Brave Woman :: Take a Stand #CBias #BraveWoman

Did you know that 1 out of every 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime? ONE in FOUR. That is an alarming number and I’m not surprised. There are way too many women living in fear every single day. I’m sitting here thinking of all the women I know, and wondering if any of them are hurting and I don’t even know it. Do you know someone who is? Someone who is fighting each day for the strength to leave? The strength to stand up and say, “I’m not going to take this anymore!” It takes a Brave Woman to make those kinds of bold decisions.

My mom is my Brave Woman. She is the strongest woman I know. She has been through hell and back in her lifetime. She almost died at the hands of my sisters’ dad. It took going to the hospital three or four times and over EIGHT years of abuse before she found the strength to leave. It took going against what was “socially acceptable” and telling her own mother that she didn’t care if getting a divorce went against the church…she was going to take my sisters and get out before he really did kill her.

My mom moved on and married my dad, where she found true love and realized that there are men out there that will treat you with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, that relationship didn’t last. She left, and like so many other victims of domestic violence, found herself in another abusive relationship. Why is it that so many women are drawn back to men that hurt them, whether it be physically, emotionally, mentally, or verbally? It’s a vicious cycle that must be broken.

My mom’s new boyfriend was a nice, funny, outgoing, and generous man, but when he got angry he turned into a different person. He was a monster. I was old enough at this point to understand what was going on, and I am still troubled to this day with the events that took place. I don’t know how many times holes were punched in the walls and items were broken. I still have dreams about all the yelling…the gun being pointed at his head threatening to kill himself or my mom.

It took 12 years for my mom to leave that time. TWELVE years for her to find the strength; the courage to overcome the fear of what might happen if she did. Still to this day she struggles with all the hurtful words said to her over 30 years ago – Your so ugly, no one will ever want you…You’ll never find anyone…No one will ever love you – all the pain that to this day leaves her with a damaged self-esteem, and a lingering fear of getting hurt again.

With all the bad, there is good that came out of it. My mom is a better, stronger person now. She doesn’t have to live in fear for her life. She made a choice to be a Brave Woman and because of that I am so proud.

Do you know a Brave Woman? Are you personally reaching out for help, or are you interested in helping someone who is? If so, please help the cause and visit www.bravewoman.org and take the Brave Woman Pledge. You can find Brave Woman on Twitter at @Brave_Woman and on Facebook. Come show your support by joining us for a Brave Woman Twitter Party on December 19th at 1 PM EST. Just look for the #BraveWoman hashtag to join in on the conversation!