Blog

Hello Loves, A lot of people didn’t believe me. Even well-intentioned friends. That was one of the hardest realities of leaving my X, and discussing the sad fact of the abuse he inflicted on our family. The first person who didn’t believe me was my father. His words went from – relationships are tough and… Continue reading Belief

Hello Loves, How can you trust anyone ever again? This has been a question asked of me for years. Especially by women. It seems like I don’t know a single woman who has not experienced some form of intimate or nonintimate violence. To her body, her mind, her spirit. Rape, stalking, molestation, sex-trafficking, forced marriages,… Continue reading Trust

Hello Loves, I have this idea. What if we could change the paradigm, that when women and children experience violence, they escape to a shelter? Women have been protecting and sheltering women and children from abuse in their own homes, for time immemorial. The first domestic abuse shelters in Canada were created in 1965 by… Continue reading Help

Hello Loves, Talking about abuse is hard. While it was happening to me, I had no words for it. I didn’t grow up with abuse. I hadn’t seen anyone being abused. I didn’t even have the word abuse in my vocabulary. How do you pin down something so unfamiliar? That you have had no experience… Continue reading Understanding

Hello Loves, You must forgive to heal. Oh, how I disliked this declaration. It almost felt like an insult. I abhorred my X with every cell of my being. When I thought of him, my eyes narrowed and my mouth turned down in disgust. I wished terrible things upon him. Terrible things! Unless he was… Continue reading Forgiveness

Hello Loves, I still live with regret. It doesn’t come around often, but when it does, wow does it ever call up sorrow and grief. Then comes the great purging. I get out my journal and write it down. It doesn’t matter if it’s legible. I’m never going to read it again. I’m here for… Continue reading Regret

Hello Loves, The harassment and threats did not stop when I left my X. They only intensified. My daughter and I stayed with friends while I sorted out my next steps. My X cut off all food and money, and went so far as to even cut off his own child’s diaper service. He thought… Continue reading Harrasment and Threats

Hello Loves, My X was mean to his animals. He had two horses that mostly hung out and grazed in the pasture. He gave them the minimum amount of attention to not be considered neglectful. He moved their tether around so they had field grass to eat and water to drink. But they were always… Continue reading Animal Cruelty

Hello Loves, My X physically abused me and my child. This is a really hard part of my life to contend with, aside from the fact that it happened, and this is why – my mind rationalizes that we don’t qualify for being physically abused. That it wasn’t quite physical enough. There were no visible… Continue reading Physical Abuse

Hello Loves, My X was the master of everything. He sold himself as a master gardener, even though he had no formal training, no degree or certificates, and could barely make ends meet with his business or within his own farm. That didn’t matter though, because he could just as easily change that title to… Continue reading Gaslighting

Hello Loves, In the beginning my X told me I was beautiful. He was a charmer. He liked to show me off to his male friends to make them jealous. Like I was his prize. He was twice my age and I was his young thing. He toted me around as his trophy girlfriend. After… Continue reading Body Shaming

Hello Loves, My X’s power and control over me was subtle, until it wasn’t. At first he appointed my friends – women he had dated or were in his community. It felt loving and thoughtful. He didn’t want me to be alone in my new home. But after the birth of my daughter, I branched… Continue reading Progression