Poetic, Inspirational Living

Since 302 Designs has t-shirts with titles such as “Fearless” and “Independence,” and since we often write about inspirational people on this blog, I would like to take a moment to talk about domestic violence. As a freelance writer, I am currently working on a magazine feature on the subject, and the other night I met a survivor for an interview.

This woman was being battered by her husband, so she gathered up her strength and took her two-year old daughter to a shelter. She basically had to start a whole new life on her own, which she did. She is now a successful career woman with a Ph.D. whose daughter is studying to become a child psychologist because of the experience she had as a teenager volunteering at a similar shelter.

Domestic violence is a very serious problem in our society, so I wanted to take the time to recognize and honor those women who are strong and brave enough to break the cycle in their families and leave abusive relationships. The woman I met the other day nearly brought me to tears with admiration. Her story and the stories of so many others like her need to be told, and I think that anyone who has the courage to do something as frightening as move into a shelter in order to keep herself and her children safe is an inspirational person.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, please use the following resources:

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-7233
• Perform an online search for shelters and programs in your city. Do not do this on your home computer, where your abuser can find the history, but elsewhere. (The library, for example.)
• Contact your local police department for help.