Weak, insecure, broken, wonder how they will ever make it through this living nightmare, healing, love, the end of one thing is the beginning of another.

f you have no voice, scream
If you have no legs, run
If you have no hope, invent
What if anything were possible? – Alegria

“Try to settle things down. You can say ‘Whoa, stop, stop!’ and say ‘Sorry’ when you hurt someone” – Brandon Y, age 5

“Make silly faces and give hugs so you show happy, you show good. Mom, what do you feel about it? – Megan Y, age 3

Peace, worthy, inspiration, brave, love
“Where are going?” “Where are we growing?” Etc…

Inspire, Dream, Create, Believe

It’s not my fault… etc.

You represent the “miracle that keeps this world from falling.”
You represent life and peace.
As your gentle loving protectors we welcome your birth into this world!
We promise to support your whole humanity and dignity.
We promise to teach you your history as you create your future.
We promise to honor your needs and feelings.
You are “the sweetest gift.”

Amor, Respeto y Esperanza
Love, Respect and Hope

Now I am a persistent and positive woman.  I  grow, grow, grow, despite being denigrated, mistreated and humbled.  My roots are deep and alive.  Now I never give up.

Emanate, Elevate.

Sometimes I get sad and forget who I am. When that happens I withdraw and lose my sense of connection to others. But when I’m doing art, everything becomes clear to me. I’m able to express myself and tap into my joy and creativity. It helps me realize there’s a much bigger world that I’m connected to and I belong. This is what my Story Tree represents. I’m connected to other branches. I’m rooted in the ground. I’m reaching for the light. My world is happy and bright.

My Butterflies

Faith the Butterfly
Her mysterious evolution
So many hearts involved
Her creation guided by the angels

Faith the Butterfly
Whose angel hidden within her wings
Will touch the lives of many
Sharing her message of support
You are never alone…
She softly reminds us

Faith, Freedom and Spirit
All sisters joined in heart and soul
Will help “Bring Volume to the Silent Voices”
Of this I am certain

For my butterflies are blessings
Sent to me from above
Encouraging me to grow my wings
Bringing hope, strength and inspiration

It is my passion to share them
The Spirit of the Butterfly
Spread your wings
Soar far and wide
For this feeling is like no other
It is so wonderful to finally feel at peace

by Tina Marie

We are all products of our own decisions.
Think

Growing in all ways, always.

Re-growth, Fresh Start, A smoother path in the future.

It is our inherent right to grow… to speak without reprisal.
No Fear. No Violence. No more Shame.

I was blue, just as blue as I could be.  Everyday was a cloudy day for me — then good luck came a-knocking at my door — Skies were gray, but they’re not anymore!  Blue skies smiling at me.  Nothing but blue skies do I see!

Don’t tell, lie, sorrow, listen, daddy’s girl, be still.

Love, Respect, Strength

Joy gives you wings to fly.

Safe

The pink lettering symbolizes women helping other women.  ‘Lean on Me’ when you are not strong and I will be there.  The strong branches of the tree reach out to assist others in the world.  Daisies of Love and Hope are included.

I embrace the Beauty of Growth and nourish my soul with Love…
This is the branch that bears my fruit, that feels the pain from my troubled roots.

Be Love
Liberate

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue
An everlasting vision of the ever changing view
A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold
A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold.
— Carol King

Unlike Carol King’s tapestry of rich and royal hue
With magic bits of blue and gold,
My life has been a tapestry of ever present fear
An everlasting vision of an ever present danger
A sad woven existence with lots of black and blue.
A tapestry to feel and remember, impossible to explain.

The tapestry is made up of all of life’s experiences.
The domestic vision holds a constant threat and betrayal
That permeates every second of your being
Looking at the world through the black and blue gives a terrifying view of the world.
Every relationship is colored by it, smothered by it.

The magic is in breaking free of that black and blue frightening prison.
If you manage to survive to break free, you will eventually be a stronger person
A person who won’t tolerate abuse done to you or to anyone else.
But it takes time.  It takes a great deal of retraining your mind,
to exorcise the demons that haunted you for a long time.
To understand that no one deserves to be treated with such cruelty,
To understand that you are a wonderful, worthy person.
To know in your heart that tomorrow will be better.
To know that you can do what you thought you could not do.
To know you can put yourself first and not be a victim to anyone
To know that you can survive and be happy
To know that life doesn’t have to mean being afraid all the time.

I certainly didn’t cherish the memories of all the bad time,
but I do see now how they taught me many lessons.
From the cruel, you learn kindness,
From the stingy, you learn generosity
From the heartless, you learn sympathy
From the frightening, you learn you have to be brave

I see other people who have not had my experiences nor learned the lessons.
I see how distant they are to other people’s troubles.
I see people without souls because they haven’t been tested.
I see how important it is for people to be compassionate, sympathetic and tolerant.
I see how necessary it is for people to reach out with kindness.
I see that doing so could change the world.

For M, S, H, P, A, C, C, O, T…For you and for everyone else with a story like yours to tell.  So that there are no more stories like yours to tell.  May your daughters live without fear.  You are my life’s work.  I love you all. Pammy, Kelly, Cheryl, Marci, Lynn, Max, Jett, Carly, Olivia, Trini, Xoxhil, Cathy, Barbara, Shen, Raj, Kim, Lindsey, Rob, Liz, Jessie, Sunil- My allies, my inspiration.

For the children, we want change.

The tree trunk represents life with the abuser, and finding a way out to safety.  The sky represents life after getting help and getting out.

In Sky:
Hope, Love, Kindness, Respect, Joy, Happiness, Imagination, Trust, Solitude, Freedom, Friendship, Innocence, Relaxation, Calmness, Peacefulness, Friendship, Home, Creativity, Calm, Fun, Closeness, Laughter, Beauty, Tranquility, Healing

In Trunk:
Never believe that this is as good as it gets
No excuse
You do not deserve this
You deserve kindness
You deserve to be loved
You can not keep your children safe by staying
There is never an excuse to abuse someone
There is no peace in walking on eggshells
You do not deserve to be hurt like this
It takes more than time to heal
You are not the crazy one
You know there is something wrong
Love
Peace
Help
Nice guys don’t act like this
You deserve better
Your children deserve better
Love yourself
It is not going to stay better if you stay
It is better to be FROM a broken home than to live in one
Heal your home
Get help now
Reach out
Call for help
There is no excuse
You are not the crazy one
Your children need you to be safe
Get help
You matter
Staying in the situation is never helping your kids

Spirit, Dream, Compassion

Amongst turmoil, life will always give us windows of opportunity to allow love to come into our hearts, to have hope that there will be better days ahead and ways to regain our self-respect and direction.  When confronted with “closed doors,” look for windows!

Dream, Empowerment, Courage

Stronger than you think you are

“When the Bough Breaks”

He hit me hard
I hit the wall
I saw stars
I went numb
I told him to leave
I heard my timid voice
I gave myself instructions-

“Make” yourself hysterical!
FORCE yourself to be loud!
Be bolder than you feel!
Kick this tyrant out!
Do it! Do it NOW!

Shocked and perhaps, even frightened
He stared like I was a stranger,
A women of power and substance
A spirit entered and shielded me
His pathetic apologies bounced off me
He fled our fractured home.

For one astonishing moment
(Were the stars celestial after all?)
I had let myself love ME
More than I loved to be with him,
Or, at least pretended that I did
Until I could learn how.

-Kesa Kivel

“If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen.”

I want to share art in a way that could make a difference.

Thank you AWBW for allowing me to grow and heal.

One can never change the past, only the hold it has on you.

Friendship, Tolerance, Love, Respect, Forgiveness, Hope, Charity, Laughter

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.
“Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow” – Shakespeare
We are all connected by a thread called life.

Love is the most powerful energy in the Universe – let it flow through you, share it with all you meet.

Il m’est souvent arrive de ramasser une feuille.

Ayuda/Help, Apoyo/Support, Voluntad/Will, Esperanza/Hope, Valor/Courage, Fuerza/Strength

Threats and intimidation, isolation, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, harassment, physical abuse, sexual violence.

Pasion, amor, respeto, libertad, confianza, honestidad, lealtad, apoyo, y ternura es lo que toda mujer mereze tener.

Passion, love, respect, freedom, trust, honesty, loyalty, support and tenderness is what all women deserve to have.

Embrace, Engage, Emerge

This bird is in control and capable of staying in flight.  She can flap her wings hard and fast enough to hold her own…  We can never accept nor tolerate the devaluation of another person, for by such acceptance, we devalue ourselves… Recognize and honor your feelings.

I am grateful for the seeds of inspiration God placed in me; here are but few names of those who helped me grow… Love, Kim

Strong, Independent, Feel

Believe, Hope, Dream!