Loving People Well

By Linda Rykowski M.S. L.C.P.C.

Loving People Well leads you on a healing journey from the effects of trauma to spiritual, emotional, and relational health.
Linda Rykowski reveals how God’s spirit took her trauma and used it to help herself as well as others. By sharing the obstacles and pain she’s overcome, she reveals how to:
• embrace being different or even weird;
• overcome feelings of shame that come from abuse;
• confront and move past addiction;
• stop running away from the Lord.
Throughout the book, the author poses questions for personal reflection or small group discussion. By participating in the exercises, you’ll have the opportunity to come to terms with the past, forgive yourself and others, and move forward.
Grow in the power of His love and help yourself and others with the wisdom in this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664217676

Linda Rykowski M.S. L.C.P.C.

Linda Rykowski, M.S., L.C.P.C., experienced emotional, verbal, sexual, and spiritual abuse while growing up in a large family in a small Eastern Montana town. She was led on a healing journey designed by God to help her learn to love God, herself, and others in healthy ways. She is a licensed clinical professional counselor who helped many others along in their healing journeys. She retired from her private practice in 2020 after twenty years.

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Copyright © 2021 Linda Rykowski, M.S., L.C.P.C..

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-1812-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1813-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1767-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020925865

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/27/2021

Loving People Well

Linda Bishop Rykowski, M.S., L.C.P.C.

DEDICATION

To my three sons: Joe, Miles, and Travis. You have been my pride and joy ever since God blessed me with you as my sons! You have enriched my life, and I am very thankful for you!

You went through a lot in your young lives as I dealt with my drug addiction, alcoholism, and then codependency. Even though it affected you greatly, you have risen above it in your adult lives. You are responsible, loving husbands and fathers who I am extremely proud of!

The stronghold of addiction is not continuing with you. You have experienced how horrible the consequences are, to individuals and to families.

Now you have married three women who are beautiful, inside and out—Wendy, Jessica, and Darci—and blessed me with eleven wonderful grandchildren: Kaylee, Jesimae, Mikaela, Kaleb, Janelle, Zoey, Jayden, Avery, Brookie, Max, and Ellie.

The cycle of generational strongholds will not persist. God has severed the cords of bondage. Thanks be to God and to each one of you!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book would never have become a reality if it weren’t for the help and support of many people. Their names may not be familiar to you but it’s important for me to honor them.

First of all, a big thank You to our God! Without Him I would not have finished this book. He kept me going on it and wouldn’t let me quit. Even though I stopped writing it many times over the years, He wouldn’t let me give up entirely! He knew I just needed more experiences that led to more healing to see the book to completion!

To my three sons, Joe, Miles and Travis Rykowski. Even though I dedicated this book to you I still wanted to thank you and acknowledge you as the greatest gifts God gave me! I wasn’t always there for you because of my addictions but you still amaze me every day with your deep passion to be the best person God created you to be! He also granted you beautiful and loving wives, Wendy, Jessica and Darci, to help you to be the best you can be each and every day, and still love you when you can’t. I am so thankful for all of you for your love and support, and for gifting me with eleven wonderful grandchildren!

My adopted daughter, Savannah March, I am grateful that God saw fit to bring us together. From the day you were born, your inquisitive nature endured you to my heart! Now your desire to understand God’s love for you and for the whole world has been an adventure to be part of with you! Your understanding and acceptance of Truth encouraged and challenged me to keep growing in my own faith journey. Keep asking questions!

My eleven grandchildren: Kaylee, Jesimae, Mikaela, Kaleb, Janelle, Zoey, Jayden, Avery, Brookie, Max, and Ellie. You make me want to be the beat person I can be, with God’s help, so I can be the best grandma I can be so I can help you to be all that God wants you to be! He has a special plan for each one of you, as He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11. I am excited to see what that is for each one of you! I love you so, so much!

My Dad and Mom and thirteen siblings and their spouses, being raised in a family of 14 kids isn’t easy. There was plenty of opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t in relationships, but we survived together! I appreciate all of your love, care and support that helped me to make it through life. It’s true that you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. But if I could, I would still choose you! Each of you has contributed to my life in a special way. Heaven will be so much richer because we will be together for eternity!

My many numerous nieces and nephews, (Yes, Doug, you are counted as one of them. LOL), you made life fun! Even though I got to know some of you better than others because of geographical challenges, I am still grateful to God for