Out of the Whirlpool

Book excerpt: In the author's words . . . When I graduated in 1978 from the University of the South, I cherished the ideal behind the inscription in Sewanee's university seal. Ecce quam bonum-the first lines of Psalm 133, "Behold, how good it is." But as I entered the adult world of commerce and culture, there were too few times when I actually beheld the good. The world seemed far too harsh to me, so full of inequality and conflict. I had to dig deep for the strength and determination to keep going. Thirty-five years later, however, my perception of that collegiate instruction-to see the good-carries a very different meaning. Struggle, controversy, disappointment are integral to life, certainly, yet, within the nature of that harsh reality, I now also find bright dimensions of meaning and hope. Joy and love are, in fact, ever-present in our circumstances . . . whatever those circumstances may be. Sue W. Martin, eqb, September 2013 Sue Wiygul Martin has written a deeply honest and moving account of the rebuilding of her life after a desperate, impetuous act in her youth ended in traumatic blindness. Since that day, she has greeted the world with her trademark determination and humor, accepting each new day of challenge while squarely facing the issues attending her post-traumatic adjustment. Now, after more than thirty years of an extraordinary recovery and reconciliation with the past, Martin is ready to share the simple truth of her journey. Martin's truth is a universal truth, one which is so easy to lose sight of-each and every person, man or woman, has a story worth telling. We are all the same, yet so beautifully different. So, fasten your seat belts. Sue Martin would like to take you on a wild ride through this life of hers. Get ready for some joy, sorrow, beauty, a few cosmic slaps of enlightenment, and a thousand other thoughts and feelings along the way.