Resilience and Creativity. 1

Parenting Passed Down Through Generations. 2

Cultural Pride and Identity. 2

The Challenges and Rewards of Parenthood. 2

Unconditional Love. 3

To Wrap it Up

. 3

Resilience and Creativity

The authors grandparents are described in the book as true Christians. Though, their values extend into every aspect of life beyond faith. Her grandfather, Earl, was a superintendent at a small boarding school for Native American students. Her grandmother, Velma, was his secretary and support. Lana Lee, the author, writes, My grandparents worked at the Concho Demonstration School, a small boarding school for Indian students they established and helped construct. Grandpa was the superintendent, and Grandma was his secretary and Girl Friday, as she put it. Their life was service-oriented, and it gave her a deep sense of pride in her heritage. It made her want to serve others?.

Her grandparents were also creative and encouraged the same for her. They built her creative side, especially through art and music. Earl was an accomplished watercolor artist, and Velma was skilled in crafts. They encouraged her and her siblings to look for artistic interests. My grandparents had a piano, and I would pick out songs by ear, she recalls. The author remembers these moments as sparks that ignited her creative side. They gave her the freedom to be her own kind of creative. That formed her identity and inspired her lifelong love for music and writing?.

Parenting Passed Down Through Generations

Lana, as she grew older and stepped into parenthood, found that she leaned on the examples set for her by her grandparents. As they were the ones who had provided her with a stable and supportive environment during difficult times, they were the ones she looked up to. Her grandparents values helped her overcome the challenges she faced in her life, especially the difficulties tied to being a single mother. She went with a hands-on approach when it came to parenting, just as her grandparents had done. This meant that she was deeply involved in her childrens lives.

One main example can be seen in her relationship with her son. Her sons birth was a time that was hard for her as much as it was joyous. In the memoir, Lana recalls a nurse who advised her to consider adoption. But she chose to keep her son as the commitment to family was greater than any problems she was to face. The nurse brought in this beautiful baby boy with a head full of black hair and a complexion like a Choctaw, and I knew I could never let him go.?

Cultural Pride and Identity

Her grandparents gave her a strong sense of cultural identity. It was particularly her grandfathers Choctaw heritage which played a huge part in how she viewed herself and her familys legacy. Earl had always been proud of his Choctaw background. He passed this pride on to his grandchildren.

Her grandparents also encouraged her to express herself. They gave her access to her grandmothers typewriter to write stories one peck at a time. This is something that would, decades later, inspire and help her to publish her memoir. The encouragement from her grandparents gave her the confidence to share her life experiences with the world. And just like that, it helped her in honoring both the hardships and the strength found in her family line?.

The Challenges and Rewards of Parenthood

When the author became a parent, she followed in her grandparents footsteps and examples. She remained inspired by her grandparents strength and selflessness, especially when life got difficult, and she had to make difficult decisions, like the decision to raise her children alone or the many sacrifices she had to make as a single parent. Keeping in mind the resilience she had learned from Earl and Velma, she tried everything so that her children were well cared for during difficult financial times.

Once, she was overwhelmed with lifes challenges but found peace in the lessons that were taught to her by her grandparents. We were living out of the station wagon, which was also full of our worldly possessions, she writes. This was a very difficult chapter of her life. But no matter what the struggles were, she had the resilience and determination that her grandparents had given her in inheritance, and she found it in herself to make sacrifices for her family.

Unconditional Love

Lanas grandparents didnt just teach her what practical parenting meant but also taught her the importance of unconditional love. Her grandparents had loved, accepted, and supported her unconditionally, no matter what. She worked on herself to give the same kind of love to her own children. The examples that her grandparents set for her influenced her decisions as a parent. They gave her the strength to forgive and empathize.

Even during difficult times like misunderstandings and doubts, she knew that she could find strength in the belief that the most important thing was love and support. This belief in unconditional love helped her give her children the stability she craved for her entire childhood, one that was only given to her by her grandparents.

To Wrap it Up

The author looks forward to passing on the generational imprint left on her by her grandparents. She appreciates the values they hold dear by sharing their stories. Earl and Velmas strength, creativity, and pride in their heritage still remain with her. They guide her and give her purpose. They provide her with a reminder of where she came from.

As she went from granddaughter to mother, the values provided by her grandparents were passed on to her children. The legacy became one of love and resilience and cultural pride.

In A Yellow Rose in Thorns Clothing, Lana Lee, the author, shows us the lessons she learned from her grandparents. She reminds us of the lessons that we have learned from ours and how they still influence our decisions and choices.

To read about her life full of love, loss, abuse, heartbreak, and resilience, make sure you get your hands on A Yellow Rose in Thorns Clothing today!

Serving my country was an honor for me. Growing up, stories of bravery and sacrifice inspired me. And my work as a police officer and studies in criminal justice increased my desire for it. I even thought about becoming an FBI agent one day.

But life changes plans. As my graduation came nearer, my husband became seriously ill with heart disease, unable to work, and our marriage began to fall apart. The need to support my family started to overwhelm me, and in that tough moment, I chose to join the U.S. Army.

I believed it would provide stability for my family and let me serve. Basic training transformed me. At thirty-four, I was older than most recruits. But I was determined to prove myself. The physical and mental challenges were intense, but each one I overcame brought pride. I felt like the soldier Id always wanted to be. The teamwork, discipline, and sense of purpose were everything Id hoped for. But that excitement faded quickly. When I joined my reserve unit, military life was a shock.

The atmosphere was nothing like the focused, principled world of basic training. I was stunned by some soldiers behaviordrinking too much, acting inappropriately, and ignoring the values we were meant to uphold. I felt out of place and uneasy.

Even among other women in my unit, I felt alone, as they seemed to accept the unhealthy culture. It wasnt the military Id imagined. Things grew worse when my unit got orders for the Gulf War in Iraq.

At the same time, my husband needed emergency heart surgery, and my mother faced serious health problems. I was torn between my duty to the Army and my family. Anxiety filled my days as I tried to balance both. But more challenges came. In the reserve unit, I started facing harassment from male soldiers. Their rude comments and actions made me uncomfortable and diminished my sense of being a soldier.

Each day was a struggle to keep my dignity in a place that felt more hostile. Things escalated when an officer attacked me. Fear and confusion overwhelmed me. I fought to protect myself, but the emotional wounds cut deep.

The attack left me unsure of what to do or who to trust. Reporting it was one of the hardest things Ive done. I feared no one would believe me or that the system Id joined would turn against me. The chain of command, meant to protect me, felt like a barrier. Eventually, I found a barracks NCO who cared and urged me to report it. But many responses I got dismissed my concerns.

It seemed the system cared more about protecting itself than helping people like me. The trauma didnt stop there. After being dismissed from my duties, threats began. My dog was shot to scare me.

A friend died, leaving me more isolated and in despair. Threatening phone calls came every night, making me feel vulnerable and alone. These events pushed me into deep depression, making it harder to cope with what Id already faced.

The weight of it all felt too much, and I doubted I could go on. But there was hope. I started connecting with groups that support survivors of military sexual assault. Through them, I saw I wasnt alone; others had been through this too. This community gave me strength to keep fighting for justice, not just for me but for others who might face the same.

My message is clear: dont let it happen. We must come together to face injustice and ensure everyone feels strong enough to stand up for themselves. By sharing my story, I hope to help others find their voice and know theyre not alone. Healing may not be straight, but its possible. And together, we can build a better future.

My story isnt just about my growth; its a call for all of us to challenge whats wrong and push for a military culture that values respect and support for everyone.

Contents

The Weight of Absence. 1

The Lies We Inherit 1

The Long Road Out 2

What Remains. 2

A Thought to Carry with You: 2

A Yellow Rose in Thorns Clothing

. 2

The Weight of Absence

Lanas father was a ghost long before he died. A military man who traded parenting for war zones and tequila runs to Mexico.I was eight,she writes.The last time I saw my dad after the divorce, I was sitting on his lap in a chair in the living room of our run-down duplex. He had tears running down his face.Then he vanished for a decade, leaving behind only the sour smell of alcohol and unanswered questions.

Her mother tried to fill the silence with new husbands. First came Wayne, who yelled about crooked rugs and called Lana the source of all the static in the house. Then Warren, who stole something far more precious than her childhood: her trust.He pulled me up from the piano bench,Lana remembers.I want you to know what boys are going to try to do to you, he said as he slid one hand into my underwear and the other one up inside my pajama top.When she told her mother, the response was a knife twist:Im sure he had good intentions.

The Lies We Inherit

Children believe what theyre taught, even when the lessons are poisonous. Lana learned early that love came with conditions and that her value depended on how well she could make herself small.I never felt like I accomplished anything significant,she confesses.The important things were always a struggle.

This is how generational trauma works. It whispers in your ear long after the shouting stops. Lanas first husband, Howard, sounded eerily familiar when he said:Youre not pretty, and you dont have a good personality. Men will only be after you for one thing.Her second husband, David, kept the tradition alive with threats and control. The patterns repeated like a song she couldnt stop humming.

The Long Road Out

Breaking cycles isnt like in the movies. Theres no dramatic speech, no single moment of triumph. For Lana, it happened in fragments:

The day she realized her grandparents typewriter (the one she used to peck outThe Spies Who Loved Horses) gave her more comfort than her mothers arms

The nights she spent chain-smoking Benson & Hedges, exhaling the shame along with the smoke

The way Gloria GaynorsI Will Survivebecame less of a song and more of a promise

Healing, when it came, arrived quietly. It came in the form of a man named Ed, who didnt ask her to shrink. Who kissed her in a half-empty house and didnt flinch at her scars.That is the second half of my story,she writes. The part where the shadows finally start to fade.

What Remains

Heres the truth no one tells you about survival: the past never really leaves. You just learn to carry it differently. Lanas fathers alcoholism, her mothers betrayalsthey live in the way she still startles at raised voices, in the way she sometimes doubts her own worth.

But they dont get the final word.

Somewhere between the wreckage and the redemption, Lana discovered this: you can love your parents without excusing them. You can acknowledge the damage without letting it define you. And sometimes, if youre very lucky, you can find someone who helps you rewrite the ending.

A Thought to Carry with You

The next time you see a rose growing through concrete, remember... Even the most damaged soil can nurture something beautiful.

A Yellow Rose in Thorns Clothing

Im not famous. Im not a celebrity. Im a normal person like most of you. This book is a record of my memories and experiences from a young child until I was thirty-seven and met my third husband in between. I faced challenges, made some questionable choices, suffered the consequences, and persevered. Im still here to talk about it. I felt like it was important to share this story as Im sure many people can relate. I hope to provide encouragement, empathy, and support. None of us are perfect. Weve all made our mistakes. We may not be forgiven by the general public, but most importantly, we have to forgive ourselves. It is never too late to change the path that we are on, and it is never time to give up. I hope that you find inspiration from this book.