Category: Relationships
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Farmview Drive
Growing up, I only recall two houses that we lived in. The first was attached to the back of a grocery store and it wasn’t very big. I don’t have many memories of that house but I do remember being scared every time the cops would knock on our door and notify us that the […]
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BU: The Necklace
When I look at my life as a whole, I like to highlight moments in time that remind me that my life has truly been Beautifully Unbroken (BU); this is one of those stories. Last July, my daughter, who is a missionary at an orphanage, returned home for what should have been two months. For […]
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Pressure Perfect
Perfectionist. All one needs to do is read that word and there are immediate thoughts that begin to formulate. Thoughts of how we, ourselves strive for perfectionism; or the face of someone we know pops into our heads because they represent to us what a perfectionist is. I have lived the better part of my […]
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Fear-Based Courage
Fear is an internal battle that we can fight for our whole lives. We may not even be aware of its presence or influence and so it quietly dictates our decisions. But when we choose to look in the eye of fear and face off with it, we can overcome so much more than we […]
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EVIA: The Ultimate Price
Disclaimer: This is a serious story of domestic violence and does not end well. To prevent the identity of “Evia” or her family being exposed, many of the details and the characters in this story have been changed. None of the names are real and the circumstances have been adjusted to maintain discretion. At its […]
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BU: Airplane Redemption
The Beautifully Unbroken (BU) series I am weaving into my blog because, amidst our struggles, I believe it is important to remember the good things that have happened in life. Along my journey, I have not had many mentors and, in fact, have only had two of them. The first one I met back when […]
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Chameleon
In, To Be or Not To Be, I wrote about the confidence I walk with now. Yet, it was a constant battle to sincerely believe in myself; at times it felt like it was an endless and wearisome dirt road. Along the journey, self-doubt was my constant companion and self-worth relentlessly eluded me. My only […]
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Caution: Inevitable Explosion Ahead
I think we all know people who could easily be described as peacemakers. Usually, they are the quiet ones in the conversation who mostly listen, but they don’t say much. They aren’t necessarily limited to being a certain type of personality, as it is more of a characteristic that they project. We often view these […]
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Dance Through the Fire
God does not give us more than we can handle because it is not Him giving us our troubles.
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Silent Prison
One of the most misunderstood and overlooked forms of abuse is emotional abuse. It is easily covered up, easily overlooked, and easily dismissed. Psychology Today defines emotional abuse as: “A pattern of behavior in which the perpetrator insults, humiliates, and generally instills fear in an individual in order to control them. The individual’s reality may become […]
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Rage Storms
There are many symptoms that contribute to the diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). One of those symptoms is defined on the Mayo Clinic1 website as follows: React with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make themselves appear superior. This is the symptom that has profoundly affected my life as […]
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To Be or Not to Be
Narcissism is complicated. Sort of. Up to this point, I have avoided using the term narcissist because it needs to be better clarified. We live in a society that promotes self-centeredness, which gives way to narcissistic behaviors and thought patterns. However, just because you don’t like the way someone treats you or doesn’t act the […]
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Ebony: Part 4
It is one thing to devise an escape plan; it is another to walk it out. The reality is that, as a helper and support person, it requires a lot of time, effort, and constant attention. Although Dick had been evicted from Ebony’s home, he managed to keep controlling her and, unbeknownst to anyone, was […]
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Chasing the Winds of Approval
When I look back on my experiences in life I can list so many things that I had to overcome. One of the most difficult, however, was learning how to accept myself even when there was a lack of approval from those around me. It was programmed into my head that I was not smart […]
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Never Cry Again
Domestic violence takes many forms and, although the abuse usually begins with one person, it can quickly become a learned behavior. When you grow up in an abusive environment, children pick up on the behavior and begin to mirror the actions of their abuser in one form or another. You can never tell which way […]
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Put the Gavel Down
Sharing my story has been an emotional journey as it is not easy to tap back into those memories and relive them. However, it has been a healthy exercise to look back and see how far I have advanced in my life. I have taken my experiences and have done my best to allow them […]
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Eryn
Disclaimer: Every story I share is a real person with a real story. However, I have changed their names, their family dynamics and a few details, in order to protect their identities. When it comes to working with victims of domestic violence (DV) I never planned on doing so. In fact, it took years to […]
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Nini
Growing up in a violent home shakes your entire being and it is hard to explain it to someone who has not experienced it. I have lost most of my childhood memories but, through the years, many suppressed memories have made it back into my brain. Most of them are not good, however, they serve […]
Beautifully Unbroken 