After I graduated from undergraduate and landed an RN position at my place of employment, I moved out of my mother’s and house and found an apartment right off highway 70. During this period of stillness, I started researching child sexual abuse and incest. I learned about child sexual abuse prevalence, risk factors, and short and long term consequences.
I continued to learn more about America’s history, including the treatment of all women. Here is an excerpt from Bent Not Broken, my memoir on what I learned from my sexual abuse experience and how I found my healing path:
“The act of anyone forcing his or her will on another human being, violating the ethical, moral, and sanctity of human life, is nothing new to the world. For centuries, many children, both young and old, were subjugated to abuse and rape and lived with censored voices. Unfortunately, the cycle of unleashed pain and torment continues to callous human hearts, dismantling the family concept and infecting generations. The darkness within the world appears to be winning souls, manifesting adversity as damnation instead of a means of uncovering the Light within us.”
In other words, I learned that I was not the only one, and many children, young and old, after their abuse, kept on moving forward. I am not standing on the shoulders of those before me, but they are guiding me from above, behind, in front, and from both sides. The strength I have to overcome come from generations before me.
Know that you are not alone. If someone else found their healing path, you, too can find yours and move forward with your abilities, gifts, and talents and be the light within a sometimes darkened world.
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To Your Best Health and Life!
Timika S Chambers
