Lifestyle Change

By Gail Oliver Cambridge

Whats holding you back from making that important change in your life? Is it that you dont want to give up certain activities? Are you afraid of losing your friends? Your inner self may be calling out for you to take action and change your lifestyle to live a life filled with passion and purpose, but you are hesitant.

Follow Stacey to depths and heights as she clings to her lifestyle. Along the way she meets two strange characters in a beautiful, yet ominous time warp. They offer conflicting depictions of life as she knew it and how meaningful it could be. She learns that contrary to what she believed, a spiritual life need not be boring. Shes left with the choice of continuing in a dead-end rut or exploring a new, enlightened way. The decision to change is up to her as it is with you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inspiring Voices
• Release date: Oct 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781462407095

Gail Oliver Cambridge

Gail Oliver Cambridge is a writer who has published articles on spiritual life lessons. She is a Christian mentor on relationship issues and spiritual growth, and is an active member in her church. Gail graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science degree from the City University of New York and a master of science degree from Central Michigan University. She is a manager at a nonprofit foundation in New York City and lives with her husband in Queens, New York.

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Copyright © 2013, 2014 Gail Oliver Cambridge.

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ISBN: 978-1-4624-0710-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0709-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013914683

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 6/6/2014

Life is not a problem to be solved,

but a gift to be enjoyed.

This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

Chapter XIV

Epilogue

About the Author

References

Acknowledgments

What would I do if the Lord was not a part of my life? I do not know. Every day in one way or another, I am reminded of His presence. He is in my life and I thank Him for all the blessings and lessons He has sent my way.

My deepest appreciation goes to my family and friends for their support throughout the years; to my church family who demonstrates good examples of faith; to the pastors whose sermons have inspired me; and to the numerous authors whose books have motivated me.

I am truly grateful to Maggie Singleton for her insightful comments in editing this revised manuscript. Special thanks to Heidi Bresnahan who edited the initial manuscript…I appreciate her taking the time and the patience with the many follow-up questions that I had. I also wish to thank Kathleen Andersen who read the first draft and offered comments.

To my husband, Lawrence, whose love I will always cherish. I thank you for sharing your perspective on the topic and for your continuous encouragement and support.

Chapter I

Stacey began walking faster and faster, her 2-inch heels beating the pavement in a rhythm as she stepped up the pace. It was December and the air was cold. She was gasping for breath as she finally broke into a run. Her heart was racing as she made it to her building. Pushing the doorman out of the way, she ran up the stairs to her apartment on the first floor, frantically fumbling for her keys as she did so. She unlocked the door, slammed it shut, and headed straight for her bedroom—dropping her keys and purse on the floor and kicking off her shoes on the way. She fell on the bed, face down. Squeezing her eyes tightly, she tried to fight off feelings of panic.

‘What is happening?’ she wondered. She had an overwhelming feeling that someone was following her, trying to harm her. Was it real or a figment of her imagination? No one had accosted her, of course, but she couldn’t shake the strange feeling she had. It was a feeling of dread, the kind you feel in the pit of your stomach when you hear a weird noise in the dead of night that sounds like it might be a burglar. You lie awake until you identify the source…even if it turns out to be harmless. With the light of day your fears disappear, allowing you to scoff at what seemed so scary the night before.

This was the third time Stacey had felt like a man must be stalking her. She had noticed him for the first time three weeks ago while leaving her office late one night. She was in the middle of the second flight of stairs in the subway station when she became aware of someone watching her from behind. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a red scarf—the same scarf she had seen on the street level at the subway entrance. She