The Beauty From Ashes Series
True stories of survival, healing, resilience, and hope.
The Beauty From Ashes Series shares powerful true stories of real people who have walked through hardship, heartbreak, and life-changing experiences—and found the strength to keep going. Including Wendi Meise’s memoir, Before I Knew Fear, this heartfelt collection is a reminder that even after our darkest seasons, healing is possible, hope can return, and something beautiful can rise from the ashes.
Before I Knew Fear
A Memoir
A Memoir of Survival, Healing, and Hope
There was a time before fear.
Before abuse stole innocence. Before betrayal shattered trust. Before loss, heartbreak, and unimaginable trials became part of everyday life.
In Before I Knew Fear, Wendi Meise shares the deeply personal story of a little girl whose world was forever changed, and the extraordinary journey that followed. From childhood trauma and devastating loss to young motherhood, broken relationships, rebuilding from the ashes, and ultimately discovering hope, Wendi invites readers into the most difficult—and most transformative—chapters of her life.
With honesty, vulnerability, and unwavering faith, she reveals how God remained faithful through every season, even when life seemed beyond repair. This is not just a story about surviving pain. It is a story about finding courage, choosing forgiveness, embracing healing, and believing that broken lives can be beautifully restored.
Whether you are walking through your own valley, searching for hope after loss, or simply need a reminder that your story is not over, Before I Knew Fear offers encouragement, compassion, and the assurance that light can still be found in the darkest places.
Because even the deepest wounds do not have to write the final chapter.
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Before I Could See Her
Pairs With the Memoir, Before I Knew Fear
Letters to the girl I was, the woman I became, and every version of me in between.
Before I Knew Her is a deeply personal collection of letters written to Wendi Meise at different stages of her life—from the girl she once was, through the experiences that shaped and changed her, to the woman she ultimately became in spite of it all.
Created as a companion to her memoir, Before I Knew Fear, this book looks back with compassion, honesty, and understanding rather than judgment. Through each letter, Wendi reflects on the things she wishes she could have told her younger self and the lessons she can only understand now.
More than one woman’s story, Before I Knew Her invites readers to reflect on their own younger selves, their wounds, their growth, and the person they have become. It is a gentle invitation to offer ourselves the grace we may not have known how to give ourselves then.
Part of the Beauty From Ashes Series, this is a book about reflection, healing, self-compassion, and recognizing the strength it took to become who you are today.
Sometimes healing begins when we finally turn around and speak kindly to the person we used to be.
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