Hope

By Paula Barlow

Paula Barlow, a former businesswoman, realtor, and flight attendant shares her compelling autobiography through poems. She is an overcomer of unsurmountable obstacles. Each poem has a base story of “WHY” it was written. Some were written before her near fatal scooter accident in 2008, when struck by an SUV in a hit and run accident. As you read, notice how differently her poems change from 2008 to the present. At the time, her reasons for writing were unknown until realizing later that God was directing her. Paula believes that other people experience similar situations, but are very reluctant to talk about their hopelessness or despair.

This book contains three sections: Spiritual, Addiction, and Everyday Life. Everyone needs hope, and it is hope that Paula passes on to you, as you experience God flowing through each of her writings. If just one person is helped through the “School of Hard Knocks,” then every experience was worth it. As Paula says, “I love living life with it’s’ roller coaster ride, and I love what God has done for me.” HAVE A GREAT LIFE, PRAY, and LIVE every moment. May GOD BLESS YOU.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paula Barlow
• Release date: Mar 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311355140

Paula Barlow

I was raised as an orphan in Seattle, and through the grace of God, He gave me adoptive parents at 36-years of age in Denver, Colorado. I have survived many miracles from the love from God. I walked after a stroke at 32-years old and was told I would never walk again. I am free drug free from an addiction of 25 years. In 2008, I survived a serious hit & run accident with brain injury. I had a left hip replacement & two compound fractures in the calf. My back & lower neck were fractured and in a total of seven breaks, I walked after being on a walker for over a year. After a year on the walker, I joined the Breast Cancer Walk and told that I would not write again. These are some the many miracles that I have been blessed with, to be able to write inspirational poems about Real Life as I see life to be. I overcame these obstacles and more, with determination and God encouraging me to believe, “I CAN, I CAN and I CAN”... I moved to Denver at 19-years old, prostituted for six years, became a flight attendant for nine years, sold real estate for ten years, and became a custodian for four years to buy my house qualifying for only $39,000. Now my home is worth about $200,000. I became a Certified Nurses Assistant for one year until being in a hit and run car/scooter accident. Having become disabled, I wrote a book about HOPE, Real Life, my life story of HOPE in poetry form. I just hope that I can be of some help through my book called HOPE. I want people to know that they are not alone because YOU CAN SURVIVE TOO.

Book preview

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HOPE

Paula A. Barlow

Table of Contents

HOPE

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

About the Author

Spiritual Poems

ANGELS SING

AWESOME GOD

BLOCKING BLESSINGS

CROSS

DEATH

EYE ON THE BALL GOD

GRACE

GRATEFUL PRAYER

HANDS OF THE CARPENTER

HOMOSEXUALS

HEAVEN

HOPE

JUST 2 WEEKS

LOVE LETTER TO GOD

MIRACLE

PEACE

SANTA ON WHEELS

SEASONS GREETINGS

STRENGTH

THE SANCTUARY

YES HE DOES

Addiction Poems

SPONSOR LETTER

1ST YEAR BIRTHDAY CARD

MULTIPLE YEARS BIRTHDAY CARD

DRUG-DINI

FREE AT LAST

RUSSIAN ROULETTE

SOBRIETY

THE HAUNTING

Everyday Poems

ABUSE

BAD DAY - NOT

BE NICE

BEWARE

CANCER

CLUE

COURAGE

DESPAIRING MOMENT

DEVIL & LIES

EASY COST

EXCUSES

FEARS

FRIENDSHIPS

GLAD GAME

HAIR

HOMELESS

LAST HOUSE

LOTTO OF LIFE

LOVE #101

MONEY

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

MOTHERS

PEEK-A-BOO

PROBLEMS

RAISING THE BAR

SCARS

STREETS HOPE CREED

THE 6TH SENSE

TIME

UPS & DOWNS

WAKE-UP CALL

WHO AM I

YOUR RAINBOW

PARENTAL CONTROL

THIEF

THE END OF THE BEGINNING

IS THIS YOU?

VIDEO RESOURCES

Copyright

3rd Edition

Copyright © 2010 Paula Barlow

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

Distributed by Smashwords.

Ebook formatting by www.ebookannie.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Paula Barlow, except for brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to Paula Barlow at [e-mail]. The material in this book is furnished for informational use only and is subject to change without notice. The author does not assume any liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any direct or indirect loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, by the information contained herein, or for errors, omissions, inaccuracies, or any other inconsistency within these pages, or for unintentional slights against people or organizations. All images, logos, quotes and trademarks included in this book are subject to use according to trademark and copyright laws of the United States of America.

ISBN: 9781311355140

PHOTO_EPIGRAPH

Hope comes alive through God and prayer.

Hope is on your path of life

just one step away.

You must trust and have faith.

God is always just ahead.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to everyone who has supported me in my recovery from addiction and a very critical accident. I give a special thanks to my adoptive parents Perry & Geraldine Strong, my son Travis Barlow and my Ma, Si Barbara Price for the past 25 years of loving and supporting me through my years of drug abuse.

A special thanks goes out to Karen Allen, Director of Streets Hope, Sarah Francois, Photography, Val Bullock, Kathleen Kelleher, Diane Urbano and Anne Thompson. Jon More with helping me publish the 1st edition of HOPE. Thank you for mentoring me along with many others. Thank you God for setting me free so I can fly and soar for your Name.

Foreword

Paula was wearing a bright silver scooter helmet when I first met her. She had a huge smile on her face as she popped her head into a meeting to say, Hello to the Street's Hope staff and mentors in the meeting. It is fitting that this was my first glimpse of Paula since it was a scooter accident a couple of years later that cemented our friendship and sisterhood for life. The accident left Paula incapacitated for months. It was during my visits with her in the hospital that I really got to know Paula. Her courage and perseverance and joy and hope in the midst of incredible pain changed my life and gave me hope and joy and a desire to persevere and practice courage like my friend, Paula.

After the accident, I was still staff and she was still client but most importantly we were friends. Friends often speak life into one another. Paula certainly has a way of speaking life. There have been several moments in time when I was struggling with something unknown to Paula, and she would speak life into that situation without even knowing it. You know the feeling you get when the words of a friend reach past your ears and pierce your heart? That's what Paula does. She speaks life. May her words of Hope speak life to you in the pages of this book.

Karen Allen

Former Director of Street’s Hope Ministry

Preface

Dear Hopeful You,

I feel this word HOPE is more than just a word. It is synonymous with God. It feels, thinks and is alive in each who lives. HOPE is more than a word. It lives in our soul. We must reach deep inside and take a hold and place HOPE in and on our hearts. I use to think that HOPE was as another word in our

Reviews for Hope

[Autumn Aurora · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I did not enjoy this book it just seemed like rambling. Some of the stories sound like she is under the influence. I read her bio but in the book she doesn't talk about her succeses just her imagination and her addictions. I feel she should rewrite when she is actually clean.