A Woman's Journey

One of the hardest and best decisions of my life was leaving an unhealthy, abusive environment. I’ve shared this before in conversation amongst friends and a few family members, and I would like to share again here. I was raised in a sheltered environment in the small, rural city of Dawson, GA, a situation where I witnessed verbal, emotional, and physical abuse between my parents. I experienced verbal, emotional, and mental abuse from loved ones. I would later learn that violence is a common factor within both sides of my family, but no one talked about the effects over the years. Those familial, generational effects would later determine my views on relationships (personal and professional) and negatively shape my experiences. From those experiences, I viewed the family as the enemy. I didn’t trust anyone who shared the same blood as me. What’s even sadder is that I was taught to be that way from a young age. Everyone that knew me from school knew that I wasn’t allowed to have company or be around anyone except my immediate family, which consisted of myself, my mother, father, and older sister. Eventually, that tight-knit family would be reduced due to my parents’ separation later on.