This article was first written in 2015 for my first public reading with The LA Beach Writers at the Gulf Shores Public Library (Alabama), and later adapted on February 6, 2026, for a public reading with the Path to Peace Christian Writers’ Group at Supposey Warehouse & Gardens in Pensacola, Florida.
This piece also serves as the introduction to Chapter Seven of my upcoming book, Writing with God.
The Vision
During Thanksgiving week of 2015, I had a vision that has stayed with me ever since.
In this vision, I found myself in a home library, standing in a spacious room and seeing with remarkable precision every detail around me. I noticed that the crafted wood bookshelves matched the desk and the chair beside me. The books on the shelves were neatly arranged by color and size, with their titles written in antique gold, bold letters.
The library was warm, with an atmosphere of both peace and wealth, accentuated by the solid mahogany shelves and matching furniture. I was standing by the desk, looking outside through large glass windows.
Beyond them, I saw a peaceful landscape filled with vibrant colors, displaying with its natural beauty the work of a master impressionist. From a far distance, my eyes caught tall and elegant trees, their leaves dressed in shades of yellow and brown, announcing the arrival of fall. I could almost smell the grass and feel the early-morning dew on the windows.
For a moment, my attention returned to the desk, where my hand rested on a book I had just finished reading. I was about to place it among the other books on the shelves, resembling trophies—stories preserved to be shared with future generations.
All of these moments unfolded before my eyes like a soothing melody, embracing my soul with peace.
I woke from this vision with the sensation that I had visited my future life. As I drank my morning coffee, the vision replayed in my mind in slow motion. I saw myself once again in that library, paused by a powerful realization—I had just read a book about my own life.
Prophetically, I was contemplating a life well lived, filled with fulfillment and immense gratitude.
Hardship and sorrow were part of the main script of that book, but there were also chapters of triumph, joy, and discovery—learning to overcome difficulties, reinvent myself, grow, and become a better person. It was a life shaped by the pursuit of love, professional success, financial security, peace, and happiness.
I felt a touch of sorrow as I reflected on those who had influenced who I had become, hoping they could see me from heaven with pride. I also thought of the people still present in my life—those who walked with me through different seasons, who believed in me when I could not believe in myself, and who invested their time and unconditional love to see me cross each new finish line.
In the pages of that book, there was no place for regret or resentment. Only gratitude and amazement for how far I had come. And as a Christian, I could clearly see the hand of God upon my life and my family every step of the way.
A New Beginning
As I prepared to write for this group reading event, I was reminded of my experiences when I first arrived in the United States from Brazil.
At 25 years old, when I left Brazil, I had already achieved much against the odds. My career as a financial secretary for a major American-based company was a central part of my identity.
Coming to live in the United States without knowing the language, understanding the culture, or having my family and friends nearby was surreal—stressful and, at times, even magical.
For the most part, I felt like an outsider, suddenly dropped into another world where I had to learn how to communicate, understand basic social cues, and navigate everyday life.
I had to learn everything about my new homeland—how to read, write, and engage in social settings—often feeling that I was not bringing anything of value to the table.
I also learned that arriving legally did not change the reality that I had to begin again from zero professionally. At 25 years old, manual labor became the tool through which I began carving my way into this new land.
Yet the dream of building a better life—and the love and protection of the new relationships God placed in my path—kept me moving forward.
Building and Becoming
Through perseverance and faith, I moved forward into achievements beyond what I could have imagined. By the time I turned 40, I was married for the second time, raising three wonderful sons, employing hundreds of people from different nations, and had become a writer.
I published my international newspaper, Tropical Whispers, and traveled to over 18 countries. I was also deeply involved in community service, serving on boards and committees, and actively engaged in my church. Looking back, I can see that I was building a full and accomplished life. But I was also burning both ends of the candle—something that would eventually bring me to a place of complete exhaustion.
When Everything Changed
Due to the financial challenges the country faced after September 11, 2001, my professional life began to decline, coinciding with the beginning of my second divorce. In 2004, shortly after my divorce was finalized, the Gulf Coast was struck by a major hurricane—on my birthday—and again in 2005. After Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, followed by the Housing Bubble and Credit Crisis of 2007–2009, and the BP oil spill in 2010, I was left in complete financial destitution. Yet even in this, I now see something different.
The years of stillness that followed became an ordained gift from God. They allowed me to process my losses, my emotional setbacks, and my spiritual walk. They gave me space to truly see and appreciate what—and who—I had become for a purpose greater than my own.
The Writer Within
As I reflect on my life, from childhood in Brazil until now, I realize that there has always been a faithful companion walking with me through every season. That companion has been the writer within me.
Through every stage of my life, I have written—recording my desires and dreams, my fears and hopes, my sorrows and joys, my successes and failures, and my expectations for a greater future. That faithful companion helped me stay focused on tomorrow.
Through my journals and poems, I can clearly see how God has always been present in my life. Through every trial and every victory, my writing has encouraged me to stay focused on the prize ahead. In everything I have written, I can see my emotional growth, my professional journey, and my spiritual enlightenment. Through the pages of my unpublished stories, I have come to better understand the life I have lived.
It was this God-given passion for writing that enabled me to build a new path and discover a new identity. Today, I can say with confidence: I am a writer—against the odds.
Faith and Promise
As a Christian writer, the Word of God is my main source of inspiration. In the book of Haggai, chapter 2, verse 9 (New Living Translation), the Bible says that the glory of our latter days shall be greater than the former. Today, as I write these words, I have peace about my future. Because I am certain that the LORD spoke to me—through a vision—of a book already written about my life.
Haggai 2:9 (NLT)
“The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “And in this place, I will bring peace. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
My story, HIS writing Sandra.
Thank you so much for your love and support!
I am eternally grateful for my salvation and testifying about His love, mercy and infinite goodness gives me so much joy!💜💛💖
You are a wonderful writer Eglaide. I am amazed at where God has brought you from. Keep writing!! You have a wonderful way of communicating with words.