Life as I Knew It: Returning to My Higher Self

By Serenity Rayan

Years ago, Serenity Rayan faced a major life transformation where she began questioning her beliefs from childhood, her past, her relationships, and who God created her to be.

In a memoir with an important message about inner strength and self-love, Rayan chronicles her life journey beginning with her premature birth and continuing through her challenging childhood in foster care where she learned to be resilient, despite suffering unthinkable abuse at a young age. As she grew into womanhood and learned to stand up for herself while helping others find their voice and truth, Rayan reveals how she overcame obstacles, losses, sadness, fears, and abandonment to positively transform her life and find healing. Through her retelling, Rayan encourages others to take the first step in their journey to a restored life, happiness, and a complete healing of the soul.

Life as I Knew It is the touching true story of one woman’s journey from abandonment and abuse to a complete transformation where she found strength, hope, faith, and inner peace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Sep 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9798765233948

Serenity Rayan

Serenity Rayan is a healthcare professional who enjoys helping others, taking long walks in nature, and volunteering in her community. She has six beautiful children and loves children, music, dance, and writing songs and poetry. Life as I Knew It is her first book.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Serenity Rayan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

844-682-1282

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use

of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical

problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The

intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you

in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any

of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right,

the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 979-8-7652-3393-1 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-3395-5 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-3394-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022916090

Balboa Press rev. date: 09/02/2022

Dedication

This dedication is to God, my family, my sons, daughters, and to the many who stand strong through their pain; those who seek healing spiritually; those who feel lost; and those who need to know that they are not alone on their journey toward their higher selves. We all have been through the twists and turns and hurdles of life. We can all gather the straight trust and faith in ourselves and God! The universe is all powerful and giving. Stand in greatness, heal powerfully, teach one another on our journeys of self-awareness and healing, give, and laugh harder. This dedication is for everyone who is on their spiritual journey or starting on their journey.

Let us inspire each other and never stop because growth is constant.

Contents

Dedication

Prologue

1   Whirlwind of Cycles

2   Foster Cared for Worst

3   New Thing, Old News

4   Summer Birth

5   Dysfunctional

6   Rose-Colored Glasses

7   The Black Sheep

8   Unconditional Self-Love

Prologue

What if everything we are brought up to accept as true and believe in about life from childhood to adulthood was wrong.

Would we have to look at our pasts, dogmas, and traditions the way we look at and treat relationships in our lives?

Would we need to start over the life we knew to become our true selves?

Would we choose to return to our higher selves and become what God created us to be?

Well, I would like to tell you my story about how life as I knew it changed. It transformed for me years ago.

My life changed forever.

1

Whirlwind of Cycles

S pring 1983 was when I barely came to this earth.

You heard it correctly. I was hanging onto life, tugging on the perilous-looking machines to allow me just one sheer chance to come into this world.

I was a premature baby.

I literally was born fighting for my life and my place in this world. The pretty, clean blanket I was wrapped in did not catch as much attention as the binding wires and lines around me did. My heartbeat depended on those.

Yet despite the odds, even as a baby, I was a rock-solid, fearless, and valiant warrior—ceaseless against science and beyond.

Little did I know that my fighting armor would never be taken off.

I continued that uncanvassed fight throughout my life.

Even against the most pint-sized snags, I had to overcome life’s encounters with a courageous spirit and an iron heart. I could not help it—that was all I knew since the very beginning. I guess when my soul writhed and struggled to keep itself on the other (temporary) side of the world, it adjusted to dealing with the most anomalous and atypical teething troubles with utmost strength and resiliency. Resilience was inborn.

Nonetheless, growing up was extra challenging for me—especially during my early childhood years when I was put into foster care with my brother and sisters. Our family was disconnected and separated. We were only allowed weekly visits with our mom and dad. I remember feeling exceedingly confused and baffled by what was happening. In my young mind, families were supposed to stick together unconditionally. It was not happening with mine. I will write more on that