Abuse Hides in the Dark. Turn on Your Light.

Recovery from Domestic Abuse


  • Leaving But Not Yet Free

    Leaving But Not Yet Free

    He and I have children together. I am connected to him for the rest of my life, through them. Although our vows to love, honor and cherish fell by the wayside, “for better or worse, ’til death do we part” holds strong. Some promises can’t be taken back. I wish I could say I was all right with

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  • My Real World is Different From What He Described

    My Real World is Different From What He Described

    When I left my husband, I had no idea of the purity of life that would engulf me in these following months. I met people who said what they meant. I met people who could be upset without letting their tempers spill over into conversation with me, toward me. I met people who don’t have…

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  • Leaving Hip-Hop Sounds A Lot Like Leaving Abuse

    Leaving Hip-Hop Sounds A Lot Like Leaving Abuse

    Yes, this is Eminem’s song “25 to Life” and Marc tells me it’s about Eminem leaving Hip-Hop, which it very well may be. But it’s about something else, too. In case you don’t like Eminem, I copied the lyrics below the song so you don’t have to listen to it. I don’t think she understands

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  • I Lived a Fairy Tale During Domestic Abuse

    I Lived a Fairy Tale During Domestic Abuse

    Once upon a time, I lived in a world of disapproval and fear. I listened to a man who demanded I make him happy, then grew angrier when I could not. I thought something was wrong with me, so I sought to change who I was to become more pleasing to that man. But as I changed

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  • In Isolation

    In Isolation

    During my marriage, I lived in isolation. I knew people outside of my home and sometimes shared specific experiences concerning my ex-husband with them. But somehow, I managed to keep most of the pain and embarrassment concerning my family’s truths buried deep inside. So deeply were they buried that I was able to keep them

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  • Detaching from My Abuser: Hold and Release

    Detaching from My Abuser: Hold and Release

    There must be something in the air. My mood is so serious, like a rain-filled cloud threatening to rain on my parade. Although I feel in my gut that I’m moving in the right direction, I’m getting stronger, finding out who I am and what I like (and don’t), … there’s something heavily sad about

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  • Becoming Myself After the Abuse: I’m Not That Person . . . Yet

    Becoming Myself After the Abuse: I’m Not That Person . . . Yet

    The past month whirled around me, through me, like a red wine hurricane. I feel alive and strong, but spinning uncontrollably in my heart are questions and wishes that I’m not ready to answer or fulfill. I feel like I’m in danger of losing my vision because time isn’t pacing itself with my desires –

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  • Searching for Who I Am

    Searching for Who I Am

    One time an old friend said he pictured me as Peggy Hill and I about had a heart attack. Right there. On the spot. You can’t forget being compared to Peggy Hill. It ain’t funny, y’all. I felt like sending him a picture, but seeing that I was 200 pounds, I refrained thinking he would

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  • Life’s Luxuries are New to Me

    Life’s Luxuries are New to Me

    For the first time in a very long time, I’m dealing with a variety of emotions, bad and good (if I have to judge an emotion as bad or good…). In the last year(s?) of my marriage, I dealt with anger, betrayal, fear, bitterness, probably even hate. But now there is a world of emotion

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  • Some Guy Off the Street

    Some Guy Off the Street

    As you may have gathered from my last post, I am entertaining the thought of having some wonderful sex in the future. While that is true, I can’t seem to think about sex without also thinking about a “RELATIONSHIP”. Well, that isn’t entirely true. I very well can imagine the sex without a relationship, but

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