Nevertheless She Persisted

We all have our secrets this is one of mine. I am a Sexual Abuse Survivor. Here in Canada, there is a compensation fund for that if you can prove it and it meets their criteria. My abuse did not. Because all of the males were within 10 years of my age at the time it is not considered sexual abuse.

I do not agree and I think that needs to change. You can not tell me that as a three-year-old with her panties around her ankles with a 10-year-old boy is not a victim of sexual assault. I refuse to believe that a 13-year-old who was jumped and pulled into the brush by a 16-year-old was not a victim of sexual assault. It just seems wrong that since there was no penetration and the male in question was only a few years older than me that coming into my room and rubbing himself between my legs is not sexual assault.

I am a second generation sexual abuse victim, my mother was abused by the father of two of the three males mentioned above and my daughter was assaulted by the last one before he was finally punished for what he had done to her, me I wasn't mentioned. Of course, I wasn't because I did not look for help for myself I looked for it for my daughter.

When I was interviewed and then told that I did not meet the boards' criteria all I could think of was 20 years of my life counted for nothing in the eyes of the law. I cried that day and then I began to actively look for ways to put it behind me at last.

I have done fairly well I think though I am sitting here shaking as I write this I know that what I feel now is much less than what I felt on that day. I can only put my story out there for you, it is too late for anything to be changed but I survived and so can you!

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National Make a Friend Day

I am not very good at making friends or keeping them it seems. I do not go outside much, in fact I hardly leave my home unless it is family related. That makes it hard especially since friends expect you to come to them at least once in a while and I find I can't.

If it were simply a matter of laziness it would be understandable but it isn't. Some days I can't even open the door to let in some fresh air. I do not know where the fear comes from I just know that that is what I feel when I think about going outside most of the time.

Agoraphobia: Triggers for this anxiety may include wide-open spaces, crowds (social anxiety), or traveling (even short distances). Agoraphobia is often, but not always, compounded by a fear of social embarrassment, as the agoraphobic fears the onset of a panic attack and appearing distraught in public.
Causes: Genetic and environmental factors Symptoms: Anxiety in situations perceived to be unsafe, panic attacks Treatment: Cognitive behavioral ther…

Hello March

May the sun be with us! Except with the quiet coming of March be on the lookout for at least one more big storm before the end of the month. I love the sun but I always hope March comes in like a lion so that it will go out like a lamb. I can deal with cold and snow early in the month but I always wish for the beauty of sun and green buds on the trees at the end of it.

So where did the phrase 'In like a lamb, out like a lion' come from?

There are several ideas:

While many sayings are base on observation and are accurate, others are the rhymes and beliefs of those who came before us.
Those folks actually believed that bad spirits could change the weather adversely, so they were cautious as to what they did or didn't do in certain situations. Those beliefs also included ideas that there could be a balance in weather and in life. So if the weather came in bad, (like a lion) it could go out good and calm. (like a lamb)
Since March is such a changeable month in which we can see…

Women's Heart Health

February 1st - 7th is Women's Heart Health Awareness Week and I felt it would be remiss of me not to include some conversation about it here given that the professor suffered a heart attack a bit over two years ago and that I am a prime candidate.

Let us start with why I am a prime candidate - Obviously being 100 pounds overweight puts me in the high-risk area immediately. Add in High Chloresterol, physical inactivity, diabetes, post-menopausal and over 55. Since only two of those are needed to put me in the at-risk category that I have six means that I am very high risk. The only way it could be worse is if I still smoked or drank and still lived a high-stress life. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Not sure where you stand? check out this checklist. This checklist and the other pdf's linked here are from the Women's Heart Foundation

Do you know what the prescription is to lower the risk factors? It's simple join the 10,000 steps a day club. That's it! walk 10 th…

Cook, Make, Think

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