition and others. It made me seek a closer connection to God and all of creation. I learned compassion, understanding, forgiveness and acceptance. I remembered that I love myself. And, I made a choice – I broke the chain of abuse!

Because of this experience and the healing that I have done, I began my career as certified hypnotherapist, offering others the same hope, encouragement, healing and self-help tools that I discovered and benefit from. I know that each person can heal and evolve, no matter what they experienced in life. Anything is possible with love, compassion, courage and strength.

My father passed away July 1, 2010 after slipping into a coma. It was a peaceful passing and I was so fortunate to be at his side, holding his hand, kissing him on his cheek, whispering in his ear that I loved him and wished him a peaceful journey.

Editor’s Note: Vicki Wagoner has been a spiritual guide, close friend and occasional “guru” of mine for many years. When I started this blog project, she was the first person I sought out. I knew her insights and observations would be a major benefit to our community. Vicki’s father crossed over just this past year. This post is her reflection on a sometimes challenging, but also rewarding life-long relationship with him. Importantly, she talks about how our relationships – no matter how difficult – shape us and offer us the gift of powerful life lessons. For more information about Vicki, visit her Resource Page by clicking here.

Writer, Reader, Blogger Bill Sklodowski

How many times have you had an idea that just keeps bugging you, keeps bubbling up to the top of your head, to the front of your awareness? You go about your day, your job, your family life, your everything… and even as you’re walking the dog or taking out the trash cans on the night before collection, the thought and idea is in your head? Lately, that’s exactly where I’ve been. I’ve been working hard all week (overtime, in fact) and coming home late. But it seems that every night when I put my head on the pillow, all these ideas pop into my head, like an Orville Redenbacher popcorn bag in a microwave.

See, I’m a computer guy for my “day job.” I build websites and blogs for businesses. Some of that business includes re-writing the copy my clients send me for their websites and other marketing material. And yes… and yet, I’ve got that little but that keeps me awake at night and builds in the front of my mind as I walk the dog – the idea to do my own writing, build my own blog, talk about my own ideas. So that’s where Unlimited Perspectives came to be – a simple way to express some feelings, thoughts and beliefs that wander the hallways of my mind.

The world is in a strange and interesting place, isn’t it? There’s so much going on, so much change. I was thinking about using a fancy word like “upheaval” … but that felt a little to negative. Change is simply change. It’s not good or bad… the result of change is only what we make of it. What we believe it means to us. A lot of what you’ll read in this blog will be on the topic of “change.” We’ve seen a lot of it in recent days, and I believe there’s a lot more to come. Like I said, more on that to come…

What will you find on this blog? Honestly, I don’t want to put anything out there that will create a certain, fixed, opinion or “label” in you… so I’m going to try to steer clear of any category or pigeonhole-box of what this blog is all about. Still, I feel I owe you a little bit of guidance. So here it is: With my own writings, and those of some friends, we’ll be talking about beliefs, feelings, emotions and life in general. I was tempted to say the blog is going to be about some high-powered topic like “personal development” or “spiritual enrichment.” OK, I admit there’ll be a lot of that… but a lot just about life in general as well.

So I invite you to hang around and see what develops. In fact, don’t just hang out… take part in the conversation. Each post will – of course – have room for your comments and ideas… and we’ll be on Facebook and other social sites, too. I can promise that you’ll find plenty to think, feel, and chat about in the days to come.