Crisis Support

No relationship ever begins with abuse. Abuse is usually something that creeps up over time. Sure there may have been those initial warning signs, but if we don’t know what to look for how do we know? Many people who…
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Waking the DeadBy Joye BraunThe morning had a brisk chill in the air. It was an omen for what was to happen during the next few hours.I woke up at the women’s shelter, again. I had grabbed what I could…
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Sisters are great to have, she can be your friend, confidant, “partner in crime” (figuratively speaking, of course), playmate and a blessing. But sisters can also be stubborn at times. Take my sister for example. I love her very, very…
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When I was sixteen I met someone who would terriosed me and change my whole life., but when I was twenty seven I met the man who terriosed me even worse. I was very much with my Mother all the…
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If i am asked which is healthier for a woman, to stay with an abusive partner or to leave, i would, of course, encourage her to leave. Who wouldn’t? But when asked if it is EASIER to stay or to…
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Young and Molested Today was the first time Jessica* could actually feel loved. Love that she so desperately wanted. She was finally with her father. The man that did everything he could to finally get his baby girl back. It…
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The hardest thing that you will ever have to do in life is to look at yourself in a mirror and know exactly who you are, what you are, and what you are doing, or going to do in your…
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Eco friendly burials are becoming more popular, and will continue to gain in popularity as a generation brought up on recycling, global warming and other earth friendly issues grows older. As a concept the eco friendly or green’ burial is…
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This debate isn’t should you stay in abusive relationship or should you leave. The question is, is it easier to walk away then to stay with a partner who is violent? In most abusive relationships, it’s all about power and…
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I am so often astounded by the number of parents who outlive their children. This is completely unnatural, and so we are expected to feel the loss of our children for all time. As a parent to a child passed…
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Abuse, especially at the hands of a parent, boss, spouse or rapist can have lasting consequence for the victim. Most of us know someone, either at work, church, and school or in our neighborhoods that is obviously suffering from the…
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I was fixing dinner for my younger brothers and sisters when I got the call. “The kids have been in an accident down by Crooked River Bridge. Can you get down here?” I gathered my brother and sister, who were…
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Poison, whether injected, consumed orally, or delivered psychologically, is just as toxic. Poison is poison, and its effects are noxious and sometimes even deadly. A toxic relationship occurs when one is in a relationship with a disordered person, and the…
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It’s hard for people who have never experienced an abusive relationship to understand why the abused doesn’t just get out when they know they need to escape. There are actually several reasons that can be involved. Possibly the first thing…
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Science and medicine have provided a great service to society and our way of living. Because of them, we are afforded more chances at survival and cures to diseases that would have killed us in the past. But they have…
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Sounds of abuse from my past haunt me still today. Anger, rage and wrath were the step stones in my first marriage. My husband would emotionally step from one stone to the next in a symphony of dance. A masterpiece…
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Sad to say but society is so lacking in resources that are needed for situations like those of spousal and family abuse, it, traditionally and historically is easier for the abused woman to remain with her partner. In a lot…
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Dealing with Bereavement It’s one of the big cliches to say that there is no right and wrong when it comes to dealing with the death of someone close and I am a strong believer in that being true. Whatever…
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People should always have the right to have their last wishes attended to, including the rituals in which they are buried. To deny someone the right to have the funeral they wish for is immoral. For centuries, people have been…
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“When Your Knight In Shinning Armor Breaks More Than Your Heart.” At seventeen years old I married my childhood sweetheart. His name was Tommy, and he was tall and handsome, with shoulder length white blond hair, and piercing deep blue…
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I originally discovered Augusten Burroughs when I was at my brother’s house and my he handed me a copy of ‘Running With Scissors.’ He told me he was looking for something to read on a flight and the title caught…
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Surviving The Trauma Of Incest Incest is an ugly word. It is a dirty word. It is something that is kept in the back closet and never brought to light in polite society. It is something that is never talked…
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Most of us (89% according to this poll) want to make the end-of-life decision for ourselves. Ultimately, the right to die with dignity – without horrible, chronic pain or personal degradation – should come down to the individual. In a…
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The time to make a plan for dealing with domestic violence is long before it happens. And, one key to this plan is to agree to never, ever call the police. Before going into the details of this planning we…
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At one point and time in my life, if someone had told me I was in an abusive relationship, I wouldn’t have believed them. I knew I wasn’t happy, but there was no way I had let myself fall victim…
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Death happens to everyone; no one lives forever. We make choices for ourselves when we are able to differentiate wrong from right and understand yes and no answers when asked questions. All choices made by the living have an effect…
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“Easier” is the term used here but I’m not sure the implication is the same as walking away. It’s really hard to walk away from a relationship that has much history and feelings. It’s really hard to start over making…
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I do believe that a person should be able to determine their own funeral rituals. While the funeral itself is, truly, a ceremony for the living to remember the deceased and to aid in dealing with their grief, it should…
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Two attempts were made on my life by my former partner, staying was safer, and easier. Use more make-up to hide the bruises, and get more creative with explaining things away as “accidents”. A good deal of society seemingly wants…
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i can remember it like it was yesterday.the abuse,the words he would throw around at me to belittle me.i can remember the beatings when i would call to god to just take me,i wanted to die.that’s how bad it was.i…
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