The scent of jasmine on a summers night is as intoxicating as your lovely story'Thank you so much for the pleasure you have given me.
May the good Lord love you and protect you.ALISON

Summer breeze makes me feel fine.

Blowing through the Jasmine in my mind.

You are now the Jasmine in my mind.  I can only imagine what a truly wonderful person could have crafted such a delightful story.

This story of soul mates is classical.  Apart they are very unattractive.  

Janice is the definitive victim, wallowing in self-pity and self-loathing.  Unless something happens to change her life she will most assuredly find another person to abuse her.  Terry is cruising toward suicide.  He is the stereotypical closet TV.

Together, through trust and love, they each grow to the point of personal fulfillment and self-actualization.

At one point in the story, you momentarily lost me.  When Janice first had Terri say her mantra, I had an image of Al Franken as Stuart Smalley.  Then I remembered a personal incident.  Two decades ago I had agoraphobia.  My anxiety attacks were so crippling I could not leave my appartment, even to work.  I luckily stumbled on a mantra devised by Dr. Claire Weekes.  By repeating that mantra as needed, I was able to reverse the negative spiral.  Within days I was back to work.  Within months I was to the point of having only minimal problems with anxiety.  A few years later I was a top natinal saleperson and public speaker.  Mantras are very powerful.

I loved the family's reaction and the way you described it.

I loved this story.  At the end, I had tears in my eyes.

Much love to you.  I hope you will write and write and write.

Jill