Dear Reader🩷

Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people! 

This time of year is almost always bittersweet for me. I personally know what's to like to experience violence and I know that this time of year is when violence is especially heightened. 

To anyone experiencing violence, whether currently or those who are currently experiencing the aftermath through trauma: 

This year, I just want to say thank you, thank you for staying alive. If you are/have experienced abuse, thank you for being here. I know that seeing so much violence and despair can make a better life seem like a Mission Impossible movie, only you are not Tom Cruise!

December 10th is International Human Rights Day and I feel that it's important to remember that women's rights are human rights. 

I want you to know that you are not alone. I want you to know that you are seen, heard and loved by God. 

I want you to not blame yourself nor any sin that you have committed as a reason to endure this mistreatment. 

I want you to know that leaving is an option and that you deserve better. You do! You do not deserve to hit by anyone. You do not deserve to carry anyone's emotional baggage. 

Abuse is not just scars and bruises, abuse comes in several forms:

🩷mental

🩷physical

🩷financial 

🩷sexual 

🩷emotional

Life is meant to be lived not survived through. I want you to know that you are worthy of every good thing and that you can start over, it's never too late. 

Love yourself more than you do your abuser and the endless cycle of pain, love, then pain all over again.

My last post on 16 days of Activism + my advice 🩷

I will edit and repost my Abuse In-Depth Series later this week and I definitely will continue to write them because I feel that it's important. It's important to openly discuss abuse and what it entails and how to break free from it. Importantly, we as a society have to destigmatize abuse and stop blaming the victims, as that makes the situation worse, rather than better. 

I felt like I was supposed to write to someone going through abuse today and so that is what I did, I did not really know what to say but I hope that what I have written has helped someone, even if only one woman. 

All my love 

Ruthy♥️