I STILL LIFT MY HEAD

Frayed edges, dulled senses

that is my present existence

Anger so intense yet gagged

Frustration from every angle

yet I dare not express my feelings

Expression will lead to vilification

Am standing on the edge of society’s chasm of poverty

Sometimes icy cold hands of despair

want to cease my soul in its clutches

It is a constant battle not to succumb

to the bleakness of seemingly unending troubles

When it seems am bowing down to the crushing disappointment

from everything and everyone around me

I reach out for help

Many times I grasp the emptiness of human fallibility

and waves of disappointment and discouragement try to swallow me up

So I’ve learnt to reach inside myself and find the hope I’ve received

That is why I still lift my head

I walk about, I speak up and I reach out to help others

and am reminded that in spite of the challenges, I am still valuable to my world

The waves may want to swallow me up, the storms may rage

Tongues of flaming fire may be stretching to reach me

but I will not be consumed, I know  I will still emerge victorious

This is why I still lift my head

Braced for Elevation

Danielle's Book Cover

Broken & Braced was birthed on November 2015 and the first person who shared her story with me was Danielle Simms.

She was not hampered by shame or the world's judgement, all she cared about was helping others with her story.

These were her words in her reply to my Facebook message requesting her participation:

I would be very interested in joining and participating. I have gone through a lot as a child and adult, not that I have gone through worse then some have by any means, but I think that my experiences could help others or reach out to let someone else know that they are not alone.

8 hours after our initial Facebook chat, she had sent me her first few pages and offered to give me a more detailed version by the end of the weekend.
She kept her word and on Monday, she sent me a 40 page write-up. This led to the 'Broken & Braced' Blog "Our Story, Our Victory'. Danielle's Story became our first survivor story on the Blog.

Today, the book that came out of that story that she sent to me, is in print and will be out for purchase in a very short while.
Please get ready to buy this nerve-racking, heart-breaking and yet inspirational book.
You will learn the healing power of forgiving even the most terrible injustices.

This is what 'Broken & Braced' is all about. We are building a community of Bracers to brace one another up. No matter what stage of brokenness we may each be at, when we come together, we can brace each other up to reach our optimum potential.

Join us on Broken & Braced and become one of the supports in this wonderful and life-empowering community of Bracers.
Your story can become the message that will change the world for someone going through.

If I were a Man Married to a Woman, What Kind of Man will I be?

If I were a man married to a woman, what kind of man will I be?

Will I belittle her achievements or will I encourage her to surpass her goals?

Will I lift her up to reach the skies or will I bring her down to be my doormat?

Will I make her feel that she is not as good as I am or will I make her feel that because she is mine she is free to be her best?

If I were a man married to a woman, what kind of man will I be?

Will I lord over her as her king or will I serve her like my queen?

Will I take time to discover how to love her or will I insist she accepts the way that I love her?

Will I support her dreams or will I deride her ideas?

If I were a man married to a woman, what kind of man will I be?

Will I create a heaven for her to be an angel or will I give her hell and turn her into a demon?

Will I be the shoulder she cries on or will I be the cause of her tears?

Will I beat her black and blue or will my love chase away her blues?

 If I were a man married to a woman, what kind of man will I be?

Will I perfect her with my compliments or will I crush her with my criticisms?

Will I let her be herself or will I make her my thrall?

Will I make her blessed or will I make her bitter?

If I were a man married to a woman, what kind of man will I be?

Intimate Partner Abuse and Domestic Violence are heart-wrenching and life-changing experiences that affect lives in very tangible ways.

They are experiences that differ in mode and intensity from individual to individual but always leave a scar on more lives than the perpetrator and the victim. They are experiences so sad and impactful that one cannot afford to be silent about it.
On this Blog, we will be sharing the domestic violence stories of survivors.

When I told Danielle about the vision for Broken & Braced, she offered to share her story. She was the first person to invest into the opportunity to help people struggling with abuse.

On Danielle's Story, we walk through the life of a survivor.
We hope that as you go on this journey with us, you will gain the insight to be more observant and that you acquire the courage to speak up when you notice something that doesn't seem right to you.

If you identify with these stories because you are currently living in a similar situation, please shake off fear and get help. There is someone you can trust out there. They are just waiting for you to reach out.