Finding our Voices

So, there was this AA speaker that would always say that her sponsor told her "some people grow from love...some people grow from pain; YOU grow from pain." I used to think that was such bull$hit, and it kinda made me angry, this idea that we can't all grow from love. I can look back over my life and see many times that I have grown as a person because of the love I was shown, and how I was stifled as a person by pain. 

Recently, though I think I grew from pain. The Stanford rapist-$hit-a$$ thing was very painful...it made me angry, it broke my heart, it triggered my $hit...but somewhere in that mess I finally got angry enough to find my voice, and start breaking free from the shame I have been carrying for so, so many years. And I see others, who like me have carried their not-so-secret secret who are now stepping into the light, and letting their voices be heard. In doing so, in seeing my Sisters do so, I DO feel stronger, and I feel connected to something greater...to the Sister-Warriorhood. 

As we find our voices, as we share our fears, shames, strengths, vulnerabilities; we become stronger. We've been shouted over, silenced, belittled so long that we believed that we were wrong...but no more...as each of us shares our story, and lets our voice be heard, we make all of our voices stronger, until WE are louder than our attackers...and those men and women who have hurt us finally have to carry their own shame, and we can be free. We can live in the Power we were meant to have. We can finally honor our Voice, our Experience, our Truth.

I am still angry...but no longer blindfully rageful...that blind rage allowed me to crack myself open and break my silence, but it was a rage that was going to burn me. This anger will allow me to continue hold onto my voice, and to support my sisters (and brothers) as they find their voices, and their power. So, yes, sometimes we can grow from pain. Look out, The Revolution is coming...