Hi Friends,

I posted this on NVSS yesterday, but I realized that I needed to share it with my friends on P&EA, too.

I am proud to announce that today is officially one year of no contact with my pathologically jealous, abusive, narcissist ex. A year ago this morning, I miraculously picked myself up off my bathroom floor after spending 6 hours of shaking uncontrollably while mentally checking out from my life.

All of this occurred after enduring 14 straight hours of violent raging and threats of murder/suicide from him. We were together 3 years, of which the first year was strictly friendship. After a year together, it blossomed into what appeared to be an incredible romance between two best friends. A year and half into our relationship he revealed his pathological jealousy to me and from there the danger and abuse escalated on a daily basis.

I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart, that I'm not certain I would have made it to this anniversary without all the advice, love, support and friendship that I unconditionally received out here.

Yes, sometimes I still mourn the loss of the person I thought was my soulmate and the love of my life. I still struggle to try to understand and accept everything that happened. And, I am still very much a work in progress. The last year of my life was filled with many tears and much hurt and a whole lot of therapy.

However, reflecting back on the last year of my life I realize how much I would have missed out on, if I hadn't found the strength to safely free myself from his grip. In this year:

I have gone to two family weddings
I became an auntie to one of my good friend's daughter
I celebrated the births of two cousins
I helped my brother buy and move into his first house
I discovered how fun it is to become a red-head
I learned how to decorate cakes
I have watched dozens of breathtaking sunsets on the beach
I saw a waterspout over the Atlantic ocean
I finally painted my kitchen and living room
I started learning how to play the guitar
I helped my mom rebound from back surgery and blood clots
I did tons of fun things w/my nieces ( recitals, sleepovers, concerts)
I saw a couple of great comedy shows
I tracked down and reunited with a friend I haven't seen in 12 years
I won $500 on a slot machine
I sang karaoke at a local pub
I helped a friend decorate her new condo
I supported a friend/coworker through her battle with breast cancer
I baked one hell of a carrot cake for a friend's birthday
I held my sister's hand while she had an MRI done
I joined a charity group doing community projects
I met a whole bunch of truly incredible friends on DS

And the list goes on and on...

Yeah, none of those things on their own are going to change the world, but this list serves as a strong reminder to me of my worth in a lot of people's lives and to myself. A worth that is so much greater than the "so-called" love of one very broken and abusive man.

Thank you a million times to all of you. Please love yourself, because I love all of you. xoxo