Diggin' Up Bones by Bonnie Wright

Diggin' Up Bones by Bonnie Wright

Finding hope out of shame's transgenerational grip

The younger of two siblings, Wright is raised on a central Wisconsin dairy farm. She lives isolated in a chaotic, dysfunctional environment pummeled with name-calling, belittling, and anger. She is sexually molested and made to carry out acts of violence against animals by her father who threatens her. Sworn to silence, this is her normal life; take it and shut up. Her only true friend is the family farm dog. Her mother provides a foundation of faith.

Wright's adult life is one broken relationship after another. Not understanding why relationships are so dysfunctional, she feels targeted. Love is abstract. Deep within her, she knows something is not right and struggles to identify what it is.

More than fifty years later, entering her life, is Saxon, a Golden Retriever who shows her a spiritual pathway out of her mental turmoil. Through his own rehabilitation from inter-dog aggression and the threat of being put down, Saxon and Wright form an unbreakable bond. Saxon teaches her about the matters of the heart. Because of God and Saxon, she discovers transgenerational shame is the foundation of the spiritual battle within. Saxon teaches her that if he can release his anger, she can overcome and heal from shame. It's a rough-and-tumble near-death struggle for both. There are roller coaster moments of deep sorrow, hilarity, compassion, introspection, and inspiration. The dogs in this story will grab your heart.