Somebody,

I know you are in pain, and I know that pain. I respect where you are. But I want to declare you a survivor anyway, not to detract from your pain or your expression of it -- but to let you know that we are here to stand up for the part of you who has survived this long. The part of you who has come here simply to express your pain, because that, all by itself, is a sign of surviving. You are declaring that even in your moments of greatest suffering, you will not be alone.

Abusers don't want that. They wanted us to be alone, so they could control us.

It reminds me of a line from a poem a friend gave to me once. She said to me, "Undefeated, my dear friend, rejoice in your tears."

be well,

mtd