Blog Carnival for Child Abuse Prevention Month

Mike of the Child Abuse Suvivor site is hosting this year's Blog Carnival for Child Abuse Prevention Month.  Surf over there, check it out and think about what you can do to help prevent Child Abuse.  [hat tip to Survivors Can Thrive]

Passover - a Time of Renewal

I've been enjoying Passover this year.  With only 2 more days to go, I'm not tired of matzah and not craving hametz (the term used for the foods forbidden on Passover).  Why do I feel this way?  Perhaps it is because I am have been working on my inner self as well.  Searching for the inner hametz - the crumbs which I've left unattended and are now growing things.  It is so easy to let them go and lie there, but when we let the inner stuff go unattended - they always seem to come back in negative ways.

So - whether or not you are Jewish, are keeping Passover, or have even heard of Passover - - I hope that you are finding ways to deal with your internal crumbs.

RAINN PSA about Sexual Abuse

RAINN (rape, abuse &  incest national networ) has a new PSA (public service announcement) with a powerful message to survivors about knowing themselves and not giving the power to the abusers.  Watch it on YouTube or on the RAINN website.

More inspiration - Olympic Medalist Tells Her Story of Survival

If you watched women's swimming in last summer's olympics you might remember silver medalist Margaret Hoelzer.  Well her strength and heroism are only partly found in the pool.  She is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.   She courageously told her story recently and ESPN reporter Wayne Drehs published it.  Read her story of courage and healing on the ESPN site. 

Sisterhood from another blogger

The community nature of blogging, especially issue blogs, helped me today.  Little sheep from the blog my (sick and ugly-but getting better) story emailed.  I read some of her blog and felt the empathy and sisterhood across the miles.  Thank you.

Scandal at Oprah's School??

My friend Nancy has an articulate and meaningful post on the possible scandal at Oprah's school in South Africa.

Been a While

Yet again it has been too long since I posted to the blog. No good reason why - well, when I really look in I know the reason - - not working enough on this part of myself. My story has a different role in my life than it used too, but of course that doesn't mean I shouldn't pay attention to it. (Yes, I am preaching to myself.)

Recap of My Thanksgiving

I hope that you are having a good holiday weekend (considering all of the bad news in the world). I was blessed to enjoy an amazing and delicious Thanksgiving dinner with friends. The food was great and the conversation even better. The four-day weekend has been nice and relaxing with the usual Shabbat services and volunteering - and sleeping in this morning.
As pleasant as some aspects were, the entire time was overshadowed by the horrors of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.  A long nightmere that seems to get worse every time I learn more information.

Shanah Tovah U'metukah

Just a quick post to wish you and yours a peaceful, healing, hopeful and successful 5769.  Happy New Year!  :-);

A Sister Blogger

Thank you to NechaBasha in Boston for a powerful High Holy Day ritual idea for an abuser who has died. She wrote about it in a comment on an earlier post. You can find the comment here near the bottom of the page. If find her idea powerful, strengthening and in a way that interests me, it is tangibly Jewish and connected to our tradition.

I have long felt that our tradition encourages us, prods us and even commands us to find healing and hope. (I am not in any way justifying being abused or our abusers abusing us. In no way. I am just sharing with you one of the ways that I cope.) NechaBasha's idea resonates tradition and healing.

I invite you to check out her website, JIST - Jewish Incest Survivors Together.

May our rituals this High Holy Days strengthen and heal us.

Under Palin's leadership, Wasilla, AK required women to PAY for their rape exams

Imagine the nightmere of being raped.  Then imagine having the courage to go to the hospital for treatment and to get a rape exam so that the evidence is collected which may help convict the rapist. These are both difficult, painful, challening things to do which rap victims need to do to help themselves and hold the rapist accountable.

Now imagine getting a bill for the hospital treatment.  Think about what it would be like to get such a bill.  Now you have to monetarily pay for the rape exam along with all the many other ways that the victim/survivor will pay for the exam.

If you lived in Wasilla, Alaska when Gov. Sarah Palin was mayor, you would be familiar with the above.  Mayor Palin acted against Alaska law and required women to pay for their rape kits - around $1000.

See the CNN story for all the details.

This shows how much Gov. Palin cares about women, their health, their well-being, and for holding rapists accountable.
This is also an example of how as mayor Palin was willing to violate state law for her agenda.  Do we really want her as VP and potential President?

Scary.

Hat tip to Nancy (via Facebook).