Almost Joy
The Incredible Overcoming Life of Evelyn Peterson, Ph.d
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Who would want to read about me? I don’t know the answer to this question, but I will share anyway.
At age six, another first grader named Janet hurts me. I am the last one out as the class breaks up for recess. I walk out holding onto the desk and doorways. Janet, a fellow classmate, says in an angry tone, “You walk funny. What’s wrong with you? Are you stupid too?” I scream back, “I’m not stupid. I walk the best I can.”
When I get home, I tell my mother about it. I cry out, “It’s not fair!”
She tells me, in a stern voice and with a raised eyebrow, “Good little Swedish girls do not let others know their feelings or they will be hurt.”
”I responded, “How then can anyone know me? I want to be known!” Mom walks away in silence unable to respond but probably thinking, “How could I ever have a daughter like this?”
Now I am no longer a good little Swedish girl, but an American adult who has spent a lifetime trying to help others grow by teaching them to share who they really are…no masks…free to be themselves. This freedom can only exist when you are accepted in Jesus, who loves the real you.
There is a basic psychological principle: before you can share what you feel you must first know who accepts you and why. Without this foundation of acceptance, feelings are based upon either conformity to the expectations of others or the distortions of ones own masks. My story, by contrast, is one of knowing that I am accepted /loved by my parents, then by God and finally by myself. This foundation gives me the freedom to face my feelings even when I may not like them. Then I may choose to express these feelings in appropriate ways. Being loved becomes the essence for finding and fulfilling my identity. Now let me share how His love has transformed my life to be a witness for Him.
John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.
Evelyn H. Peterson, Ph.D. October 2009
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About the Book
“Evelyn Peterson was a most remarkable and courageous woman. Born with a hereditary muscular disease she was forced to spend almost all her life in a wheelchair. This disability, however, in no way affected her intelligence or her determined motivation to achieve the best with the gifts that God had given her. This book is a “must-read” for someone suffering with any physical problems, or indeed anyone striving to achieve his or her fullest potential in the face of adversity.”
From Introduction by O. Quentin Hyder, M.D., M.Div.
About the Author
Evelyn H. Peterson impacted many lives as a teacher and as a psychologist in full-time counseling practice over many years. She lived an expectant Christian life, witnessing through scripture applications and in life situations on an everyday basis. In her church and community, she was respected and looked to as a voice of wisdom and compassion for greater understanding between people. Few of her acquaintances, however, knew the depth of her personal struggles and losses. She has chosen to share many of her deepest personal experiences in this brief memoir with the purpose to honor God’s provident care and presence in her daily personal life and to encourage others in their own faith journey.