Dear John and Jane:

One day as I was sitting next to my mother who was on her last breath, she leaned over to me and said, "Jane, promise me that one day you will find your voice." It broke my heart because my precious mother's voice would soon be gone and would only be heard or remembered in memories. As I began to process and walk through the childhood trauma I suffered at the hands of a cultic and abusive church-school I sought ways to keep my promise to my mother. Sharing trauma and stories that contain triggering memories of abuse are not easy to write or speak. Remembering and reliving is daunting and often times brings up other associated unpleasant memories and flashbacks. However, one day it dawned on me that I can never find my voice if I do not begin to share.  I struggled with the platform and how to begin and the idea of writing anonymous letters to my abusers to share about the trauma and abuse they inflicted on me has opened a realm of healing for me.  There is a battlefield in our country of the walking wounded childhood survivors and as we stare out onto the battlefield of our trauma, may we all know that we are no longer voiceless survivors, but powerful voices of thrivers. 

*All names have been altered to Jane or John to protect the identity of the thrivers.