All of the women I met along the way.
The women who knew I was being abused.
I met some of them in domestic violence support groups. I remember one woman came in to the night group with half of her face completely bruised. Her face had been slammed between one of those little sliding doors that separates a kitchen from a family room. I bonded with her instantly. We started weekly potlucks at her house with a handful of other participants. She had two little girls. I treated her and the other ladies to lunch in the dining hall at my work place.
But as my abuse worsened, and she remained free, she began to distance herself from me. She told me to stop calling her in crisis. She called the Sheriff's Office to have them do a "welfare check" on me instead. She soon forgot about me.
I then tried to form friendships with the women from his A.A. fellowship. I was not a member but accompanied him to all of his weeknight and weekend meetings. I remember they let me in the women's only group as a "friend of A.A." and also since alcoholism had been rampant in my family in previous generations. I met Charlotte there. She came in as a newcomer during a huge crisis. If you took the "alcohol" reason away from her situation and substituted "domestic violence" instead, we would have had so much in common. I instantly liked her and wanted to be her friend.
She was the first person I called at dawn on August 22, 2003 ~ a mere two hours after my head had been bashed into the wall three times, and he had been hauled off to jail. And all I remember was how angry she was at me for waking her up.
She later publicly ridiculed me for going back to him.
I was so alone those four long years ~ alone with my secrets ~ and alone all over again each time I revealed them to another woman.
But this time, it's different. I have been free for 7 1/2 years. And I finally have found The Sisterhood I had always wanted and needed during my years of abuse.
I have found other victims and survivors around the world simply by sharing my story. My story of hope. My story of survival.
I have helped other woman know they are not alone ~ women who are fresh out of an abusive relationship, women who are thinking about leaving, or women who have been free for years.
We found each other on the internet ~ where stories can be shared ~ where voices can be heard ~ where survivors can support the victims and help them gain strength ~ so that they, too, can one day leave.
And soon we will meet. My dream is coming true. We will unite this summer ~ sharing our truth together ~ encouraging others to begin their freedom journey ~ to begin to heal ~ to begin to thrive.
The Sisterhood ~ all now Advocates for the Abused!
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