my mom is starting a new life

domestic violence; violence against women Y’all. I’m being vulnerable. I’m asking for help. Read on. I’d like to share something deeply personal—a story that includes some dark and painful moments, but one that is a triumph story nonetheless. Because I believe that sometimes it takes a village, I’m hoping to share this with my village today. I don’t particularly care about birthdays, to be honest, but September is my birthday month as well as my mom’s. So if you like birthdays, you have a chance to make ours beyond special this year. I’m going to be 27 years old on Sunday! And my mom is finally leaving my father after 27 years of domestic abuse. She’s breaking away from a cycle of abuse that has lasted for as long as I’ve been alive. Domestic violence may very well have affected people in your families, people you love, or yourselves. You may know that the world isn’t really set up to help survivors break free from their abusers. It isn’t easy. I’m so proud of her. This is probably the most difficult moment of our lives, but I couldn’t be happier for this new chapter. I am grateful to find myself in the right circumstances to help my mom out of that life right now. I can’t wait to start this new life with her, in a new home, writing a new story, surviving, thriving, living… I’m getting my mom and myself a new place, and that is super exciting but super expensive. My mom doesn’t have an income at the moment. While I can afford rent, I could definitely use a hand with the initial costs of making a security deposit, getting help to actually move, buying food and supplies for the first few weeks.