The year was 2007. The red brick wall that my car faced in the parking lot is still visible in my mind’s eye. I stared at it for at least 10 minutes lost in thought as if my mind needed to backup before the car did. Less than an hour earlier I had been the […]
Why I Say, NO MORE
In 1980 I was 17, the very age my middle child will turn on March 15. Seconds ago I watched as he disappeared through the front door, off to meet friends for breakfast due to a late start at his school this morning, his heart and mind filled with dreams for a future yet to be […]
Never Give Up
Never underestimate the many ways you can help support an individual that is stuck in an abusive relationship. Don’t give up on them. Sometimes, the only thing a person needs is a family member or friend with patience and the tools to help them get the help they need. The average woman may leave her […]
Where do we go from here: a look at The Grammy’s and the music collaboration between Rihanna and Chris Brown
Many people are focused on the collaboration between Chris Brown and Rihanna—but for a moment I would like to step back in time and redirect our attention to the underlying message which was sent when the decision was made to spotlight Chris Brown at The Grammy’s. Ken Ehrlich—the Executive producer of The Grammy’s said the […]
Stake a claim on your life
“The day I saw myself as a victor of my own life I ended my victimhood, there is life after domestic violence…claim it and make it your own.” -Elin Stebbins Waldal Staking a claim on my own life, for me, took some doing. What so many people don’t know is leaving an abusive relationship is […]
We should be outraged
8 killed in Southern California salon shooting I learned of this tragedy from my friend Marissa. Marissa works countless hours providing education to individuals about domestic violence. She contacted me while I was driving north to Orange County-her devastation rang through the phone receiver. Her words remain solidly in my mind, “We need to create legislation that makes […]
When this was my life ‘movie’, I had no voice.
After previewing this video I am drawn backward, apart from the fact that I was never an actress… this film rolling before my eyes could be me, could be anyone who has been trapped in the paradigm called abuse. I am painfully reminded that I have a daughter now and little else but preventing that […]
