Love and Safety..Ending Domestic Violence

October is Breast Cancer Month...my world for the past several years has been bathed in Pink. Last week I learned that October is also Domestic Abuse Month...this year I will add some Purple to the Pink.                                                                                                                
I just arrived home from a most remarkable adventure that  will forever be a life changing event in my life. I was so blessed to have the love and support of my husband as he not only made the 600 mile trip, to Seattle, WA to the beginning of the 3Day Walk, but followed the route in a strange city to cheer me on! Thank God for the GPS and cars and vans covered with pink :)

In the 46 (nearing 47) years of our marriage we have shared more adventures and challenges than I would care to count. Many times we have moved to new areas and set up our home and endeavored to make it a safe haven for our family and many times friends and strangers. Raising 5 children together and finding a balance of love, cuddles and discipline.

Our marriage is a normal marriage and has not been without it's difficult times. Through those unsettled times violence has never been an option. This last week I was made VERY aware of how blessed I am to be able to live within the walls of a "Safe Zone".

Domestic violence came closer to home than ever before through the marriage of a family friend. Lives in that home and the lives of extended family are changed forever. A husband and father sits alone in a jail cell contemplating his violent actions. A wife and mother lies in critical condition fighting for her life. The lives of their children are in limbo as they try to understand the upheaval in their lives and what is to come. Friends and family are rocked to the core with the horror of it all.

Many times in these cases blame can be placed at the feet of both parties but blame is not what it is all about now. Safety, security and wise choices are what we look back on and wonder how the outcome could have been different. Could we have somehow had a more positive influence in these lives?

This year I will not only be walking for the end to Breast Cancer 3Day San Diego but will look for a way to be a part of bringing an end to Domestic Abuse.

If you or someone you know is living in a potentially violent environment reach out.  Find that  person or BE that person who offers understanding and a safety net. There is no shame in reaching out for help. Your life or the life of someone you love may be dependent on that choice.

Wishing each of you a life of love, safety!