Understanding the Power of Words

Hello, My Village! It’s been almost a month since my last post and the reason is simple. The range of emotions these posts bring me are extremely overwhelming. When I posted the announcement about the 500 views, I was at first quite proud of myself, but then became instantly frighten by the reality that my story was being read by the masses. I had a friend text me after she had read one of the post. The text was and I am paraphrasing here, “As long as we have known each other, I never knew this part. I’m in tears, because I am sad for what you went through. I love you friend and I am proud of you.” I cried too because I felt a little embarrassed, weak and exposed. I re-read the text and stood a little taller, knowing that this blog is who I am. The Little Brown Girl is me and I am her and together we will step on some toes, fix some shit that is broken, create a safe space for others to tell their stories and last but not least, be at peace with the woman we have become.

I had a come to Jesus with myself and said “Snap the fuck out of it, damn you! Bad things happened to you as a kid and just because some people can’t understand why you’re pouring your heart out, does not mean you have to stop.” I then had a second come to Jesus with my eight year old self. That was a harder conversation. It went something like this; “You do not have to be scared any more. I know that no one help us when we were little. Kind of felt like folks turned their backs on us, but they were scared too. People are going to question our motives but we are going to see this through, no matter what or who gets in our way. It is okay, not to be okay, but it is not okay to stay broken just so other people’s feelings do not get hurt.”

If you see something, say something, please. No child should suffer any form of abuse. Children are the innocent victims of domestic violence that grow up to be fragmented adults trying to navigate a world they cannot truly comprehend. We have to do better.