THE MEMOIRS OF SUMMER RAY

So many have fallen in love already, with the story of Summer Ray and her character. She is incredibly broken on the inside and yet, so defiant that she wears a mask on the outside to hide it. It is her pride that keeps her from exposing her true inner self as pity, isn’t something she wants. She longs to be the way she used to be and cannot accept the fact she can’t be and never will be. But, what she doesn’t yet understand, is the simple fact that who she used to be, isn’t as wonderful as who she is becoming.  Like the Liberty Bell; it is the cracks and the flaws that make it so profoundly irreplaceable and priceless. In learning to love ourselves, we must stop comparing ourselves to others. Summer longs for love and feels that she is permanently unlovable as a woman with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Yet, she finds others who are far worse off than she—the Union and Confederate Ghost Civil War Soldiers—and she becomes compassionate toward their suffering.  As Summer walks through the midst of the massive Unknown Ghost Army—young men, some missing limbs, all faceless, nameless and forgotten—she finally starts to understand the horrors of war.  At that very moment, as the past and present collide, her life begins to change.  She might not remember the promise she made, but she is forced to think of more than just her own sorrows.  And this compassion adds a dimension to Summer’s life that was so desperately lacking.

The irony of it all is what makes the story of Summer Ray so captivating and compelling.  The Union General McDaniels’ cold and bitter blue heart eventually begins to beat red once again, after his many encounters with Summer.  Two very different people, in two very different time periods—fate demanded they cross paths and slam into each other’s own world.  A ghost embittered by a woman, it takes another woman to bring him to a place of redemption. A young girl whose dreams were ultimately crushed, becomes a beacon of hope for those lost in a sea of darkness. Like a lighthouse, Summer shines like a star and guides them safely home. This ultimately gives Summer an even greater purpose then the one she lost, with a life she thought was worthless. As Summer looks out into the horizon, with arms crossed tightly in front of her, one cannot help but see the uncertainty in her eyes.  Yet her strength is in her struggle; her beauty chiseled in pain and her future is forged in faith!

Till next time,

Juliana