1. empowernet work.com
http://www.empowernetwork.com/shannonmaxim/blog/shannon-down-the-rabbit-hole/?id=shannonmaxim#
Shannon Down The Rabbit Hole……
Sh an n on h ad a beautiful family
An d loved th em with all h er h eart
But kn ew sh e’d h ave forever
An d th ey’d n ever be apart
So sh e made h er way th roug h life
Discon ten t an d wan tin g more
Sh e kn ew sh e h ad to keep push in g
To g et away from wh ere sh e’s been before
Sh e’d fallen an d bruised time an d time ag ain
An d still sh e push es on
“I’ll be fin e if I just keep movin g ”
Just th en , th e g roun d is g on e!
Wh en all sh e kn ows as real an d true
Has disappeared from sig h t
Sh e realizes sh e fallin g n ow
Down a h ole as black as n ig h t
Sh e falls quickly an d says to h erself
“Oh dear, th is will n ever do”
“I was on my journ ey to somewh ere specific
An d n ow I’ll en d up somewh ere n ew”
Sh e fell for wh at seemed forever
Down th is h ole so black an d deep

2. An d th in g s sh e saw became scary un real
“I must be dreamin g or asleep”
“Surely I will wake up soon
An d be back on my journ ey ag ain ”
An d at th at momen t h er feet touch g roun d
An d h er fall h as come to an en d
Sh e looks aroun d at h er n ew surroun din g s
How stran g e an d foreig n th ey seem
But also like th e h ome sh e kn ows
Maybe someth in g in between ?
It looks like th e world sh e kn ows
But th ere’s someth in g much darker h ere
Sh e misses h er family an d wan ts to g o h ome
But th at may n ever h appen , sh e fears
Sh e steps in to th e n ew world cautiously
An d see a familiar face
A sweet youn g g irl sh e swears sh e kn ows
From an oth er time or place
Th e youn g g irl is cryin g an d scared it seems
Sh an n on exten ds h er h an d
Th e youn g g irl takes it an d says “wh y are we h ere?”
Sh e replies “I don ’t kn ow but I’ll h elp you th roug h th is lan d”
“Wh at’s your n ame little on e?” Sh an n on asks th e g irl
“Hailey” th e g irl replies
“Just like my daug h ter” Sh an n on says
Th is brin g s tears to h er eyes
Han d in h an d th ey ven ture on
Th roug h sh adows an d dark of n ig h t
But th ey clin g to each oth er an d truly believe
Th at tog eth er th ey will make it out alrig h t.
Sh an n on learn s quickly th at in th is n ew world
Th e darkn ess wan ts Hailey g on e
Th at ch ildren h ere are soldiers
An d fig h t to carry on
Th e darkn ess an d sh adows keep comin g
An d th ey try to fig h t it all
Every time th ey comes it seems
Hailey g ets run down from th e brawl
Each n ig h t g et darker an d lon g er
Th e darkn ess an d sh adows free to roam
All th e wh ile th ey h old to each oth er
An d make plan s for wh en th ey g et h ome
It’s n ot lon g in th is journ ey th ey’re on
Un til Hailey can fig h t n o more
Sh an n on carries h er th roug h th e dark

3. An d fig h ts like n ever before
Sh e looks at th is precious g irl
An d sees th at sh e’s fadin g away
Her body is becomin g too weak
To fig h t an oth er day
Sh an n on ’s determin ed to make h er promise rig h t
An d tries h er very best
Sh e carries th e g irl un til th e dark subsides
An d th en stops to take a rest
Sh e cries “In th e world th at I kn ow, ch ildren don ’t fig h t
Th ey simply laug h an d play”
Hailey looks weakly in to h er eyes an d says
“Don ’t cry Mommy, it’s okay.”
“We’ve foug h t an d loved more th an most
An d I kn ow you did your best.
But we can ’t preten d an d you must see
Th at it’s time for me to rest”
Sh an n on looked at h er an d kn ew th e truth
Th ey’d been livin g in a lie
Sh e’d been so focused on th e fig h t
an d refused to believe th at Hailey would actually die.
Th ey rested th ere tog eth er
In th e sparklin g lig h t of day
An d waited for th e darkn ess
To come take th em away
Wh en th e darkn ess came for th em th at n ig h t
Sh an n on stood h er g roun d
“Wh y must you take h er? You an d th ese sh adows?
Wh y h ave you beat h er to th e g roun d?”
Th e darkn ess wh ispered g en tly
“I’m n ot th e evil you’ve kn own
Th e sh adows did th is to h er
I’ve just been tryin g to take h er h ome”
Sh an n on looked deeper in to th e darkn ess
An d saw wh at sh e failed to see before
Th e darkn ess was merely a disg uise
Beh in d it, an an g el an d a g ate – Heaven s’ Door
Wh en th e disg uise h ad been lifted
A lig h t came th roug h sh in in g oh so brig h t
Hailey was h ealed an d ran th roug h th e g ate
Just th en th e g ate sh ut tig h t
Sh an n on reach ed out for Hailey
an d cried out “No please wait
I n eed to be with my daug h ter.
Let me th roug h th is g ate”

4. Th e an g el smiled sweetly
an d g en tly replied to h er “No”
“I’m sorry Sh an n on but you’re n ot don e h ere
It’s n ot your time to g o”
An d with th at it was all g on e
Hailey an d th e g ate
Sh an n on is left with mere memories
in a con fused an d weaken ed state
Sh an n on walks forward ag ain
Stumblin g in th e lon ely n ig h t
Th e sh adows come for h er
An d sh e’s far to weak to fig h t
Th ey g rab h old of h er
an d try to h old h er down
Sh e almost g ives in
Un til sh e h ears th e soun d
A man ’s voice sh e th in ks sh e kn ows
Callin g out h er n ame
“Sh an n on please come back to me”
Sh e h opes th is is n ot a g ame
Ag ain th is man calls to h er
An d th en a little g irl
“Mama please I n eed you”
Sh e remembers h er oth er world
Sh e fig h ts ag ain st th e curren t
Of sh adows g rippin g tig h t
Sh e fig h t ag ain st th e darkn ess
Th e lon lin ess of n ig h t
Sh e feels a wh irl aroun d h er
Like a g en tle h urrican e
An d just like th at sh e’s back at h ome
But still sh e feels th e pain
Sh e still relives th e memory
Sh e still screams in th e n ig h t
Th e sh adows still come for h er
Sh e still tries to fig h t
But n ow sh e’s n ot alon e
Her family sh e adores
Is stan din g rig h t beside h er
Fig h tin g in th ese wars
So wh en th e sh adows come for h er
Wh en sh e’s far too weak to fig h t
Sh e h ears th em call an d it pulls h er th roug h
Un til th e morn in g lig h t

5. Sh e tries to learn h ow to cope
With th e pain sh e feels each day
All th e wh ile kn owin g
It will n ever g o away
All sh e can do is move forward
But remember th e lesson s from th at world
Wh ere sh e learn ed you take n oth in g for g ran ted
An d sh e lost h er little g irl.
About T he Author: shannonmaxim
I am a moth er of a teen ag e g irl an d an 8 year old g irl wh o is n ow an an g el in
h eaven . I love my family an d frien ds. I h ave been push ed down an d kicked in
th e worst ways h uman ly possible but I will always g et back up an d use it to
become a better person . I’m a wife an d moth er, wh o up un til recen tly couldn ’t
defin e h erself beyon d th at. Now I can ! I am a blog g er, a n etwork marketer, an d th e foun der
of a local ch arity. An d I’ve on ly just beg un .....