Flight...

"If the Lord had not been on our side

when men attacked us,

when their anger flared against us,

they would have swallowed us alive;

the flood would have engulfed us,

the torrent would have swept over us,

the raging waters would have swept us away.

Praise be to the Lord,

who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

We have escaped like a bird

out of the fowlers snare;

the snare has been broken,

and we have escaped."

Psalm 124:2-7

This my friends, is the truth behind each survivor making their way free from the snare, from the cage that binds and after flying round about looking for a safe place to land, settle to the ground thanking a God who always watches over His children.

"Those who sow in tears

will reap with songs of joy.

He who goes out weeping,

carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

carrying sheaves with him."

Psalm 126:5-6

The wicked dear treasures will reap wickedness, will bring destruction down upon their heads. I do not need to be be near to know that the man-child I left behind suffers greatly in his mind, in his heart...the mental and emotional blackness that surrounds him continually chips away at the corners of his mind until even his favourite past-times suffice not to distract, to deflect the weight of evil.

While we soar free, flying high above the hijinks and fireworks the monster attempts to create, they are grounded, mired in the very mud of the pit they fashioned to thwart your joy, to steal your goodness and light.

While we heal, while we mend and move forward upon the path to more abundance, they that commit evil, however that looks in your situation, do not walk free from paying for deeds done in dark places and spaces. Oh, they put on a good show...social media is their friend...but as a former family member used to tout 'we're great, we're doing SO good,' we knew the back story and how very far from the truth those statements were.

I know this to be true...I am free to be me, to accept who I am, love who I am, and to move forward in maturity, in wisdom, in humility and truth.

I know this to be true...I am loved, ridiculously (thank you Toni, this one will forever be encased in the deepest parts of my heart). I am cherished, accepted...never to know the stings and barbs of his cruel tongue, never to hear words spoken of such evil it boggles the mind, ever again.

Never will a man lay a hand, a fist, a elbow, a knee nor any other part of their body upon me again...this I can say with truth, with determination, with absolute confidence.

I know my worth...and one day you too will stand in awe of the work that has been done inside your soul, the mending that has grown strong within your spirit.

God IS good my friends...He has stood by my side while I stumbled, fell, lay prone in sorrow and heartache...walked beside me upon a path I knew not...swam beside me in turbulent waters of anguish and upheaval, never allowing my head to sink below the water.

I stand today because I was and am loved beyond measure and never again will I lose sight of that promise, of that joy.

You are loved as you are...fashioned creatively and most specially to be you, to be loved and accepted where you are. My prayer for you today is that you will know your worth in this world, no matter what words are spoken, no matter what actions are taken against your person. You belong here, you have purpose, you have light and goodness within you.

Go today and each day forward with grace, with strength, with courage dear friends. You are not alone. Never alone. We stand with you, each survivor walking hand in hand supporting the other. With all these souls at your back what cannot be done? With God at your side all things are possible, all things probable, not impossible.

May God richly bless your days and nights with love and compassion.

Fly free dear treasures...fly free.