October is...

...one of my favorite months, because I LOVE Halloween and fall. That's not what this post is about though. October is also Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence awareness month. My mom recently had a scare with breast cancer, so it made me realize even more than before the importance of getting your mammograms religiously. I'm not at that age quite yet, but I will definitely make sure I do what I need to so I can make sure I am safe. I hope all of you do the same. Don't gamble with your life by not having your checkups.

I know there isn't any checkup you can do to be aware of domestic violence, but you can watch for signs that people you know might be being abused. You can also step in if you see something happening in public. I can't tell you how grateful I was when people would stop and ask if I was ok when "neighbor boy" was threatening me in public. It always scared him off enough that at least for the rest of the day I was safe from whatever he was doing to me. Some signs of domestic violence are...

*Becoming withdrawn from the people you used to be close to
*A major change in personality
*Only spending time with the "abuser"
*Withdrawing yourself from family
*Wearing clothes that hide bruises (long sleeve shirts in the summer for example)
*A change in confidence
*Giving up activities that are important to you

....I'm sure you can probably think of more, but that's good for now. Please don't hesitate to confront someone if you feel they are being abused. They might not tell you the truth, but at least they know you care and that if they do ever want to talk to someone about it they know you are there. Don't ever give up on someone who is being abused either. All that will do is make them feel more isolated and worthless. I want everyone who stuck by my side, even though I wasn't such a good friend through all those years, to know that I love and appreciate every single one of them. The fact that they were there for me no matter what is what gave me the strength to finally get out of such a horrible situtation.