Domestic Silence: My Story from Survival to Self-Love

She looked at me shocked, mouth wide open, and eyes wet from the tears that had just fallen from the telling of my story. "What do you mean you would not change anything? The things that happened are so horrible!" My reply, just like all the other times I have been asked this question, is always the same. "No, I would not change any of it. I love who I am today. I would not be me if I had not endured everything throughout the years."

This life has not been an easy one. I honestly don't think life is supposed to be easy, as we are all here trying to learn new things once forgotten from our past lives. I have met many people in my life, and the one thing most of us have in common is the struggle. The struggle to have and be what we are told to be. The struggle from paycheck to paycheck, the struggle in relationships, the struggle in careers, and the struggle to love ourselves. We all struggle with something. My hope is to give each of you some insight on how I have survived my struggle. How to keep moving forward during the struggle, and how to be happy despite it all. I am not perfect by any means, but I have heard this conversation too many times. The intention is to help those in need. It's not meant to hurt or make anyone feel sorry for me. I am one of the strongest people I know, and I don't need pity. I need to help those who have felt trapped or wanted it to all be over and have had nowhere to turn. I want to give hope to those that feel there is none left.

Finding the courage to move forward is hard, but I have found it in every event that has happened because I am still here, still spreading love and knowledge the best I know how

As I look back on the things I have endured in my life, I know I have been blessed even through the heartache and pain. Even through the desperate times where I thought life was never going to get better. I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams and also tested to the same degree.