The kids and I were talking tonight about "the incident". (That's our term for the day our abuser was arrested for Domestic Battery.) Or more to the point, we were discussing the PTSD that we all suffer from after years of abuse and how it has revealed itself in the aftermath. Some of our tales are rather funny in the light of day, but we could do without the fear, the uncontrollable nightmares, and being easily startled awake. Tonight's discussion led to one child asking, "How long has it been?" I glanced at the calendar and noticed that tomorrow is 9/27/2019. That makes it 5 months since 4/27/2019. Another child said, "It seems like a distant memory." "Yeah," said the first child, "it feels like it's been years...and like one day when we're beyond this divorce, we're not even going to remember him. He already seems non-existent." The discussion continued. They all marveled at how the father they had known all their lives and who had put them so much misery, was quickly and uneventfully fading from their memories. There was no sadness in their voices. He made his choices and even though they would have liked to have had a good and loving father, they are not carrying the burden that belongs to him. They know that no one deserves what they have been through; that parents should love and protect their children and not set them up for failure to be dealt with cruelly and unjustly. They have learned what not to do. And while we have may issues that we will be dealing with for years to come, we continue to have immense peace in our home. This peace can only be explained by the presence of our good and loving Father YHWH. Because of Him, we have a Hope beyond "the incident". We know that without Him, we would be 5 absolutely destroyed individuals. We're damaged, for sure. But we have a Hope in a Savior who goes before us every day, who fights our battles, and who has made Himself more real to us in the past year than ever before. We are amazed as we look back and see all of the ways that YHWH was working to bring us into His peace through this horrible situation. I wish I had the words to properly convey everything I know and understand about this today. I pray that someday I will. All glory belongs to YHWH! He is our Hope, our Salvation, and our daily provision. He is more than enough for everything we face. And our lives would not be the same without Him. Thank you, Jesus for all that You have brought us through, for all that You have taught us, and for the lives that You will bless through our testimony of Your goodness. #DomesticAbuseIsNotOkay
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The purpose for this blog is to be a beacon of hope to others trapped in abusive relationships and to educate others to recognize abuse that may be going on in the lives of people you know. There is real help available to domestic abuse victims, but sometimes it is hard to find and hard to take that necessary step to freedom. But there is a way out. I want to share all that I have learned so far on this journey into my new life as well as everything that I will continue to learn along the way.
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Psalm 22:24 "For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him."
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