Janet Lombardi's Mortgage & Marriage Modification personal essay appeared in Newsweek's "My Turn" column.

In the piece, the mediabistro student shares the hardships of her marriage with her husband, a heroin addict who was able to hide his addiction well and managed to clean out his IRA account in the process.

In this compelling piece, Janet recalls the pain and shame her husband felt when he told her he had lost it all. She writes, "His body slumped in relief. 'I'm tapped out,' he said. A look of shame crept over him. His pleading blue eyes looked tired and rimmed with dark circles."

Janet took Andrew Craft's Personal Essay Writing course with mediabistro.

--William Battaglia

RELATED: Essay Writing Courses at mediabistro.com