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This book is dedicated to every person out there, no matter where you have come from, no matter what experiences you have been through, no matter where you are……. You can make a difference.

Yvonne Browne has written an inspiring collection of testimonies and real life stories from her life, that in turn help us to reflect on our own experiences. They are written in the type of conversational style that you would have with a good friend as you seek to find the meaning of life and its many challenges and nuances, such as where you are in your relationships, finding your purpose, forgiveness and unwrapping of the gift of self.

Each story presents individual life lessons that will warm you, yet at the same time challenge you as you read; you will be encouraged as you recognise that you are not alone in the struggles you experience. As we journey with Yvonne, she is there to coach us each step of the way with practical solutions for moving forward. If that isn't enough, there are pauses for moments of prayer where we can turn to the only One who can answer the many questions we have.

As each chapter closes, you will hear a refreshing voice of victory ring through as she writes candidly, and with transparency and insight, to remind us that when all is said and done, not one experience in life is wasted.

Iwould first of all like to thank the Lord for seeing in me what I could not see in myself and allowing me to undertake this journey.

I give a special thanks to my adorable husband Ken who has supported me in ways that I could never have imagined. Thank you and know that I love you.

To my children who have kept me grounded and have been a blessing in my life more than they will ever know. Love you Natalie and Nicole. Xx

To Jacqueline Peart, There are some people that God places in your life for a God given purpose and Jacqueline you have been that person. When you entered my life, it changed for the good. I thank you for your obedience to God for I know that there was a price. I love you loads. God bless you.

Len Allen, thank you, thank you, thank you for being at the traffic light every time I stopped. Thank you for pursuing your gifts in order for me to pursue mine. God bless you

Pastor Davey Johnson, you believed that I could do it even when I didn't. Thank you for your support and spiritual covering. God bless you.

Well first of all I suppose I should start off by introducing myself. My name is Yvonne, I am married to a beautiful person called Kenneth and God has truly blessed me with two beautiful children whom I love with all my heart. I am a business woman, an author and a Counsellor. Well, some would say, 'is it really you'?

Am I to be defined by my marriage and by what I do? Should that really define who I am? I feel that we tend to undertake things in our life or even have achievements along with society's labels and perceptions that could make us feel as if what we do defines who we are. But should it? Who are you really? And how do you define who you are?

I often think about this and I don't necessarily have all the answers but the one thing I was sure of in my mind is that we were not brought on this earth just to live and die. I keep asking myself this question and perhaps you do too 'What about what happens in between this period?

I believe that God wants us to start living now on earth. In the midst of all the crazy things that is and continues to take place in the world I believe that he still wants us to enjoy our lives now.

In the Lords prayer it clearly states 'Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven'. On earth as it is in heaven clearly means that we should be living with joy and peace now on earth as we aim to be in heaven. Live like you're in heaven now. So for me that means don't accept depression and loneliness now with the hope that it will change in years to come, but instead, do something about your situation now to change it with the focus of living with joy and peace now. You see, there is no guarantee that you are going to have tomorrow. Anything can happen between now and tomorrow. So why waste the time you have now? The one thing that we are all guaranteed is to live and die. In all honesty, there is only one person that knows when death is due to you and that is God himself. No fortune teller or magician can give you this information and the fact is that it can happen at anytime, so why not live a fulfilling life today?

It took me a while to realise that God is in control of all things and he wants us to have a blessed life. That's what he wanted for Adam and Eve, the father and mother of all creation. Can you imagine the Garden of Eden where they were born and where they lived? Well if you can't, let me tell that it was perfect in everyway. All the fruits that you can think of (and I bet all those fruits were well sweet!) the grass so green with no need for mowing, the trees perfectly shaped. The temperature was permanently warm, after all Adam and Eve didn't need any clothes! Just perfect!

You have a purpose in your life and so you should seek that purpose and then proceed to live it the way you were intended to live it. "Well, how do I find that purpose in my life?" I hear you say. I believe you have to start by believing that there is a purpose for you on this earth.

Look at the things that you enjoy doing, and explore the things that you have always wanted to do and possibly not had the opportunity to do them. You can start by looking at courses if you need training, but do something towards getting started. You may find that you start something only to find that it is definitely not what you want to do, which is ok. It isn't time wasted, for what it has done is made you more aware of where your strengths and weaknesses are. You may also find that you start something and find that you develop a passion for something that you never knew that you had.

If you are aware of someone that is working in the field that you are aspiring to work in, align yourself with them. Explore the option on being mentored. I was blessed by having a mentor to guide me on my career at one stage in my life. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I was clear that I didn't want to stay in the same job that I was in. I was bored and to be honest I didn't have much confidence in applying for jobs; always feeling that I wasn't good enough. My mentor helped me to remove all the rubble from the situation, see the situation for what it really was, look at the obstacles that I considered to be in the way and worked on how we get around them in order to step out. That process was a real blessing to me, but what I realized was it wasn't so much about what happened in the sessions, but it was more about what actions I had taken. That is really what makes the difference.

Fundamentally, the capabilities are all inside of you, just waiting to come out. You just have to believe that there is a possibility. Have the will to try and then just take action. "What if I fail?" You know, there has to be an element of acceptance that there is a chance that you may fail first time, so there is another way that you can look at this. "When I fail, be prepared to take the learning's from it in order to sharpen my expertise." In whatever we do there will always be an element of risk. It isn't always going to go right first time, but the strength is in what action you take. You have a choice. You can give up and never know how it could have turned out, or you can persist.

Beethoven, the famous composer had discovered his gift for music but soon also discovered a major obstacle as he began to go deaf. Composing and playing music and going deaf was a major obstacle, but it has been said that during those years of Beethoven being deaf was where he composed some of his most famous pieces. Beethoven persisted in the height of his blocks, developed pieces that bless people today. If you ever read Beethoven's biography you will know that it was no easy journey, but the fact is that he persisted. There is something to learn from that.

Practical Solutions

Pray and ask for guidance on what your purpose is. I believe it is essential that this is your first step. Step two is to make a list of the things that you enjoy and the things you dislike. Step three is to try something new. If you don't try how will you ever know if you like it or even enjoy it!

Specific Prayer

Lord, I come to you now my father and ask for guidance on where you see my purpose. I ask you to open my eyes in order that I may see and I ask that you open my ears that I will hear you. Thank you heavenly father. Amen.

"Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning."

Idecided to dye my hair after many years of keeping it in its natural colour and so a week before my birthday I decided to treat myself. It looked great! Even if I say so myself!

A couple of days later whilst at work in the afternoon, about 3pm to be more precise; I felt a lump in the back of my neck. It felt hot and it felt like it was throbbing. I couldn't understand what was happening so I called the doctor immediately to arrange an appointment.

My doctor confirmed that I had an allergic reaction to the hair dye. He assured me that the lump would reduce shortly. I went home, but by 8pm my face was swollen also, so I went to the hospital. At the hospital I was told the same thing. 'You have an allergic reaction to the dye you used and the swelling will eventually disappear.

By 3am my head was still throbbing. I got up to look in the mirror and realized that my face had swollen even bigger and it was starting to take on a different shape. I couldn't understand what was happening and the doctors did not realize what was happening either, aside from the fact that I had an allergy and it would gradually go away. I guessed that something was seriously wrong at this stage, but as they were the professionals I just believed what they had told me and sat by waiting for the swelling to go. Yet it kept getting larger and larger; sort of like the Eddie Murphy character in the film Nutty Professor.

The following day was my birthday. My family came to wish me a happy birthday, but you could tell by their faces that they were completely shocked. They tried to maintain a level of normality, as much as was possible. But trying to be normal can be so obvious and their actions stuck out like a sore thumb. It reminded me of when I lost my mother and everyone was trying to be normal around me, yet at the same time trying so hard not to say certain things and tip toeing around me. It was all so evident.

My husband had planned to take me shopping and insisted that we should continue with our plans. After all, the swelling would reduce soon; at least that is what he thought. We both felt that it shouldn't ruin the day. There was a big part of me that felt anxious about going out, but I decided to go anyway.

	Dedication
	Forward
	Acknowledgements
	Introduction
Chapter 1	The Power of Belief
Chapter 2	Learning to use Faith
Chapter 3	Relationships Rescue
Chapter 4	Divine Order
Chapter 5	Leadership by Favour
Chapter 6	Unwrap your Gift
Chapter 7	Future Focus
Chapter 8	It's a Family Affair
Chapter 9	Learning how to Trust
Chapter 10	Dealing with Prejudice
Chapter 11	A Fathers Love
Chapter 12	Finding your True Self
Chapter 13	Being Courageous
Chapter 14	Overcoming the loneliness Syndrome
Chapter 15	Transformation
Chapter 16	God Did it