National Child Abuse Prevention Month – Day 2

April 2, 2020

7:00 a.m

**A trigger warning has been placed on this content**

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Living in a Safe Place

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

March 30, 2020

9:43 p.m.

Never in a million years would I’ve ever thought the place and space I would grow up in as a child would be full of broken safety. I spent a lot of time trying to find my place in the world. I never felt like I fitted in anywhere. I was always the outsider in the group. I had a hard time making friends even before the abuse happened. I made up in my mind that I was just different instead unwanted. I just wanted to feel safe and that’s what happen when I started writing my feelings down on paper.

I wrote in the dark with tears stream down my face many nights. I allowed my journal to keep my secrets feelings of suicide and low self-esteem so I could sleep at night. I continued this practice well throughout my teenage years to cope with my abuse. I couldn’t trust anyone so I decide to trust me and the way I showed trust to myself was through my nightly writing session in the dark.

Photo by Josh Nuttall on Unsplash

When I became an adult I transitioned into writing songs and poems to continue to strengthen this very safe place I had created for myself with the support of God’s hand on my shoulder for reassurance that things would get better just keep writing yourself those letters. It has been a pivotal part of my healing process that I continue to do each and every day. Although I have come a long, long way from when I first started this journey I still have some work to finish. I hope your safe place is still safe for you as well.

With lots of love and a big hug,

Lakell

Living with Inner Me

When I received the great news from my boss that I was leaving from work in ten hours instead of twelve hours today I said”Ok, that’s good. I’ll be able to go ahead and get the gym out the way.” Right? Right!! I was excited and ready to go. So, when the time clock struck 16:06 p.m. I was out the door. This is when the nonsense in my mind began.

Now I’m driving down the street as the entrance of my job gets smaller and smaller in my rear view mirror until it was out of sight. I’m feeling good and energized about hitting that elliptical machine as soon as possible. Then all of a sudden something happened.

As I was making a left turn onto the expressway an extreme heaviness suddenly came over me. My eyes started to water and my mouth is stretched open wide with the repeated sounds of yawning coming out of it over and over again. Ok really? so now I am tired? “Umm ok but you are still going to the gym.” I said to myself. The closer I got to the gym the more exhausted I became. It was ridiculous. I promise this has been happening more and more lately with the things I really need to accomplishment. Not today sis. Not today.

So, as I continue to make my way to the gym, the inner me says” stop by the house and drop off your lunch bag and take a nap.” At this time, I’m full-blown tears in the eyes tired. That nap sounds really good and feels really necessary. So, I told the inner me “No. I will drop off the lunch bag so the food in it won’t spoil then I will get dressed and get back in the car to go to the gym.” Well I think you can imagine how that worked out. I eventually got back in the car but it took a few minutes longer of course. I should’ve taken my behind straight to the gym. But noooo I had fresh lunch bag food that need to be refrigerated. Just another excuse provided by the inner me.

I’m back in the car and the inner me says” Why are you pushing yourself to go to this gym? You can work on losing weight tomorrow.” What in the world in going on? This inner me chic is acting foolish as I continue to make my way to this gym. She will not win at sabotaging my effort. Not today or tomorrow. Finally I have arrived. Now here’s the funny part.

I walked in, said hello and gave the young lady my key chain badge. She says” Have a nice workout” as I began to walk towards the ladies’ locker room and low and behold this feeling of exhaustion hits my body again. Nope I’m here now. I will work out. I picked up my water bottle and my towel and walked out the locker room. Then next thing to happen is a total inner me move. I walk up to the elliptical machine, put my water bottle down and begin to step up on the machine as the inner me begins to say” I don’t like this machine.” So, because I was already tired, I stepped down off the machine and spent the next five minutes walking around the gym to find another machine I liked or I was leaving. Who is this person? and what the hell is going on? The inner me chic was really pushing her luck. So, after my self-imposed tour around the gym I went back into the locker room to regroup as I told my inner me” We are not leaving this gym without working out.” and that’s just what I did. I got my mind right and my thirty-minutes of cardio in. I felt really accomplished and happy about pushing past how I felt in the moment to give my body what it really needed. Now I can rest and know I did everything I was supposed to do. Despite the inner workings of the inner me.

Salute to the Savior Sunday

Hey friend,

How are you feeling today? Not so well . Sorry to hear this is going on with you right now.  May I pray for you? You said yes. Ok well here you go.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for waking me up this morning to see another day.

I woke with a clear heart and mind ready to receive the blessing of this day.

I thank you for all the connections whether new or old that will come my way today.

I pray the reconnection will be a blessing to us both.  I pray for my family and friend’s health and wellbeing so they may operate in your Will today, Lord.

I surrender and trust your Will for my life as well Lord.

I will continue to learn my craft in order to perfect my assignment.

Thank you for trusting me with such a fulfilling purpose, Lord.

In your name I pray,

AMEN

I hope this prayer is a blessing for you my friend.

With Hugs and Love,

Lakell

Living in Singleness

Hey friend,
How are you feeling? Pretty good. I’m glad to hear that life is treating you well today.
How am I doing? I’m ok. Better than I was yesterday.  Since the last time we talked alot has happened in my life that I want to share with you.
I dealt with breakup from someone who I trusted with my heart.  He motivated me daily to move forward in everything I wanted to do. We laughed, we cried and sometimes we just spent priceless time just listening to each other.  I needed and wanted all of that so much I ignored the subtle signs.
Why would I not trust him?
Our love for music, family and the desire to create freely matched up so well I felt like we had met before.  I didn’t realize it at the time but I needed him to fill this hole in my soul. The desire to be wanted.  I gave him the responsibility of showing me he wanted me consistently in order for me to feel loved. Although he wasn’t faithful neither was I.  I haven’t been faithful with myself for a long time.
Looking back I realize although I was in a relationship for thirteen years and married for three I never really lived in my singleness.
I moved in with my ex-husband who was my boyfriend at the time when I was eighteen.  Not because I loved him but because I couldn’t get along with my mother’s boyfriend.  He was verbally abuse to me and my siblings when my mother wasn’t around.  She said during one of our many agruements one day started by him ” One of you have to go” so I left and she let me leave.  I was now living with my boyfriend to escape my current situation. No alone time there.
Fast forward to thirteen years later the feeling of uncomfortableness grew unbearable so I separated myself from my husband. Someone had my attention during this transition which made it easier to leave. No alone time here either.
This has continued for the last eight years.  I was afraid to be alone with myself forget about being single. It was not a time of reflection but a time of depression.  I was struggling to survive emotionally.  I need to be in a relationship since that was all I knew.
Yesterday I came across a sermon by Pastor Michael Todd from Transformation Church on youtube. You should really check it out.
He talked about how important it is to live in your singleness.  Hmm I never thought about it as being a necessary stage in life.   I thought I needed to be in a relationship quickly after my divorce since I was getting older which is not true at all.
My last relationship was a mirror of some of my insecurities and weakness. I blamed him for being dishonest when I was dishonest with myself. I often appreciated the time we weren’t together because I knew if we were together all the time I would commit my everything to him instead of HIM. It scared me that I may neglect my goals to be in relationship. That fear was a sign that this isn’t the time to be in any relationship.  I know now I need to focus on what God wants me to do. Everything will fall into place in His time.
Well friend I’ll talk to you later.
With Hugs and Love,
Lakell

Mental Suicide

Dear Thoughts,

You are not always there for me.

Like I expect

You’re sometimes mean to me.

Like I expect

You are that comfortable pain.

Like I expect

But don’t misunderstand

Although I expect different

Sometimes different is unhealthy

That’s why I require daily check-ins

Just to make sure we’re still ok

Although suicide was the plan

I take a stand.

To fight for our mental state.

 

Learning to love me always,

Lakell

 

How are you feeling mentally?

A Second Chance for Closure

02/18/01:59

This moment really took my breath away. When I was 11yrs old my stepfather molested me on the way to and from this agency.  When we arrived they were closed so I never made it inside as child.  It was the worst car ride of my life.

But it’s funny how this second chance was presented to me.

I was at work when I was invited to a comedy show by this guy. He handed me his card and suggested that I should come out to his comedy show.

As I glanced at it, I noticed it had the name” William-Reynolds Agency” on the bottom line of this business card.  I couldn’t believe it.  I just assumed that this business would be closed after all these years.

Once I found out they were still open I promised myself that I would finally make it inside.   I just wanted to be step inside just for a minute as I was suppose to do that morning years ago.

So on June 5, 2015 I walked in the door of the agency FREELY.  I was completely overwhelmed as I just stood there in the middle of the floor.  A young woman named Mrs. J. Jackson greeting me with “How may I help you?”  I replied”  I just want to stand here.” I’m trying so hard to keep from crying.  She then replied without hestitation” I will stand with you then” as she wrapped her arms around.  I cried and cried.  I couldn’t hold it anymore.  Because I finally made it in.

With Hugs and Love,

Lakell

Salute to the Savior Sunday

 

02/18/00:23

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for waking me up this morning.

I feeling ready and rested to live in this day.

I am grateful.

I am honored to be chosen by you Lord.

Thank you for a  second chance to begin again.

I will follow your lead.

I will surrender to your WILL.

I grow along the way.

In your Name I pray,

AMEN

Affirm + Love

02/11/23:54pm

Hey Survivors,

Be confident in the love you give.

It is a direct reflection of who you are to the world.

It’s a responsibility that only the strong can carry.

I will take my life and share it in your life so you can be the light of the next life you come in contact with today.

Show everything.

Transfer the apparent scarred parts so they can be seen.

This is where life is introduced to the lesson.

Be confident in the love you give.

It is a direct reflection of who YOU are to the world.

With Hugs and Love,

Lakell

What lesson have you learned from love?

Salute to the Savior Sunday

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for allowing me to see another day.

Another chance at this life to live.

I want to thank you today for your love, Lord

You love me when I have a hard time loving myself.

you whisper sweet reminders to my soul that only your love is real.

When you talk to me I hear love.

When you answer me I feel love.

When you protect me your covering is love.

When you change me I see love.

Thank you for you are the light of my life, Lord

In your name

I pray

AMEN