...tell OUR story - someone else will; AND THEY WILL (almost always) GET IT WRONG!!! If you have a Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse/Assault or ANY kind of story - do you understand you have a RIGHT to share with ANY person YOU deem "safe". Abusers, of all types, continue, because they make their victims feel ashamed; and don't want people to know what kind of people they really are. Well - THAT REALLY isn't YOUR fault/problem, is it? If they don't want people to think badly of them - they shouldn't do things to create that possibility!!! We ALL can learn to make "good choices" in life - amiright??!

I recently listened to a Mel Robbins Podcast, featuring Dr Marc Brackett - he was discussing how to self-regulate your emotions.  The biggest takeaway, for me, was learning to "observe" the world around you - what people say/don't say, etc; as opposed to "absorbing" it all - basically, just be a sponge for the productive things in your life; and let the unproductive "noise", etc, just float away as the water (emotion) rushes over you. I used to have a "hair-trigger", when it came to responding to things, because I felt I had to defend every little iota of information (right or wrong), in any given interaction. This was part of my pendulum swing from not saying ANYTHING to cause waves. Now, I have been making the choice to keep my mouth shut - if they're right or wrong. My superpower really isn't being the great defender of everything!!! I am being more selective of the the "battles" I engage in. Hmmmmm...making my own choices...what a NOVEL idea!!!

Is it real - or just your imagination playing tricks on you??! I have come to realize, in MANY of life's situations, that the one putting the MOST pressure on me, IS ME!!! Though, when questioned, my response is usually, "Well, THEY said...", etc. However, realistically - who IS "THEY"??! Often, it's the old tapes replaying in my head, from situations gone bad in the past - and NOT wanting to feel that sting, again. While we ARE supposed to learn from the past, we are ALSO supposed to grow from it. Not "pinball" our way through life - bouncing from trigger to trigger - changing directions, every time. In the consistent choices we make, each time we bounce off that trigger, we are able to choose where we want to go - IT IS A LEARNED RESPONSE, and it takes time - but if you never start, you'll never learn. The ONLY way to remove the pressures you feel, is the choices you make when they arise. Take it from a "Recovering Pressure Cooker"... We would LOVE to hear any insight you might have. Please contact the ministry via this website; or email us at Ozer Ministries, Inc - ozerministries@att.net ; or my email - Connie J... - beamererin@yahoo.com . Have a good day, and be safe!!! #ENDtheSILENCEofVIOLENCE #isityou #domesticviolenceiseverywhere #youarenotalone #doyouknow #choicesmatter #pressure

"Isn't it funny how often I point fingers, before reflecting on my own behavior?" (Sam Demma) This quote made me think of my Father - because this was beyond his realm of thought. He could blame ANY problem he had in his life, on ANYONE but himself. Every Father's Day. I always feel "some-kinda-way" because of the type of relationship I had with him, or didn't. With the choices I have made in the second half of my life - based on Honesty, Integrity, Responsibility, Commitment, Truth and Accountability - my life has been different. (I'm far from claiming perfection, here.) That's something he DID teach me - what NOT to do; and ANY time I get too focused on choices other people are making, I get a snap back into reality - keep in your own lane. That is all you can, and should WANT to control. Can you relate to this? We would LOVE to hear any insight you might have. Please contact the ministry via this website; or email us at Ozer Ministries, Inc - ozerministries@att.net ; or my email - Connie J... - beamererin@yahoo.com . Have a good day, and be safe!!! #ENDtheSILENCEofVIOLENCE #isityou #domesticviolenceiseverywhere #youarenotalone #doyouknow #choicesmatter #whatif #possibilities

I have heard this one word - "forgiveness" - on opposite sides of so many conversations, and arguments. When you've been abused, in any way, and you hear it - the knee-jerk reaction is, "NO!!!" But, the reality of this word - it's not for the abuser, per se; it's to release YOUR heart and mind from carrying that weight of unforgivenness. Twisted up in that maze of of unforgiveness, is usually anger - not only at your abuser; but anger coupled with shame, at yourself. There are usually some, "I should've, I shouldn't have, how did I let myself"s all mangled up in that maze. Forgiveness helps you untwist each strand, and place the blame squarely where it belongs - on the abuser, not you. Compare to a knot in your shoelace, the yarn you knit or crochet with, etc - sometimes, you can get it untangled by yourself; other times, you need to ask for help. It's all a part of the process - to help YOU grow, and move on from that part of your story. Is it time for you to give Forgiveness some serious thought in your life? We would LOVE to hear any insight you might have. Please contact the ministry via this website; or email us at Ozer Ministries, Inc - ozerministries@att.net ; or my email - Connie J... - beamererin@yahoo.com . Have a good day, and be safe!!! #ENDtheSILENCEofVIOLENCE #isityou #domesticviolenceiseverywhere #youarenotalone #doyouknow #choicesmatter building #learning #keepgrowing #whatisnext #forgiveness