Tragedy to Triumph; The True Story of Four Generations of Women Whose Lives of Tragedy Were Turned into Triumph by the Power of God's Love

By Susan M. Gerhart

This is a riveting, yet inspirational book that will touch the hearts of all those who venture into the lives of these four generations of women. Despite the generations of tragedies, Susan's life has completely changed, and she no longer lives under the cloud of despair. Her own hope and happiness were reborn through the faith and prayers of those around her. All the tragic events of her life and the generations before her have given her a greater strength and endurance for a future of happiness and peace no matter what comes her way. She came through all the diversity a stronger, more compassionate person, willing to embrace those who suffer--an example that gives others hope for their future. She believes God desires to walk with all of us, through all our trials and tribulations, to bring healing and inner peace and an end to the cycle of despair.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798888519516

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Introduction

Chapter 1: Great-Grandmother, Elizabeth

Chapter 2: Grandmother, Hazel

Chapter 3: Mother, Barbara

Chapter 4: Myself, Susan: The First Tragedy

Chapter 5: Susan: Second Tragedy

Chapter 6: Susan: The Revelation

Chapter 7: Susan: The Third Tragedy

Chapter 8: Susan: A New Beginning

Chapter 9: Healing and Conversion

Chapter 10: Prayer and Forgiveness

Conclusion

About the Author

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Tragedy to Triumph; The True Story of Four Generations of Women Whose Lives of Tragedy Were Turned into Triumph by the Power of God's Love

Susan M. Gerhart

ISBN 979-8-88851-950-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88851-951-6 (Digital)

Copyright © 2023 Susan M. Gerhart

All rights reserved

First Edition

The names and tragedies are true, but the exact circumstances surrounding the tragedies are not necessarily true.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Cover art created by Miguel Sanchez

This book is for all those who do not yet believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Introduction

For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. (Exodus 20:5)

Have you ever experienced a grave tragedy in your life? Have you ever lost hope and felt only despair and pain because of these tragedies? I know I have. In time, I came to realize that it was not just me that had gone through tragedies. I could look back and see that I was born into three prior generations of women that had also experienced severe tragedy in their lives. It started with my great-grandmother, Elizabeth.

Chapter 1

Great-Grandmother, Elizabeth

Elizabeth was born in 1882 and raised in the Midwest. When she was in her early twenties, she met her future husband, Harry. He was a local farmer who lived down the road from Elizabeth as she was growing up. Harry was a tall, thin man who worked long hours on his family's farm.

Once Elizabeth and Harry were married, both families pitched in to build a house on the many acres of land that Harry's family owned. They built a beautiful two-story home that had lots of room for a growing family, and sure enough, it wasn't long before their family began to grow.

In their first year of marriage, they were blessed with their first child—a girl. During the following ten years, they found themselves the proud parents of four more girls. All seemed to be going well with lots to be thankful for.

It wasn't until their oldest girl was not yet a teenager that Elizabeth realized Harry was showing signs of withdrawal—not only from her but from the girls and the world as well. She wondered if the long hours of caring for the animals and working in the fields was causing him to refrain from interacting with his family or was something else happening.

The girls would run around the house while Elizabeth was trying to cook the meals, do the laundry, and keep the house in some kind of order. But there sat her husband, zoned out on the living room sofa staring into space, oblivious to what was going on around him. When Elizabeth tried to talk to him or get him to help with something, he would display outbursts of anger that would scare both her and the girls.

Eventually, his nights became a struggle for him to get to sleep. He tossed and turned in their bed. As time went on, he became delusional and threatened to hurt Elizabeth and the girls for no apparent reason. The slightest thing seemed to set him off.

One night, when Harry and Elizabeth were in bed, Harry abruptly sat up. He turned to Elizabeth and screamed at her, Why are you trying to hurt me?

Elizabeth lay still, frozen with fright, not knowing what her husband would do next. She tried to remain calm. Then with trembling voice she whispered, I would never try to hurt you.

But he just screamed louder. Yes! Yes! You and the girls are out to hurt me—to get rid of me. I know you are, but I won't let you! I'm going to get you first!

With that, he lunged on top of Elizabeth and grabbed her by the throat with his bare hands and started to choke her. With all her strength, she tried to remove his strangling hands from around her neck. She could not. She was slowly losing consciousness.

The girls' bedrooms were down the hall not far from their parents' room. They woke up when they heard their father screaming. They sat up in their beds puzzled at what was happening.

Terrified at the sound of more screaming, the oldest girl threw off her covers, jumped from her bed, and shouted to her sisters, Come on! even though none of them knew what they might encounter. The five sisters ran down the hall to their parents' bedroom. What they saw next frightened them even more.

Daddy! Daddy! Is Mommy all right? What are you doing to her? The littlest girl cried as they huddled close to one another in the doorway.

Startled, their father looked up at the frightened girls. Instead of realizing the harm he was doing and trying to console his daughters, he let go of Elizabeth's neck, jumped off the bed, and started going after the girls. He was certain they were out to get him too.

The loud shrill screams of the girls as they ran back to their bedroom shook Elizabeth from her near unconsciousness. Shaking and trying to catch her breath, she gingerly got out of bed trying to regain her strength and stability. She walked over to the hanging phone on the wall in the hallway outside their bedroom. She dialed the operator and waited for a response. Once the operator came on the line, Elizabeth quickly gave her the address of the farmhouse and told her the situation. She hung up the phone and stumbled her way toward the girls' rooms hoping to protect them from their delusional father. Elizabeth abruptly stopped when she arrived at the oldest girls' bedroom door. She could not believe her eyes. There was Harry on his knees between the two beds trying to grab the girls from beneath the beds.

Elizabeth's pleas for him to stop were of no avail. It just upset him further. He went after the girls with more determination. I must get them out from under the beds to punish them, he insisted, before they get me!

It was only a matter of minutes before there was a knock on the front door. Elizabeth was grateful that the horse-drawn ambulances they were familiar with had recently been replaced by the invention of motor-powered ambulances. Otherwise, the wait for help to arrive would have been much longer.

Since Harry was still preoccupied with trying to get at the girls, he did not