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Showing posts from September, 2014

The project begins

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 Keeping the heart beating within every community is the dedication of a core of volunteers and service workers. These are the people making sure resources within all of our communities stay as strong as possible, even if there is a vacuum of lack of funding making the work they do even more important for the health and security of our neighbors. These selfless people give of their time, their expertise, and their wisdom. The services they provide are endless and can include handing out food at food pantries, answering phones at shelters, making sure every child has a present during the holidays and warm coats to wear on those cold bitter days. This core of amazing souls are the strength of any given community. What many do not realize is they do this work with not only love in their heart but also because the road their life has taken has brought them there - to give back while paying forward and ensuring better tomorrows for all. At one time during the path they have walked they m

#WhenIBecameFree - The Heartland Project

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#WhenIBecameFree  - The Heartland Project. I am very excited about this as things are falling into place! If you don't know what my project is about see the following! Help fund a project where the end result will be a book and collection of videos sharing the inspirational stories of survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault from the rural Heartland. The goal of this project is to seek out everyday people who have done great things after experiencing a battle for survival in their own homes in rural communities. Sometimes those great things may be on a large scale and other times in ways often not noticed. Throughout the project, book and videos I will share my own stories of abuse and life after finding strength to leave - all of which has brought me to the path I am now on. I plan to dive into this project just as the cold winds of a looming winter begin. It is symbolic of the fear of the unknown many victims have as they begin their road to surviving.  T

#WhyIStayed , #WhyILeft , #WhenIBecameFree

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#WhyIStayed  I stayed because I was in love.  I stayed because I was brought up to be a caretaker.  I stayed because I didn't know my worth.  I stayed because I lived in fear.  I stayed because I had hated myself since the first time I was sexually abused at the tender age of 5.  I stayed because I grew up around alcoholism - I thought it was "normal."  I stayed because I was emotionally isolated.  I stayed because he told me he would kill me if I left.  I stayed because I had been a stay at home mom and he made the money - I had none.  I stayed because the religion I was brought up in told me divorce was bad - Til death do us part.  I stayed because I was a shell -  #WhyILeft I left because one night I found my children hiding under a table - my heart cried for them I left because I promised they would never know such fear again.  I left because a voice deep inside me urged me to - and for once I heard it. 

Signs - they are everywhere

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Stopping to smell the roses is more than just an old saying - it is a reminder to slow down and pay attention to the signs all around you. In a rushed society where everyone is trying to stay one step ahead, taking time to slow down and evaluate where you are is becoming a lost art. For the past 8 years I too have been speeding by the signs and not only was it once again starting to affect my health but some dreams and goals I've had since breaking free from abuse were being left behind in my hurried rush to what I thought was staying afloat. This past weekend I took a walk down memory lane. Chatted with old friends on Facebook about it, remembering some fun times in my youth. Next thing I knew I started searching out people I once knew. Old friends and even an old boyfriend. I don't believe I was ready for some of things I found out - damn my reporter's research skills! I did a search for an old boyfriend I had dated before dating the man I would be married to for

Chewed Up and Spat Back Out in the Heartland- A winter book/video project and goal

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Help fund a project where the end result will be a book and collection of videos sharing the inspirational stories of survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault from the rural Heartland.  The goal of this project is to seek out everyday people who have done great things after experiencing a battle for survival in their own homes in rural communities.  Throughout the project, book and videos I will share my own stories of abuse and life after findging strength to leave - all of which has brought me to the path I am now on.  I plan to dive into this project just as the cold winds of a looming winter begin. It is symbolic of the fear of the unknown many victims have as they begin their road to surviving.  The goal is to complete my project as a new spring brings color back to the landscape.  Awareness campaigns against abuse tend to focus on how to be safe and get out, however rarely do they tell the story of life after a victim has left and the path they take from there