Click here to read my story.
For a little of the history as to how we arrived at this day, I'll have to turn back the calendar to January 6, 2009. That's when I received an email from Maggie who was starting a new blog. She wrote: "I contacted you because I'm looking for bloggers willing to tell their personal stories of domestic violence. My surface hope is to give domestic violence survivors a voice, and provide them an audience willing to listen. My deeper goal is to eventually eradicate domestic violence by pulling back the curtain over and over and over and over again until the rest of the world finally sees that this is an enormous, collective problem. That it's everywhere around us."
Apparently my post had come to her attention and she was asking me to contribute to her new venture. I was honored and my first inclination was to write something new. Months passed and nothing new materialized on the subject, even though I'd set my 'writer brain' to the task. Finally in July I wrote Maggie, "From time to time I revisit the subject of writing something for Violence Unsilenced but then I realize that I already have - my blog post from 9/27/07 titled "My Survivor Story." It's not new but after much consideration, I've come to the conclusion that I have nothing different or new to add. It stands for itself. I would be honored if you would consider reprinting it in its entirety on Violence Unsilenced when the opportunity arises."
Maggie was kind enough to place my submission on the waiting list - yes, there's a waiting list of stories of domestic violence waiting to be told!!!).
Today it is my turn to share with a wider audience my personal story of triumphant survival over the disease of violence that afflicted me all those years ago.My most sincere wish is that my voice, in chorus with all the other unsilenced voices, sing the end to this despicable secret.
But those stories offer so much hope to people who need hope more than anything. So thank you. thank you for the greatest gift you could have given those who still suffer.