Personal Story Dropping My Stones For Diamonds

SY's story is one of living on an emotional roller coaster and cycles of abuse for many years that, in her memory, began at age five. Her experiences would be growing up with five siblings and a strong sense of community made up of uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, and neighbors, who had constant backyard parties with the dust and dirt underneath their feet as the dance floor. Inside the home was filled with abuse from her dad and a culture that was clear about "what happens in this house, stay in this house."

The day her voice was taken away from her in exchange for candy from a family friend, it paved a path of erasing her very existence. While she protected one abuser after the other with her silence, that abuser was given an opportunity to define who she would become. Secrets like these are not meant to be kept secret because they grow and cause deprivation of life.

Although it took time for SY to learn what happened to her was not who she was, she recognized that when you give your secret a voice, it's no longer a secret. It can be exposed, and help can be found. SY realized that if she was ever going to be completely healthy, healed, and whole, she would need to face herself and confront her silence.

Her life now stands on the word of God: "And we know, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28 KJV).

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If you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or abuse of any kind, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.