Violence UnSilenced

We are going to switch gears this week.  We won’t be talking about one particular author.  Instead, we will be featuring a group of people.

These people have found the strength to speak out about domestic violence and sexual assault.  They have more courage than most of us could ever hope for.  They are the men and women of Violence UnSilenced.

This blog was created with the sole intention of shedding light on the epidemics of domestic violence and sexual assault by giving their survivors a voice.

This blog, like domestic violence, is not limited to opposite-sex relationships. The intent is not to limit anyone at all, in fact. Domestic violence and sexual assault affect everyone they touch in myriad ways. The idea here is to enlighten the blogosphere on just how pervasive this problem is.

Please help support these brave men and women by visiting Violence UnSilenced and by taking the pledge to hear and honor what they have to say.

Subscribe to Violence UnSilenced’s Feed –> Feedburner | RSS 2.0 | RSS | Atom

The Bean

What if…

What if I had never subscribed to Maggie, Dammit’s blog?  What if I hadn’t gone back to see what her visitors had to say?  What if that one comment hadn’t jumped out at me and made me belly laugh?  What if I never clicked on the visitor’s link and discovered the world of The Bean?

It’s sad to know that I would’ve missed the tears that streamed down my face when I laughed so hard from reading Achoo. It also sucks to realize that I would have missed out on not only the post itself, but the comments left by Beej’s visitors.

If you ask me (and yes, I am painfully aware that no one has), it’s the SNEEZER who should be required to say something, like “Excuse me” or “Pardon me” or “Sorry I snotted on you.” The SNEEZEE shouldn’t be obligated to say anything except maybe “Gross! You just snotted on me!” possibly followed by some retching sounds.

What if I hadn’t laughed so hard at that blog post? Would I have moved on to another blog? Would I have ever known that Beej’s husband is a superhero who ruined Sam Elliott’s life? Would I ever have been reassured that I am not in fact, the clumsiest person in the world?

What if I had found Beej’s blog months ago? What if I had subscribed to The Bean and I had jumped over to her site when she posted The Mystery of the Desk Booger? Would I have figured out what the desk booger really was? Would I have won the prize?

Sure seemed like a typical Thursday morning. But then I looked down at my desk and immediately recoiled, shouting “Eeeww! Desk booger!” And then I ran away.

After a few minutes of hiding in the break room I thought to myself, “Self, that thing was really big, and really WHITE, and it might not have been an actual booger. It might be something else, and you can’t sit here in the break room all day hiding from it. Even if it WAS a booger you still have to come to terms with it and get to work.” So I went back to my desk to investigate and take pictures.

What if I had never discovered that it’s okay to have a post with only 20 words and it is acceptable to conclude said post with a 1,208 word footnote?

What if Beej didn’t have 14 pages of archives when I decided I needed to read each and every single post she’d written? Would I have stayed up until 4am reading, knowing full well that I had to get up at 6? Would I have done dishes today instead of reading? Would I have remembered it was lunch time without my children reminding me that they were going to die of starvation?

What if you don’t like cursing. Or sarcasm. Or things that are Awesome? Then you most definitely will not love The Bean as much as I do and you should totally not subscribe to her feed.

What if Sprite’s Keeper hadn’t decided that this week’s Spin Cycle should be “What If…”?

That Day from Okay Fine Dammit

Recently I read a post that I cannot get out of my head.  The story was written by Maggie, the owner of a blog known as Okay Fine Dammit.

Although her post was written almost a year ago and the event itself took place in the early 90’s, you will feel as though you are there with Maggie, living through the unthinkable series of events. Goosebumps will cover your body. You will have a knot in your stomach. A lump will rise in your throat and your heart will ache.

Maggie’s heartbreaking story will make you appreciate life more.  You will want to live each day to the fullest.

I recommend that you skip the excerpts and go straight to Maggie’s post, which is simply entitled The Day.

…… I remember watching the dog in the side view mirror as we drove, marveling at the way her smile ballooned with the wind. It seemed she didn’t want to miss a single breath…

I take solace in the peace I’m sure she felt in her last moments on this earth…

It’s possible my best friend was driving too fast, I don’t recall. In those days we all drove too fast…

Watching the world reduce itself to a pinprick of light as we spun and spun and spun. A profound feeling of peace, and the singular thought, “Oh. This isn’t so bad.”

Read Maggie’s story in its entirety
Visit Okay Fine Dammit
Subscribe to Maggie’s Feed