To Tame a Wildflower

Laura Parsons Lytle grew up in a Christian family in rural Ohio. Though her very first years were filled with loving parents and amazing memories, her early childhood came crashing down when her grandparents became ill in 1984. Though she attended church every Sunday, the things that were happening behind closed doors at home were far from holy. Enduring abuse, abandonment, and rejection which she determined must be from God himself, Laura struggled to make sense of her entire existence. At a very young age Laura started writing poetry and short stories in an attempt to escape the chaos around her. But as her teenage years came upon her she was overcome with self hatred and pain. In 1994 she started to slowly lose the only person who ever made her feel loved, and her writings became cynical and jaded. As she tried any means possible to evade the darkness that was overtaking her, the world forgot her. She struggled with self mutilation, addictions, and depression, and with no one believing in her, eventually she gave up on herself. But above the shadows there was something unseen constantly intertwined with her path, and years later she would realize that salvation waited for her exactly where she had fallen. True hers is a story of pain, bondage, and loss. But more importantly, it is a story of redemption.