Ariel's Light

By Heidi Davis

Heidi Davis had a loving husband and five beautiful children, but also she loved to drink. She justified her alcohol dependency until it was too late, and she woke up to find herself lost and full of despair and loneliness. Then a light shone in the darkness. It was her teenage daughter Ariel, who pulled her back from the ledge and inspired Heidi to be the mother she had always wanted to be. But just seven months into her sobriety, tragedy struck and the unthinkable happened.

Ariel's Light is the true story of Heidi's road to redemption amidst a mother's unimaginable heartbreak. This is not just another story about alcoholism, not just a testimonial, but an inspirational testament to the fact that truly anything is possible when you are willing to listen to the quiet yet powerful voice from within.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Yorkshire Publishing
• Release date: Jun 27, 2024
• ISBN: 9781960810823

Heidi Davis

Heidi Davis is a grateful wife and mother of five children. She lives in a small town on the western slope of Colorado. Heidi is a certified nursing assistant. Writing from her own personal experience, she hopes to pass on a message of hope and inspiration during times of grief and sorrow.

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Endorsements

Ariel’s Light is a glimpse of the inspiring, unwavering heart of a young girl written by a mother’s hand. In the face of adversity, trails, and tribulations, the light in Ariel allowed her to overcome it, and her radiance is illuminated through the pages of this book. There is a message of hope even in the midst of the tragedies and afflictions of this earth. Ariel’s courage lives on and gives light to those who sit in darkness (Luke 1:79).

—Rachel Mains,

Reel Creative Productions, Fox News

Ariel’s Light is an honest and touching look at a young teenage girl’s life and tragic death. Tragic only for those who do not see the miraculous events surrounding Ariel’s step into heaven. I was profoundly moved to tears while reading this gripping story. I highly recommend Ariel’s Light to everyone who has lost a child, loved one, or is facing uncertain circumstances. You will sense the peace of God in a raw and organic way while being transformed by her sincere faith to the very end. Don’t miss out on a chance to experience the radiance of Ariel’s Light.

—Pastor Rick Long,

Grace Church of Arvada, author

Ariel’s Light is a heartfelt tale of a woman who overcomes tragedy and family difficulty in order to find meaning in the death of her daughter Ariel. Hope is the power that takes the author from the worst experiences of addiction and grief into acceptance and a brighter future. The book presents compelling evidence of the ways that Ariel continues to influence events in the lives of her family, even after her death. A sincere and spiritual memoir.

—Dr. Gloria Eastman,

Metropolitan State College of Denver

Ariel’s Light

Ariel’s Light

An Inspiring True Story of Recovery, Healing, Hope, and Miracles

Heidi Davis

Ariel’s Light

Copyright © 2012 by Heidi Davis. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of Yorkshire Publishing

Published by Yorkshire Publishing,

4613 E 91st St | Tulsa, OK 74137 USA

1.888.361.9473 | www.yorkshirepublishing.com

Yorkshire Publishing is committed to excellence in the publishing industry. The company reflects the philosophy established by the founders, based on Psalm 68:11,

The Lord gave the word and great was the company of those who published it.

Book design copyright © 2019 by Yorkshire Publishing.

All rights reserved. Cover design by Rtor Maghuyop

Interior design by Jomel Pepito

Published in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-960810-82-3 (ebook)

1. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs

2. Bio026000

12.07.12

Dedication

To Rosa and Ariel, Helen and Kelley

Acknowledgments

Thank you to…

My dad and mom, for always having faith in me and showing me a life with unconditional love. My children—Allyson, Ariel, Bradon, Skylee, Cory—I am honored to be your mom. Thank you for showing me that love conquers all. All of my family and friends for their support, their love, and never-ending prayers. Willyn Webb, for your encouragement and patience. My family in AA, thank you for showing me life through a new pair of glasses and giving my children and husband their mom and wife back. Pastor Earl Douglas, for your spiritual guidance and standing by our sides. Linda, thank you for helping me find this new life one step at a time. I am grateful for you. Haylee, thank you for holding Ariel’s hand. Kevin, my husband, my best friend. Thank you for walking this journey with me. I love you. My little Ariel, thank you for staying right by my side, thank you for being exactly who you are and showing me faith through the eyes of a child. You inspire me every day, my angel.

God, thank you for what you have given me, thank you for what you have taken from me, and thank you for what you have left me.

Good Times

Iwas four years old when I first tasted alcohol, and I remember I liked how it made me feel. It was at a family Christmas party. I walked around and took the drinks off the tables. I did that until my mom noticed I was stumbling and falling down. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me until I threw up, and she smelled the stench of alcohol all over my little dress. She spent the rest of that night holding my head over a toilet.

I wish I could say I learned my lesson and that I would never want to touch alcohol again, but that would be far from the truth. I was raised around alcohol. At family gatherings, my grandpa would give me little sips of his whiskey. He would laugh because of the funny face I made, and I would make a funny face because the taste was awful, but I kept doing it because it made my grandpa laugh. Whiskey was an acceptable teething medication for babies. I came from a very large family and spent a lot of time with my cousins; alcohol was just part of the scenery. My cousins and I were more like brothers and sisters. We did everything together. I grew up in North Denver, Colorado, with my parents and brother, Cory. We were close to our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and our families were always together for the holidays and many weekends throughout the year.

When I was ten years old, my parents bought a local bar and grill and named it Cheri’s Pub. It started to take up a great deal of their time, so I got to spend a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. That was okay with me, I loved being there. To me, their home was the best place on earth. We lived close to my grandparents, and if I wasn’t at home, my mom could find me there. It was a gigantic white house with black trim. An old home, built in 1870. It was my second home; I even had my own room.

As long as I can remember, my grandpa had heath problems. He had heart disease and half a lung removed as a result of lung cancer. He was on oxygen twenty-four hours a day, but he always seemed to hang in there. I never saw the sick part of him. All I saw was a handsome, strong man; he was our all-powerful grandpa.

My grandma was always in good health. She was such a beautiful woman. She had the sweetest round face and short, salt-and-pepper hair. Her smile lit up the room. She was my friend. This saint of a woman endured hours of me learning how to play the piano on a out-of-tune piano. They had nineteen grandkids in all. I don’t think ever in my grandma’s life, did she have a moment of silence.

I remember one night when I was thirteen years old. I stayed the night at my grandma and grandpa’s house. We were doing our normal nightly routine. We ate dinner, and then we cleaned the kitchen. Grandma would always write in her diary after the day was done, and then she would get Grandpa’s pills ready for the next day. He had so many pills. This particular night was different. Grandma told me to come and learn how to do Grandpa’s pills, just in case anything ever happened to her. I remember thinking that it was really strange, because she was perfectly healthy and I believed nothing would ever happen to her. How could it? She was super woman.

Just a short time after that, on April 12, 1991, my grandma was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Within nine months, she went through seven surgeries and several life-saving attempts, but God needed her and called her home on January 12, 1992. She was such an incredible woman. Our family was never really the same after she died—especially Grandpa. His precious Donna was his world. She was his one and only true love, and he didn’t feel the need to hang on any longer.

Eleven months after we laid our sweet Grandma to rest, Grandpa finally agreed to go with God. He passed away December 20, 1992. It was a Sunday night around nine o’clock. I was fifteen years old, and losing my grandparents was the hardest thing I had ever gone through. I was with both of them when they passed away.

The same time Grandpa died was when I became pregnant with my first child. My boyfriend, Brian, and I had been together for a little over a year. We lived five blocks from each other, and we had been friends since we were little kids. Brian had a crush on me and begged me to be his girlfriend. I always turned him down. I don’t want to ruin our friendship, I would tell him. But his persistence finally paid off. I gave in, and we became boyfriend and girlfriend.

When Brian was sixteen and I was fifteen, we thought we were old enough to have a baby. I was almost sixteen, and I really thought I was old enough to make my own decisions. We were positive that we would be together forever. Brian and I decided we were going to start our family sooner rather than later. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I went and told my mom.

She took me to the doctor, and although she was disappointed that her sixteen-year-old daughter was pregnant, she reassured me that she was always going to be there for me. I was grateful. My mom told my dad because I was too chicken. I hid downstairs with Cory while my mom broke the news. It took my dad a little bit longer to accept it, but he eventually did.

Over the next several months, I learned that this was going to be so much harder than I could have ever imagined. As my belly grew, our fantasy world faded away. Everything began to change. Brian’s mom died suddenly when I was four months pregnant from congestive heart failure. We were devastated; Brian took it really hard. About a month or so after that, he asked me if we could name the baby Bonnie Rae after his mom. I reluctantly agreed.

I loved his mom dearly, but I wanted to name my baby Ariel Donna if I had a girl. Six months into my pregnancy, Brian started to change his mind every other day about wanting a baby. I was devastated; my dreams of living happily ever after were shattered. We fought all the time, and just when I would get the courage to leave him, he would tell me that he was sorry and wanted me to stay. He would convince me he wanted more than ever to have this baby together. I would always go back. No matter how much we fought, I never changed my mind about being a mommy. I was scared, but I was so excited.

I gave birth to a healthy baby girl on September 29, 1993. Becoming a mother was so miraculous. The love I felt for this beautiful child was like no other love I have ever felt before. When they placed this perfect porcelain doll in my arms, I wanted to shield and protect her from anything and everything that could ever harm her. I never wanted to let her go. She was absolutely perfect. We called her Bonnie Rae, but it never seemed right. I struggled back and forth for the first six days of her life; a piece of my heart kept telling me to name her Ariel. As much as I loved and cared for Brian’s mom, I was sure she would understand.

On her seventh day of life on earth, I changed her name to Ariel Donna. I fell in love with her the second God sent her to me. She was my special gift to love, to lead, protect, and guide.

After I had Ariel, being a carefree teenager was no longer an option. I became we instead of I. This tiny little