Jamie Annette

😄 If you’re into natural health, this is exciting news!!!

With hair draped down like a warm blanket
To shelter her from the wind
Her only wish was for that same warmth
To guard and protect her heart

Photo credit: Ira Meyer Photography

Because October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and coincidentally the month I was forever set free from my abuser, I sometimes like to share a bit about my experience and what abuse can look like.

Abuse tends to come on very slowly with a narcissist, and many effective tactics are used to manipulate their partner, usually empaths. Because of the gradual evolution into abuse, the early signs are not always obvious. By the time one is aware of the magnitude and depth of the abuse, it’s extremely hard to get away, and one of the most dangerous times of the abused’s life. Leaving brings a very high chance of being unalived by the abuser. Sharing our stories helps bring awareness to the early signs so that others do not fall prey to this destruction, and they have a chance to either avoid it or get out while it’s still early.

Writing is one way that I like to express my emotions and it’s usually through poetry. This is one I wrote about my personal struggle through abuse and rebuilding and repairing my life in the aftermath. There is light at the end of the tunnel, you just have to crawl your way out any way you can.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, please reach out in the safest way possible and always, always, take precautions and protect yourself! There are people that can help. The DV Hotline number is 800-799-7233.

Here’s one of my poems and I made a little audio/visual as well 🥰❤️🙏

____________________

have you seen me?

because my soul was shattered into a million pieces
my spirit was crushed, smooshed into the soil by the sole of life’s shoe
my heart was hardened, unable to beat through the clenching of his selfish fists
and my existence was lost, cowering in the shadows of his endless rage, searching for any sign that the sun might come

but the days just grew darker, and I cowered deeper, grasping my chest while looking frantically for the pieces of me that I knew. they were gone, nowhere to be found, even though I felt their essence like faded memories of preschool playmates. were they ever really there?

a new me has blossomed, a huge f*ck you to the one that tried so hard to crush me into nothing. You see nothing can stop what God has destined to be. You were nothing but a stepping stone to my own greatness. I built mansions of gold with the sh*t you threw at me. A true alchemist of this great Universe. Now it’s I that live on and guide my own destiny, steering my own unsinkable ship to the island of paradise that emerged from the mud of your self inflicted demise.

Have you seen me? This version of me has never lived before. I must trust the wisdom that grew from my experiences even though the path is unclear ahead. The water is deep and the clouds are daunting and the growing waves keep tossing me around. I know now that I man the unsinkable ship that was once tossed, thrown, and broken upon the shores. I have grown to love this beautiful vessel that has been rebuilt even stronger by my own weak and blistered hands. From its deck I can see the whole beautiful Universe, and it is but a reflection of who I am, I look around and I now see me.

Won’t be wearing this for a while, as we’re heading into sweater weather 🥶 Perfect for cuddling though 🥰 What’s your favorite time of the year?

in solitude she lays,
hair draped for display,
longing for the days
she believed love would find her….