April: Annual Reminder of Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Happy April everyone! No jokes today- just some thoughts for SA/DV awareness month.

April is a month that always leaves me feeling conflicted. On one hand, I love witnessing Spring stirring from her slumber, unfurling into bright, sunny days and the many-colored blooms on the trees and bushes lining the route I take for my morning commute. There's still a hint of spontaneity in the air (it's not unheard of to experience all 4 seasons in a Kansas April), but overall, there's a definite sense of near-palpable optimism, seemingly coinciding with the warmer weather. It just feels good to be alive.

At the same time, April is always sombering. Generally I don't like paying too much attention to which specific causes different awareness months are dedicated too, but this one is incredibly important to me, especially given the epidemic of abuse happening not only in our own country, but the entire world. We all know (or are) someone who has been hurt by sexual abuse and/or violence, and given the propensity of rape and domestic abuse, any attempt at altering the current statistics feels almost too overwhelming to contemplate. It's impossible to change the whole world overnight, but we can work to help to improve our own little corners of it by doing what we can in our own local communities.

This April, please consider donating to your local DV and trauma centers, especially those which offer counciling services. Most are underfunded and overbooked, and following abuse, the most important thing for survivors is to get somewhere safe where they can talk to somone as soon as possible. Healing isn't linear and some of the deepest scars never heal completely, but it's much, much easier to start that process when you have someone to talk to. Just having someone who can help to shoulder or carry that weight makes the unimaginable bearable.

If you are unsure of where to find your local resource centers, contact law enforcement and/or your local medical center for more information.

If you personally know someone who has been affected by abuse, but don't know what to say or how to help, please know the best thing you can do is just be there and be a friend. If they choose to share their story with you, don't worry about what to say or how to help, just listen, believe them, and be there. That's all they need. Just having someone listen is a treasure.

Little by little, maybe we can turn the tide and put an end to rape and sexual assault.

God bless, and happy spring!