Shadows

Shadows are created when the light is blocked by an obstacle, producing areas of darkness. Shadows can represent dark places where people hide things they do not want to take responsibility for. Things such as: child abuse, spousal abuse, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, mental illness. Every family has secrets but some have dark, dangerous secrets that physically or mentally cripple those around them. The only way to address these things is by bringing them into the light. Individuals also create shadows in their mind in order to hide painful memories of unacceptable behavior or trauma that they have suffered. These memories can reappear at any time, and the pain can be devastating again.

This story spans three generations of women-mother, daughter, and granddaughter. They all three had black hair, emerald green eyes and shared a predisposition for mental illness, which are all hereditary traits. The era that each lived had a significant impact on the problems that they had passed to each other. Mental illness in the 1930s was lumped into one category. Bess, born in this time, was hidden away to conceal her mental illness that was spiraling downward into complete insanity. Jane, Bess's daughter, was born late in Bess's life. Jane's mental illness began to surface as a teenager and brought destructive behavior that affected many people adversely and forever changed their future.

Jane's daughter, Lily, was raised in the shadow of alcohol addiction, child abuse, her mother's partner abuse, and murder. Lily had to pull herself out of dire circumstances while she dealt with the possibility that she might have a form of mental illness. Lily was blessed with an angel in the form of a lonely widow who gave her the tools she needed to lead a normal life. She also experienced the unconditional love and devotion that came from a dog that wandered into her life.

VESANTO MELINA is a registered dietian, was trained at the University of Toronto and the University of London, England, and taught nutrition at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and Seattle's Bastyr University. She was a coordinator for the vegetarian section of the Manual of Clinical Dietetics (Dietitians of Canada and the American Dietetics Association) and is co-author of the nutrition classic Becoming Vegetarian (now in eleven countries and three languages), as well as Cooking Vegetarian, Becoming Vegan and Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat Cancer. Vesanto is widely known in the media press, TV and radio. She is an internationally known speaker and has presented workshops on the topic of vegetarian nutrition to over 1,800 dietitians throughout. North America. Vesanto received the prestigious Clintec award for leadership in dietetics. She regularly consults for government and industry and for individual clients. To complement her scientific expertise is Vesanto's joy in creating food that is healthy, delicious and simple to prepare. Her website is www.nutrispeak.com.

BRENDA DAVIS is a registered dietitian in private practice, an author and an internationally acclaimed speaker. She became a committed, ethical vegetarian 13 years ago when she was moved to explore the consequences of food choices beyond personal health. Brenda completed an honors degree in Human Nutrition at the University of Guelph, followed by an internship in Ottawa Ontario. She has worked as a public health nutritionist, clinical nutrition specialist, nutrition consultant, academic nutrition instructor, and is currently the Past-Chair of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association. Brenda is co-author of three books the best-seller, Becoming Vegetarian, its companion, Becoming Vegan, and the newly released Dairy-free and Delicious. She answers nutrition questions on the VegFamily website. Brenda lives in Kelowna, British Columbia with her husband Paul, and two teenage children, all are vegetarians.