{Houston Area Women's Center} #stoptheviolence

Many may not know this about me but I have witnessed violence in the home first hand. {I don't plan on giving out details, when it happened I told many people in hopes that it would ease the pain, I went to church, I spoke to my Boyfriend-He is now my Husband, I wrote about it, I cried about it, I thought about dying at my own hands over it. It was not the best time in my life but I also don't want to harm those whom I love with details or remembering what was. I lived through it. I survived and so did she.}

I was going to post about this regardless but with what happened on Friday I decided to make it a mini-series on my Blog. #stoptheviolence

Domestic Violence of any form is a difficult and tramautizing experience. Trust me. I have been there. In the dark with the thought of, what if I just stop breathing, it will stop the pain. After years of it and fed up, I was grown and after feeling powerless at one point in my life, I had suddenly gained strenght, wisdom, age and courage. Courgae that was built after years of horrifiying stories, first hand accounts, and one call to the HAWC. I stood in a room, with the adrelanie rush and telling my story of intervention, prevention and attempting to save a life. I then found myself in a waiting room on Montrose. Could this be real? ME. I was living this. With a loved one. So much pain. So many terrify events. The emotional. The physical. The abuse on so many levels. The pain on a level I never knew I could reach.

After days, weeks and months of healing...now years... the pain, empowerment. The memories, my strength and my courage. I will never, NEVER allow this to happen to a loved one EVER. Again.

Which is why I am here now. Telling you that if you are suffering ANY kind of abuse you too can overcome, survive and heal.

3 weeks ago I was invited to attend the taping of Great Day Houston. I sat in the audience and a first hand account of what live TV is like. It was exciting and an awesome opportunity. But, I wasn't sure if anyone else was there for the same reason that I was. I had survived violence in the home. I was there to assist in representing the Houston Area Women's Center, we wore red. The color of pain and hope when you live through and survive what I have see, heard and lived. I felt honored. Humbled. And, an amazingly overwhelming feeling to have been able to put YEARS of violence behind me. Years of silence in the open. It's a freeing sitiuation.










I am here today to ask you to donate and help in any way possible for an extremenly good cause. One that saved my life and that of my loved ones. One that has restored my faith in life, love and marriage.

I thank the Houston Area Women's Center for one day holding our hand and giving us hope.

I thank Frida for the opportunity and allowing me to be a part of something so great and simple as to sit and represent a cause and for a place that one day harvested safety and new hope for those of us who have lost it.

Go to the following links to help the HAWC::HERE:: and ::HERE::
Go to the following link to learn more about Frida ::HERE::

If you need help getting out of a violent situation and are scared to move forward know that the person hurting you will never hurt you if you stop giving them the power to do so. ::CLICK HERE FOR HELP::

Prayers for those in pain.

Momma Disclosure: This is not a compensated OR sponsored post. This is however a subject that is very near and dear to my heart which is why I chose to share it.  The above statements are both true and actual experiences.

{Updates and then some?}

Where did we leave off between Leftovers..already forgotten and Baby on the brain... Work, family and just LIFE...we are struck by tragedy in a family with a heart so big we've definitely been hit far too harshly...

My Husband's uncle was killed a week ago today... in a very unsettling way. It's left a family in pieces and trying to catch up with the reality of life and how to move forward. Death is difficult as it is. When it's expected there is some type of closure and understanding... but when it's in such a sudden and abrupt matter...there is only turmoil and broken-ness. But, I pray. I pray for peace. I pray for faith. I pray for life. I pray for justice to be done. Houston is a huge city and I know that the person{s} responsible for this may never be found but I hope that God can give the Amaro family the justice that they are seeking, the answers left up in the air and the love to move forward.

With that said.. I leave you with this...

The priest spoke at the funeral service about a mission... an individual mission in our lives. How God has placed us on this earth only for the sufficient amount of time to fulfill our own individual missions... so I ask you...

What is your mission? Have you found it? Are you seeking it? Are you living it?

Another, thing that he spoke of was forgiveness, and seeking our own faults to correct them. I know I am not perfect and I ask for forgiveness from those whom I have hurt and/or offended with my ways, words and thoughts... I AM SORRY. FORGIVE ME.

Good night....

Grief. {Final Chapter}

When the day came my body was weak, my heart was weary, and my eyes filled with tears....

The sea of tissue covered my bed and all I wanted was to sleep..as I slowly lost my breath....

No matter how many times I told myself it would come, when the day came I reminded myself that I am NOT that strong....that only God could hold me now.... Hold my Uncle...Hold my cousins...together....Lift my family in peace and carry my Aunt..into His loving arms...

In His Loving Arms.....

I ran to that place as my Husband said..."we can pray for her tonight"...I thought I will pray for her now...

I run to that place that I know so well....That place where God talks to me...where He holds me and nothing else matters....

It's that place of peace where ONLY God can hold you.

I miss her so much. Will miss her forever. Will dream of her being here. Will pray for her soul to truly rest in peace...she deserves it.

I will pray. And ONLY God can hold me.

Grief. {Part 2}

My Aunt.

A pure heart. A faith-filled heart. A Woman of Faith.

My Aunt who read Corinthians at my wedding. My Aunt who handed me my Bible and Rosary at my wedding. The same Bible and Rosary that sits in my bedroom.

The Bible which she introduced to my Uncle...who preferred one with BIG print and lots of pictures. An example of constant Faith and Love.

A beacon of Hope and Marriage.

The biggest {self-less} heart in our family.

The peacemaker. The neutral.

The Godly. The God given.The God surrendered.

My Aunt Lola.

A tribute to her  life. Not just a memory but a true testament to life.

A gentle soul filled with faith, love, courage.

Her house filled with awards.

Awards to her unfailing perseverance and patience.

Courage and Faith. That's what I know.

That's how I love her.

Beauty within and on the outside.

My Tia.

I feel like I didn't spend enough time with her.

Did I say everything I should have said?

Did I kiss her enough times?

Did I hold her long enough?

Grief. {Part I}

Grief is a reaction to a major loss. It is most often an unhappy and painful emotion.

Is it wise to grieve publicly?

I don't know...I will soon find out...

Even when you know...that "the end" is near.... The situation is still difficult. Especially when your hurting family is 1,387 miles away. {Detroit, Michigan}


The pain grows deeper with each thought.


The wounds dig further inside with each attempt to think that life will be okay.

Life is not okay right now. And that's ok.

To feel sad. To be upset. To cry.

It's the future, the Hope, the Faith, and the Love that will allow us to move into a better emotional state, this is what I believe matters. The future.  

In the mean time..I will in fact wallow...in the pain and the hurt because I know it's only temporary...

She is indeed in a better place.. {My Beautiful Tia Lola...Q.D.E.P}

They say her house was filled with people who knew her that night....all there to celebrate who she was and now the Angels up above get the same pleasure of knowing her. {Amen.}

That hurts. But, I know it's just my selfish heart. My Aunt was in pain...only she knew how much..I can not even imagine. I will never know if she was ready. I was a coward not to ask. I was dumb not to speak about it.

Shoulda', coulda', woulda'....time is up. I will never know.

Death.

The passing of a family member is never easy.

Expected or not...it's ultimately the most difficult good-bye you will ever have to say. I've said them all too often but it had been a while...and now...it's that time again...and it's so hard.

My eyes are weary and my heart is heavy....


TO BE CONTINUED......