Editor’s note: The following was submitted by Steps to HOPE in observance of October as Domestic Violence Awareness month.
The alarm goes off before 5 a.m., and in a sleepy haze I tell myself, “Just five more minutes, please.”
My eyes flutter open as covers are tossed aside and bare feet make contact with the floor. Yawning and stretching, I begin my day with a familiar mantra: “Okay, time to get moving on this hopeful new day.”
Many people begin each day with hope. They have modest hopes for a pleasant day, rain, happiness or good health. Often they hope for something more complex, like the healing of a family member who is gravely ill or help for those addicted to some form of substance. There are an endless number of things people have hope for throughout their waking moments.
For victims of domestic violence, however, hope can be hard to come by, according to Steps to HOPE officials. Victims often come to Steps to HOPE because abuse has destroyed any hope for their situation or the possibility of a healthy, productive future. These victims are bruised and battered, sometime physically, always emotionally, with no idea how to get through today, much less tomorrow.
Steps to HOPE officials said many victims find hope in their belief that by educating the batterer through their Domestic Abuse Intervention Program (DAIP), they will help end the cycle of domestic violence.
Each day, Steps to HOPE officials said, they hope that by helping to rebuild lives with understanding, encouragement, judicial process assistance and resources, they will empower domestic violence survivors so that they might start each new day with hope.
– article submitted
by Cherie Wright