WHAT WOULD YOU DO?!

Annie O'Sullivan 7 Comments

387199_599567303389195_338862309_n (1) suicide prevention my savior

It’s hard to find inspiration and feel good words sometimes.  So tonight I am just going to talk to you about real life. Happening right now. Today! I am going to talk to you from my heart and hope you hear me. Just like my book, Can You Hear Me Now?  I and those like me want to be heard.  Stories like this one I’m going to share remind me of that need to be heard and why.

I recently heard from a very good friend and it was not good news.  The story is not uncommon.  The story is indeed an outrage! I want to share it with you.  I want you to get mad and call your congressman, senator and other person who cares about your votes.

A 15-year-old girl tells her Aunt and Uncle that her Mother and guardian are beating her and selling her to men.  She has bruises.  Old and new.  She doesn’t want to go home. Would you? She is ready to tell anyone who will listen and help her.  This is the oldest problem.  Her Mother and guardian are furious.  A police officer that she tried to tell says “Do you really want to get your Momma into trouble?”  I could scream in anger myself!  Why is it this childs fault her “Momma” is going to be in trouble?  So they send her home.  Or try to.  She won’t go.  She runs off back to the Aunts house.  Why?  If she goes home now they will beat her for telling.  This is a given.  Not they might beat her.  THEY WILL BEAT HER!

Her aunt is calling authorities for help.  She is warned, you could be charged with parental interference, and harboring a runaway.  The local phone numbers she can call for an emergency of this type (child abuse) is only open 8am to 5pm.  They suggest that the child needs to go home.

I was this kid.  No hope of getting out.  Suicide was never far from my thoughts as a way out.  I feared for my life most days.  Though I was a terrible student, school was a haven where I could be happy for a few hours.  A reprieve from my realities at home. I would run away.  Authorities would drag me home without question.  It’s an uncomfortable question isn’t it?  Why are you running?

So many of us work so hard to change the worlds thinking so that children can come forward just like this one did.  She is hitting a wall that protects the very people who are hurting her

WOULD YOU SEND YOUR NIECE HOME?  Lets pretend this is not some young girl you don’t know.  Lets pretend this is some young girl or boy that you love and whom you believe.

There are 319 million people in the United States at last count.  There are approximately (by conservative count) 95 million sexually abused and exploited humans in the United States today.  69 million voted Obama into office in 2008.  We have power to change this.  We have power to not just make new laws but to enforce the ones we have.  There is power in numbers if we can just pull ourselves together and do the common sense thing.  95 million people voting and talking can NOT be ignored.

According to the National Cancer institute  there we 232,670 new cases of breast cancer in 2014.  Every year in the United states there are more than 3 million reports of Child abuse involving over 6 million children.  Breast cancer is considered epidemic and a problem (and it is, I’m not here to bash breast cancer) I’m simply asking you o do the math.

See those pictures?  That’s me standing next to a redwood tree I used to sleep in when I would run away.   See the gruesome cartoon?  That’s me too.  with all the things that went on behind closed doors.  I ran away all the time.  Don’t let kids like this have to run away to escape.

What would you do if this was you the child came to?

What would you do if this was your niece or nephew?

Who will even be sharing this post with a story that is difficult to think about, and harder to ask your friends to think about.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN THEY COME TO YOU AND YOU HAVE TO BREAK A LAW TO HELP THEM

What will we all do if you turn away?

Signs You are in an Abusive Relationship

Annie O'Sullivan 1 Comment

 

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This article may appear to be geared toward men as abusers.  It is difficult sometimes to use gender free words.  Women can be just as guilty so please don’t miss the message.

1. Quick involvement.  He/she comes on strong, claiming, “I’ve never felt loved like this before by anyone.” or “I’ve never felt like this about anyone before”  You get pressured for an exclusive commitment almost immediately.

2. Jealous. Your partner is excessively possessive, calls constantly, or visits unexpectedly, accuses you of looking at others with great interest and scrutinizes every activity away from them and with them

3. Controlling. He/she interrogate you intensely about who you talked to and where you were; checks mileage on the car; keeps all the money or asks for receipts; insists you ask for permission to go anywhere or do anything, checks time in and out.

4. Very unrealistic expectations.  expects you to be the perfect person and meet their every need.

5. Isolating.  They will attempt to cut you off from family and friends; deprives you of a phone or car, or tries to prevent you from holding a job,complain about your job or hobbies that take you out of his control, struggles with the need for you to hold a job and their need to keep you isolated to themselves

6. Blames others for own mistakes. The boss, family, you – it’s always someone else’s fault if anything goes wrong.  Who ever is handy will get the blame.

7.  Everyone else is responsible for their feelings. The abuser says, “You make me angry” instead of “I’m angry.” “I wouldn’t get so p**** off if you wouldn’t…  Why do you have to do that?  Why did you make me do that?”

8. Overly Sensitive.  Is easily insulted, angered, hurt and will often rant and rave about injustices that are just part of life. Including feeling left out, un-friended, and unloved if not at the absolute center of the relationship

9. He/she is cruel to animals and children.  pushes animals brutally and unfairly. May expect children to do things beyond their ability, or tease them until they cry, lecture them beyond their year and ability to understand.

10. His/her “playful” use of force during sex.  Enjoys throwing you down or holding you down against your will and may say they find the idea of rape exciting. Intimidates, manipulates, or forces you to engage in unwanted sex acts.

11. There is verbal abuse.  They constantly criticize you or says cruel things; degrades, curses, calls you ugly names. He/she will use vulnerable points about your past/life against you.

12. There are rigid gender roles. He/She expects you to serve, obey, and remain at home when not required to be at your job.

13. Sudden mood swings.  switches from loving to angry in a matter of minutes.

14. History of battering. He admits to hitting women in the past, but states that they or the situation brought it on. Feels that they deserved it and so it is OK.

15. Threats  They makes statements such as, “I’ll break your neck,” but then dismisses it with “I really didn’t mean it.”

 

Annie O’Sullivan, Author of my Story “Can You Hear Me Now?” Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble

 

This Thursday on BlogTalk – Meet & Welcome Connie Lee

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Show link: click on the link or copy and past to your browser

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/can-you-hear-me-now-annie-osullivan/2014/10/03/can-you-hear-me-now-annie-osullivan-come-meet-and-welcome-co-host-connie-lee

Connie

The FACSA Foundation.org is changing the social stigma of child sexual assault, public policies, conducting current research of community needs , educating communities on prevention and education of child sexual assault and human trafficking, by hosting free conferences with local advocates; filming a documentary on survivors, the latest healing therapies, and most effective counseling techniques, for people to thrive, rather than merely survive.

The FACSAFoundation.org (Family and Friends Fighting Against Child Sexual Assault) is an all volunteer staff, with a 501 (C) 3 status. We are traveling across the U.S. and Cananda, on a 115 city Shattering The Silence Tour and Documentary Project. to shatter the silence of child sexual assault, saying, “Enough Is Enough, We Will Not Be Silent Any Longer!”

If you would like to get involved with contact  Connie Lee/FACSA Foundation/Founder/President

318.540.4464 / FACSAFoundation.org  /facsasavethechildren@hotmail.com

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Faulty Program? Re-write it

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Why aren’t we living our dreams?  Programming!  Yes I believe it is our programming as children that holds us back or pushes us forward and molds us in directions that were never really intended by the universe.  We can get twisted and frustrated away from the direction we want to go because of faulty programming.

We can change that! Just like your computer you can re-write your own program.  Your life choices are often an expression of your level of awareness.  Awareness = Programming in this conversation.  Your awareness (programming) is blocked by old thought processes.   Whatever you want to improve, you must change your programming which blocks you. This can apply to anything you want.

Once you are aware, you can change.  It might involve getting up – falling down and getting up again. This is part of learning.  This is part of moving forward.  It’s worth it.  You can do it.

How? you ask.   READ, Talk, Discuss life with those you trust and respect.  Join a group.  Start a group.  Question yourself and instead of declaring why you can’t ask ‘Why not?”

Never say, “I can’t do that!”  Instead say, “How can I do that?”

 

 

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I CAN SMILE NOW

Annie O'Sullivan 2 Comments

I can smile now because I’m past it.  I can now find the humor in my perceived failures.  Is if failure? Really?  If you are moving forward I don’t think so.  No….    To call it failure would be like saying I failed to get to my destination on a road trip just because I hit a few traffic stops.

I can smile now….   because I’m here, right here.

Reminder

Annie O'Sullivan 1 Comment

I’m so excited to have the show back up tonight. Its been 7 months and the day is finally here! Call in or listen in. 6:30 PM Pacific Time (Oregon) New co-host-Connie Lee founder of Shattering the Silence, New guest-Jo Edens and New Music from Anthony Mossburg! Life is good and we want to share.

Follow this link!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/can-you-hear-me-now-annie-osullivan/2014/09/26/can-you-hear-me-now-with-annie-osullivan-connie-lee-and-guest-jo-eden

Anthony Mossburg

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJUW2DsUp0c

I love this singer and songwriter! Anthony Mossburg!!!  This is the new song for my show I just got the permission!!!! If you have my book check out page 201, third paragraph! The universe does put people together! Goooo Anthony! He has lots of music I do hope you check it out and SHARE THIS LINK!!!

One of my projects this year

Annie O'Sullivan 2 Comments
I believe with all my heart that literally millions of people in the US alone feel isolated in the pain of child abuse.   Child abuse is such a mild word.  If you flip it around to something done to an adult it is assault, battery and rape.  My own abuse has moved me and many many others to action.  Special thanks to Rebecca Kimbel in Northern California for her dedication to leaving the world a better place than she found it in and for helping me to do the same.
click on the link or copy and paste into your address bar.