Everyday we pass by people on the streets, people we may know and some who are complete strangers to us. Most of the time we walk by with a smile and a nod, never knowing that behind that smile covers the real story of the hurt and pain someone could be going through at that particular moment in time. Going our separate ways, we don't really even give it a second thought for people are good at putting on a mask and hiding behind that mask their true feelings. Yet if we were to look closer, if they were to remove the mask in this masquerade they take part in every day, their true story would be revealed.
In today's society, the truth about abuse is something hidden out of sight, something that is kept silent from people because no one wants to believe that something so terrible could happen. Yet in so many homes, violence breaks out, turning a loving, safe home into a battlefield where innocent lives are shattered apart and where they are caught in the middle of a dangerous war zone. Some are forced to grow up too fast, living in fear of the very people who are supposed to be there to protect them and keep them safe from harm, who are supposed to love them and cherish them. Yet, behind closed doors, they fight for their very lives every single day, wondering if they will survive to see another day. Depression settles in, tears are shed each night, hearts cry out wanting to be heard, but silence takes over, leaving innocent souls trapped and imprisoned. Some are afraid to speak out for fear of what will happen if they do. For the ones who do make it out and escape, leaving behind that life of terror they once knew, they don't always know where to go or how to start to rebuild their lives. The aftermath of the abuse they suffered leaves them with so many personal battles they fight daily just to get through each day. It's easier to put on that smile, to pretend everything is okay, and to separate those true feelings from everything else. Most of the time survivors view themselves as broken and damaged, not seeing how truly beautiful they are.
Born To Be, Inc. is a non profit organization based in McKinney, Texas that was created and set up to try to start a retreat and resource center(it originally started out as a petition to try to get government funded schools started for abuse victims and survivors but has since changed)for survivors and victims of abuse to go to where they can learn to overcome the past, to see they can have a second chance in life
*a hero is someone the world perceives as ordinary but who is doing something extraordinary to make a difference and a change in this world*
Jenna Kandyce Linch
Author and Fellow Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Survivor
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