Mulling over a meme on a friend's facebook page this morning, I started to realize that the abuse that so many women endure, may never actually come to an end. Ever. "As we got ready to go to a movie one evening, I checked my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Hair looked good, make-up done. I was wearing a brown and beige houndstooth blazer over a brown top, and blue jeans. Nothing fancy, but dressy enough for a night out," she told me. "When he saw me, he told me I needed to change. He … [Read more...]
Finding Freedom Through Forgiveness
How do you forgive someone who hurt and betrayed you? Should you even try, especially when they refuse to apologize or even acknowledge that they did anything wrong. Many years ago, a friend had made a comment reveling in my husband's failure at something he had tried. It was a careless comment, but it stung, and I decided that I would sever my relationship with that friend. Shortly afterward, I was relating the comment to another friend, and told her how much it hurt, and that … [Read more...]
Freedom from Abuse: Trust Your Instincts.
Laury Abbott knew she needed to get away from her husband. In her heart, she knew-- she wasn't safe. Neither was her 8-year old son, Danny, Jr. She had told family members that she was concerned, and was planning to file for divorce from Daniel Abbott. But before she could do that, before she could formulate an exit strategy to get herself and her son to safety, Daniel cut and stabbed his wife and young son to death. Then he stabbed himself. Three bodies were found in their Rainier, Washington … [Read more...]
2015: A Year of Intention
This is the time of year when everyone asks if you have any New Year's Resolutions. Typically I have a few general ones, like losing weight, reading more, writing more. But this year, I'm going to set substantive goals for every area of my life. I'm going to walk boldly in the direction of my dreams by becoming a woman of intention. This has been one of those buzz words the past few years: Intention. What does that mean? It means a thing that is intended or planned. It means that you know … [Read more...]
An Open Letter to Hope Solo
Dear Hope, May I call you Hope? I realize we've never met, but you've been on my mind a lot this weekend. No, I'm not you're biggest fan. I've never played soccer, and I don't have a little girl who looks up to you. But I do have this blog where I write about women and health and fitness. And since mental health is part of a woman's overall fitness, I feel justified in using this forum to write you a letter you'll likely never read. Because we do have something in common: we've both married … [Read more...]