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Evolving into Wholeness: A Journey of Compassion
One woman's struggle to find inner peace - a profound story of transformation, redemption, healing, and hope.
In this powerful memoir, Dianne Waltner takes us on an emotional journey from bullied child to spiritual seeker, from hatchery worker to dedicated animal advocate, and from being alcohol dependent to gratefully sober. It's a story of personal transformation, of learning to live a life in alignment with one's deepest values and truths.
Dianne grew up in a rural Kansas farming community where her family operated a poultry hatchery. She viewed farmed animals as commodities, created by God for human use. But, as an introverted, highly sensitive child who was bullied and ostracized at her small school, Dianne always felt a sense of solidarity with the underdog.
These feelings eventually encouraged her to challenge the paradigm she was raised in and she began to open her heart to the understanding that animals are here with us, not for us. Embracing this compassion for animals eventually led her to veganism and a commitment to justice for nonhuman animals.
It was an emotionally painful journey, and she often struggled with depression, loneliness, and despair. Along the way, she began to frequently turn to alcohol to help her cope with the pain.
After losing her mother, Dianne became increasingly suicidal. But, with the help of a newfound feline friend, she was able to find her way out of despair. It took another long, difficult journey for her to finally extend the compassion she felt for animals to herself, and to love herself enough to stop drinking. Her story is one of moving through pain, finding courage, and discovering herself - a true hero's journey, completel with dark nights of the soul, an abiding love for all creation, and dedication to the cause.
Click on "Look Inside" to start reading.
In this powerful memoir, Dianne Waltner takes us on an emotional journey from bullied child to spiritual seeker, from hatchery worker to dedicated animal advocate, and from being alcohol dependent to gratefully sober. It's a story of personal transformation, of learning to live a life in alignment with one's deepest values and truths.
Dianne grew up in a rural Kansas farming community where her family operated a poultry hatchery. She viewed farmed animals as commodities, created by God for human use. But, as an introverted, highly sensitive child who was bullied and ostracized at her small school, Dianne always felt a sense of solidarity with the underdog.
These feelings eventually encouraged her to challenge the paradigm she was raised in and she began to open her heart to the understanding that animals are here with us, not for us. Embracing this compassion for animals eventually led her to veganism and a commitment to justice for nonhuman animals.
It was an emotionally painful journey, and she often struggled with depression, loneliness, and despair. Along the way, she began to frequently turn to alcohol to help her cope with the pain.
After losing her mother, Dianne became increasingly suicidal. But, with the help of a newfound feline friend, she was able to find her way out of despair. It took another long, difficult journey for her to finally extend the compassion she felt for animals to herself, and to love herself enough to stop drinking. Her story is one of moving through pain, finding courage, and discovering herself - a true hero's journey, completel with dark nights of the soul, an abiding love for all creation, and dedication to the cause.
Click on "Look Inside" to start reading.
182 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 20, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 27, 2021
"Evolving into Wholeness: My Journey of Compassion" is an honest and multifaceted memoir that guides readers on Dianne Waltner’s journey from a young Mennonite girl working in her family’s rural Kansas hatchery business to an adult vegan whose personal experience with suffering informs her commitment to alleviating the suffering of sentient beings who lack voice or choice. Interwoven into this story is Waltner’s concurrent journey from alcohol-numbed self-loathing to alcohol-free self-love. Her courageous, vulnerable writing creates space for readers to explore their own relationships with their bodies, faith, family and ethics. Waltner beautifully elucidates the truth that, if we genuinely espouse compassion as a core value, it is vital that we freely give it to ourselves, as we are offering it to others.
August 16, 2023
I was hoping this book would delve more into the bullying and incidents in the authors younger years. I was surprised by veganism, but have a better understanding about it now. Thank you.
January 26, 2022
Dianne Waltner's total honesty in recounting her life is stunning and memorable. Because her family's business was a hatchery, she was expected to routinely discard male chicks to die, and to perform painful mutilations on the females. As a teen and adult, she was caught up in addictive behaviors regarding smoking, drinking alcohol, and overweight, as well as in the low self-esteem that resulted. But she doesn't give up; she keeps working to overcome these behaviors, ultimately conquering her smoking and alcoholism and, not stopping there, becoming vegan in the process. She now spends time promoting animal rights.
I expect that many readers will, like me, find her story inspirational, and regard her as an everyday hero.
I expect that many readers will, like me, find her story inspirational, and regard her as an everyday hero.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews