A Love Letter to Survivors
A Love Letter to Survivors and Those Living with Violence or Abuse
To all survivors and anyone living with violence or abuse – you are more than worthy of love, of joy, of thriving. Whatever your experience is, please know that you are resilient. Because when we’re experiencing abuse, just getting to the next day takes resilience.
Let’s dismantle the notion that healing happens only after abuse ends. You can be in pain and healing all at the same time, because healing is not linear. Whatever you are experiencing now, you can find help from just one person you choose to let into your story.
Farah and her kids have a story as unique as yours. She found things like connecting with her aunt, setting up automatic payments, and having a morning routine with her children helpful – these are all examples of “protective factors,” and they can look different for everyone. Maybe someone from church sees you at the store and asks how you’re doing – even brief connections that don’t involve talking about our experiences of abuse can be meaningful for us and for our healing. There might be someone in your family or community who could help you and your kids have more time together, or help you identify ways you’ve grown or want to grow. When someone shows up in just one of these ways, whatever change happens might help make other things more possible, too.
This love letter is for you to know that what you do every day to survive and heal matters. It’s for you to know that hope and change are possible, even if bit by bit.
To learn more about the protective factors and what they might look like for adult and child survivors of domestic violence, visit: https://dvchildwelfare.org/resources/issue-brief-on-the-protective-factors-for-survivors-of-domestic-violence/.
Accessibility
This video is presented in English with closed captions in English. If you would like to request an interpretation, translation, or have other requirements to watch the video, please email us!
Questions?
Please e-mail DJ Peay at DJPeay@FuturesWithoutViolence.org
