Can I tell you a story? I promise it won’t take long, but it’s one I need to tell.
I haven’t told you this yet, but when I worked as a therapist, my clients were victims of horrific crimes. I saw children come into shelter who had seen their mothers being brutally hurt.
Young, sweet children told me story after story about how they’d hide behind couches, run away outside, or cower in corners. They saw a parent who they loved being terrorized, and most of the time they were powerless to help.
I remember after one heart-wrenching day coming home and running straight to my closet. I immediately began sobbing in the dark corner behind my clothes. I curled up in a ball, I needed to hide, I needed to grieve.
As I let out big, loud sobs, my heart hurt, my head hurt, my soul crushed. My heart couldn’t handle the weight of that day, and I broke.
{trigger warning}
A previous child who stayed in our shelter…a child I held in my arms as she wept, a child I laughed with, played with and loved…was killed. She was ripped from this world by a mighty force, too big for her to fight. Her Daddy found them and took both her and her Mama from our world.
And it broke me.
The next day, shaken and afraid, the shelter staff and I walked back into that safe house and welcomed another family with open arms. I remember their faces, so sad, so relieved, so uncertain. But, no matter how broken the staff felt, we were there to help them.
We might not have been able to help them all…oh how we tried. But maybe, just maybe, we could help this one.
I remember people asking me how I did it every day. My only response was, “I may not be able to help them all, but I can make a difference for some, and that means something.”
Since I had my own babies, I have left shelter work. Some days I miss it and wonder why I left. I think it’s just that my heart couldn’t take it anymore.
But my heart still calls out to them. I still weep every time I hear about another life being taken by someone they love.
I feel like it’s time for me to do something, and I need your help.
Help me help others.
I’m building a t-shirt of the month where 50% of all the sales will go to different Domestic Violence Coalitions across the US. We’re moving state by state until they are all covered. Then, we’ll be donating country by country.
All I need from you is to buy a shirt and tell others about it. That’s it, just spread the word.
Each month, we’ll have a new shirt and a new place to donate to.
The trick is that each shirt is only available for one month at a time. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
November’s Shirt
This month 50% of the proceeds go to The Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence. It’s a month to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives, and for all the agencies out there supporting and empowering women every single day. Even on the days when they feel broken…
The shirt comes in both short sleeve and long sleeve and available in several different colors. It’s available only until November 29, 2015, so don’t wait!
Previous Shirts
“She Believed She Could…”
