“Courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow”
Mary Ann Radmacher
Across the country, the month of April is recognized as the beginning of spring. We start looking forward to new growth, spring flowers, fragrances of the forest that come alive when warmth and moisture work their miracles. Wonders of recovery after harsh winter conditions bring to mind personal growth that occurs after the bottom has fallen out of our lives. The human spirit can be as resilient as dormant seeds that await the proper conditions for growth.
The month of April is also recognized as Sexual Violence Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month (October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month).
One of the tragedies about any form of sexual violence, child abuse or domestic violence towards a woman, child or man is that most who have been affected are walking silently with wounds not seen or known by others.
If you are reading this and identifying as someone who has kept an experience of abuse to yourself, please know that you don’t need to carry your secret any longer.
Naming the truth of your experience is a powerful step that leads toward healing. The courage to name is really about treasuring yourself. Caring enough to know that your life is worth living free from shame, a shame that is not yours to carry, but rather belongs on the shoulders of the person who did the harm.
On some level, self-doubt, grief, loneliness, and other painful reactions live within you day in and day out.
Chemical use may be your choice for numbing the pain. Creating distance in your relationships may be lonely but safe for you. Or possibly if your were victimized in childhood, you may not know that what happened to you is wrong— it may have felt wrong, but seemed “normal.”
We all know that when we are traumatized in any way we need to tell someone. Anyone affected by sexual violence, child abuse or domestic violence has been traumatized, needs to tell and be believed, and deserves to live a life filled with hope, not despair. We all know someone who is a survivor, even if they haven’t told us. It is important to take the impact of violence very seriously and care enough to tell the truth, reach out and work to end this cycle of violence perpetuated by secrets.
Why did this piece begin with a quote? Because many of the most courageous individuals you will know in your life are survivors of either sexual violence, child abuse or domestic violence.
“I will try again tomorrow.”
This month’s contributor is the Violence Prevention Center. If you need to talk to someone confidentially, call 218-387- 1262.
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