“I have come to the point in my domestic violence story where I no longer give much thought to how awful those years were, how hard it was just to get by day to day, how scared I was, or how exhausted I was all the time never knowing what was going to happen next. I could list example after example from my different abusive relationships, but the details aren’t particularly unique.
Any physical bruise I picked up along the way has long since healed. It’s the effects of the emotional and verbal abuse that lingered. It took longer than I expected for the phrases “I’ll leave you in a puddle of blood,” and “Don’t open your mouth or I’ll burn you,” to stop dominating my brain space.
Friends, counselors, even acquaintances who were willing to listen all played a role in my ability to move forward from being a domestic violence victim to a domestic violence survivor to now not really identifying with that part of my story much at all. It’s so very important for people to feel heard.
Fast forward to now and I can honestly say that life is good. There were times I didn’t believe I’d ever get here, but here I am enjoying life with my kids and grandkids and friends. Life is peaceful and fun.
If your story contains domestic violence just know that step by step, day by day you can get to a place where you are at peace. You are so worth it. Keep moving forward. “
Thank you, Tari, for sharing your story. You give hope to others who may be at the beginning of their healing journey.