IF YOU MIGHT NEED TO LEAVE...
It’s a good idea for victims of abuse to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. It will help if you can put together a “go bag.” Your go bag could include:
- Birth certificates and social security cards for yourself and your children
- Driver’s license and/or passports
- Marriage, divorce or custody papers
- Legal protection or restraining orders
- Health insurance cards and medical records
- Immunization records
- Car title, registration, and insurance documentation
- Cash and prepaid credit cards that can’t be traced
- Prepaid cell phone or a cell phone with a new contract and number. Try to keep it fully charged.
- Current medications and prescriptions for yourself and your children
- Clothing for you and children
- Keepsakes
- Spare set of keys
Keep your go bag somewhere you could easily access it if you had to leave in a hurry. Some ideas might be: in the trunk of your car, near your front door, or at a trusted friend’s house. Try to keep your phone charged and your car full of gas, just in case.
Letter to Survivors
Dear Survivors,
We have been victimized. But we can choose to no longer remain victims. Whatever our personal trauma, the journey toward wholeness, toward mending our fragmented selves, is possible. I believe each one of us possesses the power to heal our inner child. The courage lies deep within.
My journey has allowed me to discover inner resources and strengths that I didn’t know existed. Yes, it has been a painful process at times, but I have come through the other side of that pain and today, I enjoy life. Today, life is not something for me to endure, but to embrace. Life, for me, is no longer filled with obstacles to overcome, but with opportunities and challenges that bring me closer to realizing my full potential as a spiritual being having a human experience.
Even though I still get brought to dark places, and even though I am still challenged with personal issues, I do have hope. I am learning to trust my intuition, to make healthy choices. I am learning to live in and for today, to love and accept myself as I am at this moment. I am learning that my past doesn’t have to dictate my future. I am learning how to thrive, not just survive.
I wish you all the best on your own journey toward self-love and healing.
Many Blessings, Barbara
