Serendipitous Girl

*Contains Graphic Details of Abuse* For the people who have spent a lifetime being told you are too much, yet you still aren't enough, I personally understand the struggle to believe you are indeed enough. Our childhoods shape and mold us into the person we become. Some upbringings are destined to lead us to success, while others are destined to lead us to pain and failure. I know, we all have free will. As grown adults, we cannot blame our failures on our parents or their lack of parenting. However, children learn what they live. When you are raised to feel small, so someone else can feel bigger, and when you are raised to believe you are worthless, somewhere along the way, you are going to believe you are small and worthless. And believe me, shaking off that shroud is no easy feat, but when a victim finds her voice and uses it, she ceases playing the role of victim. In those moments, she can feel her spine lengthen and grow rigid, standing tall—maybe for the first time as she bec...

  1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men are assaulted in their lifetime. Each year, over 3.6 million children are victims of child abuse. In the span of one minute, nearly 20 individuals are assaulted during a domestic violence attack. I lost track of how many times I was one of those individuals. Frankly, I never kept count–the black eyes, broken noses, taped-up broken glasses, bruises, concussions, and welts seamlessly blended through the fabric of time. From the age of five until the age of twenty-five, this was my life. When I should have been in gymnastics class, I was forced to hide or lie by stating, "I was hit in the face with a softball."  Yes, there were moments, and even months, when my body was not used as a punching bag, but that is when verbal and emotional abuse took over. I mastered the art of walking on eggshells. It took years for me to comprehend that my abuse was not my fault. The day I realized I didn't deserve to live a life riddled with the physical and emoti...

This morning, while tears streamed down my cheeks, I sat in my living room in awe. Though it was a bittersweet moment, it was a moment filled with sweet justice. Today a lion roared, excuse me, lioness, and she roared loudly. I watched the sentencing of Larry Nassar; no Dr. in front of his name any longer, as he has been rightfully stripped of his title. While Judge Rosemarie Aquilina did not set out to be a hero, today, she, along with every victim of Larry Nassar, are my heroes. These women knew they were facing a demon bigger than just one little man. Still, they bravely came forth and brought his darkness into the light.  This depraved, vile man was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for child pornography, with an additional 175 years from Judge Aquilina. It is a far cry from a six-month sentence, with parole in three months. Her sentence was bold; it is an assurance any light of day he ever sees will only be from behind bars.  As I read over the po...

I am sure this will piss off someone, but I am tired of being politically correct and am at the point where I do not give a damn who I piss off...so here goes. Unlike Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer was already a household name across America. Like most people, I woke up to the news of his overdue termination from NBC. To #NBC and the #Todayshow , kudos for finally doing what you should have done years ago. I was not shocked or surprised, only because I typically have a sixth sense regarding abusive individuals. The sight of Matt Lauer consistently made my radar go into overdrive. Only if I had this innate sense in my teenage years or my twenties; then again, the experiences from those days probably heightened this ability in the first place. The ability to sit in a room and sense an individual's depravity, lurking right below the surface; the ability to sense their face is the mask, hiding the monster within. What surprises me are the comments from individuals on social media. Comme...