You robbed my innocence
Exposing and violating me
time and time again.
Destroying my spirit,
my pride, my soul.
I was your victim.

To disrupt the stigma around family violence, we have to face the harsh realities. Once you are more aware, you will start to recognize what is out there. And there are no trigger warnings in real life.

The anguish comes in waves.

The biggest crashes are when my children cry out for you. They are innocent and unknowing of what you have done to me, and what you have done to them.

I cheated death..

5 years ago I came face-to-face with my mortality.

This is what I learned..

How to cherish life.. consider that everything you experience could be for the last time

One-in-three women also share this secret! It's something that fills us with shame, pain, self-blame... and fear! We become experts at keeping this secret, leading those around us to think everything's okay and that we've got this.

I hope you never have to experience this or never have. 

Three years ago one of my friends died in a brutal, violent, senseless way.

Her death in a murder / suicide killing spree in central Alberta shook my world.

I am no stranger to domestic abuse. I lived with it for most of my life. Does that make it any harder (or easier) to process, to deal with, to understand violence & abuse? No. Not really. Why?

Don’t Give Up!

That’s my best advice.

Thank you for stopping by.
xo Deena

p.s. If you’ve already got one foot out the door… with the noise of your Fear & Doubts honking outside…

How are those resolutions going?

It’s only a few days into this shiny brand new year & I am willing to bet you’re already struggling with the resolutions, goals & promises you made to yourself.. amiright?

Stop. Beating. Yourself. Up.

Cuz resolutions suck.

And here’s why…

True story:

It was a cold dark winter night when a random stranger suddenly & unexpectedly appeared right in front of my car. He was carrying something in his hand, but my brain didn’t register what it was in time.

Before I realized what he was up to,