Susan's Story: Bent, But Not Broken

What makes me a beautiful disaster?? Well, the fact that I am beautiful, even if not everyone sees it and the things I've been through would be considered some people's nightmares.

The Phoenix line from Beautiful Disaster is my favorite. I resonate with the Phoenix itself. Rising from the ashes. When I was a kid I was the odd one out. When I was 16, I met a guy and fell head over heels in love with him. What I didn't know was that he would turn out to be abusive. I wasn't allowed to leave the house (with or without him) without first doing my make up and my hair. He called it "getting pretty".

When I was 3 months pregnant with our oldest child, he threw me across his mother's bedroom. He would spit on me, tell me I couldn't go see my family and cut me off from my friends. When I finally left him, I was threatened with death. He said he was going to kill me and my entire family, starting with my dog, and make me watch. Then, he tried to get me to come back to him and be with him again. I have 2 kids with him and he walked away. Turning me into a single mother of 2 with no help.

It took 2 years to get out of the mindset enough for me to start seeing my worth. 7 years ago I met my husband. We've been married for 6 years now. He said he wasn't like other guys and proved it. I've made sure even on my lowest days to carry myself with confidence.

Beautiful Disaster Clothing helped with that. Now, my husband and I both work, have a house we rent and 2 new cars. He treats my boys like they are his and we have a daughter as well. We still struggle with money, but my husband shows not only me, but my boys, how a man should treat the woman he loves. The shirt in my photo is my favorite item I own. I have a long list of things I wanna get still, but have to wait. There is nothing in this world that has broken you. You've bent, but you are not broken!