Pasted in from today's
Wolf's Daily Howl


All too often, all I have to report is bad news.

Today is different.
Today I attended a wedding.

When I met the bride, a handful of years ago,
she had just come to clarity that she was being
victimized in an emotionally abusive marriage.

The couple had to children together.

She and her children were all in pain.

Slowly, one foot in front of the other,
she extricated herself. Life wasn't easy.
The split necessitated shared custody.
The kids were having issues.

A.F. was coming to HEAL circles, so
I was up to date on her progress forward.
She had to finish some classwork to get
her nursing degree licensed. She had to
untangle the threads of her splitting and
ending marriage. She got a divorce decree
and still had to deal with the now-ex as a
co-parent and the impact of the abusive
ex on the children.

And then. . . . a number of years down the
line. . . . an invitation arrived. An invitation
to a wedding.

So, once a victim backed up against a wall
because the abuser was needing an anger fix,
tonight she's beginning a new life with a heart
filled with hope and a new partner.

Since she was at HEAL circles for several years
I'm reasonably confident that she screened this guy
thoroughly!

(He looked like a solid choice. He played guitar
and sang her a song, during the ceremony. Only
time will tell.)

All good wishes to the bride and her family.

And to others at ealier stations in their journey,
please know that life free from abuse can be
sooooo much better. You've got to get out
safely; you've got to get through the transitions.
You've got to keep keepin' on.

Happiness is possible.