THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 6, 1994 TAG: 9407020197
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Linda McNatt
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
All things work out for good, we know -
Such is God's great design;
He orders all our steps below
For purposes divine.
From ``Glenda's Story''
When I heard that Glenda Revell had written a book, I thought it must be some kind of decorating, sewing or craft guide, or perhaps something about home schooling, since Revell teaches her four children at home.
Certainly, the Smithfield woman's talents are obvious in what she has done with the old farmhouse she and her family moved into several years ago. A book about decorating with a Victorian touch, about stenciling, sewing, rearing children, it seems, would be Revell's perfect genre.
But for this book, an autobiography, Revell stepped out of what might be expected and into a world of alcoholism, physical and sexual abuse, anorexia, and depression that was the only world she knew while growing up.
To see and know the petite, blonde woman who appears to have successfully pulled her family back into the kind of quiet, gentle world we all know existed once and many of us still long for at times, and then to be introduced to the world of violence she came from, is shocking.
It's not the first time we've been shocked, though, is it? Suzanne Sommers is just one of many celebrities in recent years who has shocked us with similar autobiographies. Sommers grew up in a world of alcoholism and abuse. In her book, we got all the details.
That's how Revell's book, ``Glenda's Story,'' differs from the rest. Most of the sordid details are missing. Revell simply says - this is the way things were. This is what happened. And this is how I hurt because of it.
Even without the details, however, the story is no less riveting than similar stories, no less revealing. Instead of the wretched facts, Revell has interspersed through her story thought-provoking Bible verses and spiritual poems, an indication of the deep religious faith that, for her, has meant survival, contentment and, ultimately, a forgiving spirit.
The book was mailed to me from the Gateway to Joy Publishing Company of Lincoln, Neb. It is the first book that company, which normally deals in pamphlets, booklets and broadcasting, has ever published. That fact must give some credence to Revell's ability to tell a story.
I thought it best that I leaf through the book to familiarize myself with the story before I went for the interview. I was late getting there. I couldn't put ``Glenda's Story'' down.
``No one knew everything, except maybe my husband, and that took years,'' Revell told me.
For years, Revell said, she knew she had a story to tell but had never done so. That fact gnawed at her until one day, in her prayers, Revell recalls saying, ``OK, God. I'm willing. Bring the person to me you want me to tell, and I'll talk.''
The very next day, she said, an acquaintance came by to ask her to speak at a women's conference. She asked, ``What's the subject?'' She was told, ``Precious Memories.''
She recalls then rolling her eyes toward heaven and commenting: ``I was thinking: `Not 100 women. I was thinking one.' ''
Revell had three months to prepare. She began by putting many of her thoughts and memories into a journal.
``I intended not to tell a sob story,'' she said. ``I just wanted to hit on the points I had suffered through the most. I spoke at the retreat and had a wonderful response.''
From there, Revell sent her journal to Elisabeth Elliot, a close friend who has a program on Christian radio. Elliot asked if she could read from the journal on her show. The broadcaster called it ``Glenda's Story'' and got more requests for tapes of that show than any other she had ever done.
That's when Revell heard from the publishing company, and her career as an author was launched.
``The purpose for doing it was so that people who had been through similar things could identify with it,'' Revell said. ``I feel it's about being an overcomer, but not in one's own strength.''
The message is simple, for those with deep religious faith or for people like me, whose faith is less formal, less organized.
The story says that somewhere out there, a higher power is in control. It says, hang in there; you're not going to drown; the life preserver is somewhere.
Religion, for Revell, is quite obviously the focus of her life.
For me, God is like a very good insurance policy, the rock. I pay my premiums daily by trying hard to obey the Ten Commandments, remember the Golden Rule, help when I can and live as decently as possible. I have my Insurer to thank that I have never had to contend with the kind of horrors Revell contended with.
``Glenda's Story'' is a book that almost anybody will be moved by, whether they happen to be very religious, semi-religious or maybe not religious at all.
It's a sad tale with a happy ending. Isn't that what we all look for in any book, after all? But it's also poignant, thought-provoking.
Revell will be at The Lord's Vineyard bookstore in downtown Smithfield from 5 to 8 p.m. July 15 to autograph copies of ``Glenda's Story.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LINDA McNATT
Glenda Revell of Smithfield shares memories of the world of violence
she knew as a child in her book.
by CNB