This wonderfully whimsical book is a celebration of all the phases and stages it took to get you to who you are today... a bold, confident, incredible woman who is not afraid to stand up, speak out, and rock the boat.

Coming-of-age is complicated by coming-out in personal essays leavened with humor, generosity, and all the awkward indignities of growing up.

Regret... remorse... anguish. Rose White always believed that one day she would live happily ever after with the man of her dreams, in a house full of their beautiful children. When she finally fell head over heels in love, she thought that those dreams had come true. But when she packed up her belongings and left her parents’ home at eighteen years of age, she soon realized that the man she was running off with wasn’t the one she knew. After their wedding and the birth of their baby, their relationship plummeted into an abyss of lies, abuse, affairs, and manipulation. She desperately wanted to reconnect with her estranged family, but her husband wouldn’t hear of it. Left with no other choice but to sneak out of the house with the baby, she risked what would only be imminent: verbal and physical violence at his hands. Rose holds nothing back as she takes readers on her journey, reminding them that regardless of their circumstances, they’re never alone. She tells it like it is—the good and the bad, the pleasure and the pain—and how she survived.

This unique political and biographical document records the words of T.C. Douglas, one of Canada's first and foremost Socialist leaders, in a series of transcribed interviews conducted in 1958 with political journalist Chris Higginbotham.

As a thirtyaEUR"yearaEUR"old, reflecting on my adolescent self, I realize there are so many life lessons to be learned. The common phrase "If I knew then what I know now . . ." is the basis of my book. While reading this book, you will get a glimpse into a normal, everyday girl's life growing up. By reading an actual misspelled young girl's diary entry followed by a typed thirtyaEUR"year old's reflection, you will see how life affects us behind closed doors. Growing up, we experience many ups, downs, wishaEUR"IaEUR"dids, gladaEUR"IaEUR"didn'ts, bestaEUR"dayaEUR"ofaEUR"myaEUR"lifes, worstaEUR"dayaEUR"evers, and everything in between. This book shows that people are not alone at this age. Get ready to relive making friends, new schools, fitting in, school dances, boyfriends, and first kisses with a whole lot of bumps along the way. Growing up is tough aEUR" for everyone. We've all made mistakes, and we've all looked back and thought, If I only knew then what I know now . . .

"No matter what your current achievements or future aspirations, the advice in this book can save you years of hard learning"--Back cover

"Everyone makes mistakes. But why make the same ones that other youth workers have already learned tough lessons through? Whether you’re a youth ministry volunteer or you’ve just stepped into a full-time youth ministry position, chances are that you don’t know everything...not yet anyway. Here you’ll find wisdom from seasoned veterans who have “been there and done that” so you can avoid the pitfalls they’ve found themselves facing.With true stories from real youth workers, you’ll get the truth that you just don’t learn in your seminar classes or volunteer training meetings. With thought-provoking questions, relevant Scripture, and practical applications, you’ll learn from some of the common, but avoidable, blunders of youth ministry veterans such as: • Soul care slip-ups• Team building terrors• Relationship errors• Parent problems (or is it problem parents?!)• Programming pitfalls• Budget blunders• Moral minefields• Authority ailments• Crisis controlWhile most people will cover up their mistakes and hope to never be found out, these brave youth workers are laying it all out there so you don’t have to make the same mistakes. Let their encouragement and wisdom be your most-read training manual."