Showing results by narrator "Carolyn Durkalski" in All Categories

Robin Vega, a young girl from a broken home, decides to run away from her life with her boyfriend, Jackson Bailey. However, two years later, Robin, working at a club with her now-husband Jackson, is questioning whether or not she made the right decision. She's then left at a crossroads when she finds out she's expecting her abusive husband's child.

One cold January morning in New York City, a little boy named Daniel and his mom, Betty, are on their way to school, and as they turn the corner, the most beautiful tropical birdie appeared in front of them, singing and flying around him. It caused so much excitement Daniel felt he needed to save this little birdie. It was a tropical bird Daniel recognized from talking about different types of birds in class, and he knew the little birdie could not withstand the blistering cold for too long.

So delicious is cherry-berry ice cream. Oh, how she loves every bit. This is the only food Chiddy never shares with anyone. Chiddy quickly succumbs to every distraction of her favorite food: chocolate, chunky-monkey, rocky road, and vanilla swirl with rainbow sprinkles. She sometimes chuckled, frowned, and cried to get homework done, but when she heard about this exceptional juicy food, her mind changed; Mom didn't have to say it twice. The sound of the ice-cream truck kept her taste buds flowing, leading her to make one of the biggest mistakes ever.

What do you do when pain and brokenness force their way into life? What about when life deals you a blow that you're not sure you can recover from? Should you try to avoid the pain, move through it as quickly as possible, or numb it until it passes? Could there be any value in suffering? How you handle pain and how you allow others to experience their pain reveals what you believe to be true about yourself, others, and God. What do you do when life inscribes words on your heart that you wish weren't there? Words like shame, fear, hopelessness and bitterness.

My Castle Wall was written from the perspective of going from victim to survivor of sexual abuse. Within the book are people who taught me and took away my dignity and true self. Poems and short writings guide the listener through the trauma and drama of my life, unfolded as a victim, and how I was rescued through therapy to regain my identity as a survivor.

“I never wanted to be hearing. I said this out loud in my TED talk, and the audience went bug-eyed, struggling to process this heresy. How could anyone not want to be hearing? I wasn’t anti-hearing. I just felt my life would be simpler if everyone else were deaf.” So begins the compelling story of acclaimed TED speaker Rebecca Knill as she guides us through a life shaped by hearing loss. Throughout, Knill offers eye-opening insights into disability and celebrates the power of technology to level the playing field.