“Sometimes the most important thing we can do isn’t provide an answer. It’s ask a better question.” There are moments in our lives that seem ordinary at the time. A conversation. A meeting. A question. A few words spoken in passing. We rarely recognize them as turning points until years later. For me, that moment…
As someone with an ACE score of 9, I have experienced nearly every form of abuse a person can endure. Physical abuse. Sexual abuse. Domestic violence. Psychological abuse. Verbal abuse. Emotional abuse. In 2006, I survived a near-fatal strangulation during a domestic violence assault. That night changed the course of my life in ways I…
I look at this picture now and I see a woman who was smiling. What I don’t see is the exhaustion she was carrying. What I don’t see is the fear, the confusion, the grief, and the years of survival mode hidden behind that smile. This picture was taken around the time I moved to…