Welcome to the July 27, 2007 edition of Carnival Against Child Abuse. This is a subject that I am very passionate about and it has been an honor hosting this carnival and reading all of the powerful posts that people have submitted. I choose a theme this month of Freedom, both to celebrate America’s Independence Day but also to give hope to those who are still seeking freedom from the abuse they have endured.
Let freedom ring
Let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today is the day of a reckoning
Let the weak be strong
Let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away
Let the guilty pay
It’s Independence Day
~Independence Day - Martina McBride
April_optimist presents The Thriver’s Toolbox: Your Independence Day posted at The Thriver’s Toolbox. She says “I wrote this post a year ago because I believe so strongly that no matter what has happened in our past we can find a way to be free and happy NOW. I believe that the more we know it’s possible, the easier it is to find the courage and strength and resilience to make that happen.”
Marj aka Thriver presents I Choose To Be, Now I Am Free! posted at Survivors Can Thrive!. Every day is Independence Day! Every day I choose to continue my journey of healing. Everyday I choose to recover my freedom. Every day I am reclaiming my soul from the abusers who tried to murder it. I am free and I am whole!
When some finally find that freedom they were longing for it can be a powerful moment. Jewellybeano shares her story with us in The Dead shall live again « The Real Me posted at The Real Me. She tells us “I saw in my mind, this twelve year old girl, carrying much more burden than any 12 year old should have to face. I seemed to watching a montage of memory after memory, being healed in fast forward. Jesus came, and told her she was not dead, and He offered her new life. She took it.”
For many the freedom from the pain of childhood abuse is a slow process rather than a single celebration. Mike McBride shares some thoughts on freedom in his post Freedom posted at Child Abuse Survivor.
The little victories in the move towards fredom are still important however. John W. presents KEEPERS LEARN THAT IT REALLY IS OK TO SAY NO posted at KeepersKorner, saying, “It has taken decades for us to learn this but it is finally happening, we are learning to protect our selves, by learning how to say “no”.”
Often we are told that if we want to move on and be free then we need to forgive our abusers. Barbara says “BULLPOCKY!!!” in PRISONERS OF THE 4TH COMMANDMENT posted at BARBARA’S TCHATZKAHS.
For some, however, freedom seems unatainable. Lori Prokop shares an important post on this called Blocked Traumatic Memories posted at Patricia Sherman - Healing is possible. She tells us “Sometimes people wonder if traumatic memories can be repressed. Dr. Patricia Sherman says it is very possible for the mind to block out memory of the trauma as a way to try to protect the person from feeling overwhelmed. Usually, however, even when conscious memories of the traumatic event(s) are not present, Dr. Sherman says there are signs and symptoms that could suggest that something is wrong.”
Going from a place of pain to a place of freedom takes work. If you let yourself stay in the painful shadows you cannot move out into the light. Vic presents Child Abuse in the News or Mothers and the Modern Media II posted at Victorya Chase Goes To Therapy. Vic tells us “Admit things. Admit it if you are afraid. Admit that you’re scared. And recognize that there is nothing wrong with that. Admit how you feel, accept it, then look for the root cause.”
Writing is one powerful way of releasing the pain and moving towards freedom. jumping in puddles shares a moment of painful childhood and how writing helped in lifes spacings: the right to write posted at jumping in puddles.
Sometimes what we have to admit is that we are afraid. Fear of what might happen or what others will think when they see us can hold us back from our own freedom. therapydoc presents The Cure for Self-Consciousness posted at Everyone Needs Therapy. She reminds us “Rather than worry about things that haven’t happened, therapydoc suggests people do things about things that already have.”
Emily T shares a pesonal story and asks importtant questions in per post 35/52 Criminal research posted at Doing It All Again, saying, “An entry that looks at mitigating circumstances and are they really an acceptable excuse for the occurrence of child abuse? And do mitigating circumstances hold more weight if you are a celebrity or hold an important position within society?”
Children often have no way to obtain freedom on their own. They need us, those who are older, stronger and wiser to step in and protect them. Are you that someone? Megan Bayliss is looking for you to join her in Conversations Around Keeping Kids Safe posted at Imaginif…. She says ” If you blog about child protection and child safety, I would love to have a conversation with you.”
The abuse commited to our fellow human beings every day is beyond shocking. Anna - On The Ponderosa shares a news story *warning, possible triggers* about abuse, torture, and the neighbors who did not care in NO ANSWERS - ONLY QUESTIONS posted at On The Ponderosa. Her anger over the horrible post causes her to ask many important questions, including “Can we observe the violence in ourselves and become the change we want to see in this world?”
That concludes this edition of the Carnival Against Child Abuse. Submit your blog article to the next edition using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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