No One...

No one ever said life would be easy....they never said it would be this hard either...

The Gen X world that gets talked of so often, the living with Boomers who were tougher than nails and expected the same from their children. The sage words 'if it's not broken or gushing blood, don't bother me,' were oft spoke as children. We'd drag ourselves through the door in a rumbling, falling, chaotic, noisy mess of voices, blood smeared faces and little fists clenched ready to have the ultimate triumph in the light of parental punishment.

How disappointed I was, we were, my 3 brothers and I and often the stragglers...neighbourhood kids involved in the fight and the fun and waiting to see what happened. My parents were not known as the hard parents, the tough ones waiting with strap...naw, this was the norm...and so they would gather round to watch the absolute fubar pouring through the front door, screen door snapped off in most cases, until the bellow of my fathers voice cut through the cacophony of voices yelling, the pushing and shoving...all stopping as we turned to take our licks.

Oh, we could take a hit, a slap, a licking with a inch thick strap or the willow branch from the weeping willow outside...wooden spoons were broken and discarded after punishment, spatulas flying off the stick handle...oh, we learned to fight our own battles as often times they were less frightening, less punitive and much less painful. Telling on one another once was all we got...a free pass...all it took was that one time seeing the fury, the rage erupting and the hand come up, the tears and pain and we were convinced to never ever put a sibling in that position ever again.

Fast forward to present day and the struggle is real for each one stepping forward to speak out, to speak up and to press charges. There are no welcoming smiles at the local police station, only pointed questions and a lack of interest. I have seen and heard and experienced the apathy personally...being turned away with a business card and the wise advice to call the number on the back if I feel as though I am in danger.

Stepping forward and telling your story and seeing the faces of the people you're sharing with express all manners of thinking despite the poker face adopted by many.

The 'it takes too long to fight assault in court,' statement from Crown Counsel, the dropping of responsibility in favour of expediency is heart stoppingly shocking. Imparting the sense to the victim of the crime that they are not important, their story is not important and that what happened them is not that big of a deal...we'll just drop it from the case in favour of a guilty plea bargain slam dunk and look at my success rate, woot woot.

Oh you bet we get resentful, bitter taste of frustration in our mouths, and a decided feeling of abandonment and neglect in the hands of the justice system.

Oh you bet we get angry at the injustice, at the lack of accountability...but hey, you should stop doing that, and that and just, ya know, live your life and move on.

Dear God and all His beautiful angels in heaven weep....what people do not realize is this, trauma doesn't leave you behind, alone or free of memories....the monsters themselves do not leave you alone; they stalk, they create social media posts in your name, they talk to anything with a heartbeat about the crazy x.

These serial relationship killers, abusers, psychopaths move from one prey to the next, from one victim to the next, constantly and consistently overlapping supply to be ready for discard of the current partner. No thought of harm, no thought of broken hearts and minds...only the next one in line with new energy and less knowledge of the pain and torment they dish out.

Dear friends...it isn't going away, it is only getting worse. With the advent of Covid and lockdowns, abuse of many types has exploded like mushrooms grown in darkness, propagating in droves and bunches. Under cover of isolation and loneliness they did their work with glee, understanding inherently that no one would see or know what was happening behind closed doors.

What can we do, you would ask? Be aware, be willing, be ready to listen to some pretty horrific stuff and NOT judge them for staying. Think invisible prison walls surrounding heart, mind, thought, spirit and soul....all tightly bunched together and beaten regularly to ensure unthinking obedience.

Oh how the spirit is brought low, so low to the ground it is a wonder the lost one can breathe...until angels are dispatched to save, to create space to breathe...

Oh how the heart is crushed to many, many pieces and scattered to the winds... only to be blown back on the winds of love by a Father who never leaves nor forsakes...

Watched over....grieved over....loved, always and never alone. Dear lost ones...you are not alone, never alone. 'Look to the skies from whence comes your help.' He is faithful, He will make a way....

Walk tall my friends, speak your truth and stand for what you believe....

“There’s no stopping a man who knows he’s in the right and keeps a-coming.”

— Louis L'Amour

We keep a-coming....and will not stop....