This treehouse represents a safe haven that shelters childhood innocence, even in the darkest of nights.Ā Trees are often symbolic to The Tree of Life, representing a connection to God and the deep roots of growth, redemption and nurture.Ā This treehouse glows with warmth, akin to the warm glow of a mother's love. Even the moon helps emanate light, casting shadows on the ground showing that she has not been alone in this journey.Ā There is so much to be admired for this beautiful person who shared her story.Ā What motivated her to make radical changes in her life was to protect the vibrancy of her child with the beautiful strength that comes from God, community and the light of preserving adventure and goodness.Ā
Watch Me Soar
Created by Shanna Robb
Inspired by a Survivor
Watch Me Soar is a tribute to a survivor who bravely stepped forward to share their journey with a stranger. With the survivorās permission, the artist took vignettes of the messages within the survivorās story and placed them under glass on both sides of the mosaic design. From the artistās viewpoint, the words were not and are not merely words of the past. They are words of encouragement that offer a glimpse at what happens when a victim finds their way out of the darkness and is given the means to
spread their wings as a survivor. āWhen you find yourself cocooned in isolation and cannot find your way out of the darkness, remember that this is similar to the place where caterpillars go to grow their wings (unknown)ā is one of many mantras that the artist referred to while mindfully cutting and placing each piece of glass within the final design. While the journey is not yet complete, Watch Me Soar aims to honor the survivorās determination, even during the darkest of times, to spread seeds of love versus hate.
āI choose to GIVE LOVE and abuse will not DEFINE ME - I will stay CONNECTED to the good - Do not hang up on me, as I am WORTHY - I have RIGHTS - I am GRATEFUL and will RISE ABOVE - I will continue to DREAM BIG - This is MY VOICE - I will let the wind LEAD ME - I feel the LOVE of others and TRUST that there is a SAFE PLACE for us - I am DETERMINED - This is MY CHILD - I envision being surrounded by a
cloud of LAUGHTER - This is MY TIME to set boundaries around my life - I am INSPIRED by nature - I deserve STABILITY - I have a VOICE and I am giving the BEST I can - I am SPREADING MY WINGS - This is a fight I will WIN WITH LOVE - My connection with my child CAN NOT BE BROKEN - Planning MY FUTURE which will overflow with JOY and HAPPINESS - CONTINUITY awaits me - I continue to BREATHE - I will OVERCOME my fears - I am PULLING WEEDS and planting seeds of LOVE for my child - MY CHOICEā
Witness
Denise ChaneyĀ
Thereās a full moon shining in my window tonight
I hear my freedom calling and I think I just might
Climb on out that window, yeah, itās my time to go
Baby I am leaving you canāt hurt me no more
Can I get a witness? For the pain in my soul
Can I get a witness? Iām letting him go
Can I get a witness? Iām begging you please
Moonlight as my witness keep on shining for me
Iāve been bruised and battered been knocked down to my knees
I promised to stay quiet if youād take care of me
Well, I have kept my promise, but you didnāt keep yours
Iāve been keeping secrets and I canāt do it no more
Can I get a witness? For the pain in my soul
Can I get a witness? Iām letting him go
Can I get a witness? Iām begging you please
Moonlight as my witness keep on shining for me
Hard road, going slow, breathe through the pain
Canāt stop now keep climbing anyway
Sunrise feels like a million years away
Until then, faithful friend, keep shining for me
Can I get a witness? For the pain in my soul
Can I get a witness? Iām letting him go
Can I get a witness? Iām begging you please
Moonlight as my witness keep on shining for me
Moonlight as my witness keep on shining for me
This painting illustrates my first home after living in a domestic violence shelter for three months.
Refugio Serguro is Spanish for Safe Haven
āa place of hope and a new beginning ā
for my children and me.
I hope to encourage other victims who are afraid to leave their home by letting them know there is always a safe haven waiting for them.
~ Liz Alley
WORDS FROM A DEAR FRIEND & SURVIVOR:
āI wanted to hide in the shadows away from the light. I wanted to disappear. But little miracles kept giving me hope. A beautiful flower pushing itās way through a tiny sidewalk crack. The look of love in my babyās eyes. These glimmers helped me be strong & rise toward the light.ā
You are safe.
You are loved.
You are strong.
You are valued.
You are worthy.
You are positive.
You are capable.
You are empowered.
You are beautiful, inside and out.
You are a Goddess.
-From the inner self
ou are blurry. You are black. You are isolated.
Trapped.
Empty.
You are there, a vivid memory. But yet so out of reach.
I catch her eyes that fade into light.
But only to feel her pain.
Before she can stop it, memories flood thru like a raging river.
His voice.
His hand on her skin.
His forceful body on hers.
The pain.
The fear.
What does she do?
She runs!
Where did she go?
Like she always has, she hides in the isolated, black, numb space of her mind.
I call out for her.
I sit and wait.
Why is she not coming back?
But I am here.
I am here!
"...and I'll hold onto you
no matter what this world'll throw...
I'll reach my hands out in the dark
and wait for yours to interlock...
ļ»æI'll wait for you.
...cause I'm not giving up.
āI will fight.
I will fight for you.
I always do until my heart
is black and blue.
And I will stay.
I will stay with you.
We'll make it to the other side."*
She is in my arms.
Relaxed.
Safe.
Loved.
Respected.
Valued.
Fearless.
Validated.
She looks up into my eyes.
Hers are big and brown.
Her skin is so soft.
Her cheeks are plump, smiling.
She is so innocent. So pure.
She is beautiful and remarkable.
*āSong Lyrics by Andy Grammer - Don't give up on me.
Our lives are filled with hardships, trials, and injustices. Some people endure far more than others.
What stood out to me in this story is the tremendous amount of courage it takes to advocate for yourself. "Keep talking until someone listens" was a quote from our conversation.
The implication here is that not everyone will listen to a story full of a plea for help, it takes immense courage to keep asking when people doubt or refuse to hear.
The other part of their that stands out is how resilient these survivors are. It is incredibly difficult to keep fighting for a voice, for understanding, for what you need, and being resilient as you battle through everything that comes with abuse: mentally, physically, and spiritually is tough. These survivors have resiliency in spades. While the road may be hard, the future is bright.
Working with these survivors has been such an incredibly rewarding experience and I am honored to have the opportunity to capture the spirit of their story in my art. In my work I show two bear cubs, living in a chaotic and unfamiliar landscape. There are hand woven embroidery patterns, which represent intentional actions we take and that are taken against us.
Overall, there is a message of hope, of thriving despite the circumstances. While we cannot always control where were are, we can take action to advocate and fight for a better future.
~ Kelly Lewis
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