The phone call

I woke up this morning to a missed phone call.  I can’t name names or anything of that sort but the phone call was about domestic violence and loved ones having to run for their very lives. Can you imagine the horror that a child faces when they are living in that situation? I can, I grew up in that situation. The constant fear of being beat if you mess up one little thing or touch one thing that you are not suppose too. Or you say one thing that is wrong, that the abuser doesn’t like. Or if they are in just a bad mood that day. I wasn’t even suppose to have a favorite color or like anything that even resembled anything pretty. I didn’t have my arms broken but came very close though, they have been twisted. I suppose what hurt the most was not the physical pain, even though that did hurt, it was the emotional pain. Emotional pain just doesn’t stop hurting. Emotional pain leaves scars so deep that are not visible to outsiders. Domestic violence is deadly. I have heard so many people say that this person will change. They really didn’t mean to hurt me or say those mean things. Come on people, men and women, that person will not change on their own, only God will change that person, you can’t. Get out of that situation, you are not meant to be someone else’s garbage bag. When I was a kid, I use to imagine someone coming in a big car to save us. I would just imagine what it would be like not to have to wake up to blood shed everyday. Living at home was like living in a war zone. I remember standing at the end of a gun when I was only 7 or 8 years old to keep people from killing one another, the thought never crossed my mind that I was the one that could have been shot. They are people out there who love you and care about you. There is help. You may feel like there is not anyone that can save you but there really is. Get out. Your children need you too. The emotional scars last a life time. Call 911 if you have to. There are resources to help get on your feet. Your children need you, your family needs you.

For anonymous, confidential help, 24/7, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or  1-800-787-3224 (TTY).