Accident, Schmaccident!

There are no accidents! Apparently, the Universe has decided to throw me a giant curveball... and I couldn't be more thrilled about it.

I've recently become the administrator of a facebook support group. I didn't do it on purpose. It just kinda happened. Upon seeing Mackenzie Phillips get pummeled by the media in regards to speaking out about her life experiences, I was spurred into action. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and sexual assault and rape as an adult, I wanted to let Mackenzie Phillips know that there were people out there who believed her story. Since I'm a poor, small-town girl, short of strapping an "I SUPPORT MACKENZIE PHILLIPS" sign on my back and traversing the country on foot I wasn't sure where to begin.

Ah, enter facebook. Facebook has "groups." Facebook has serious groups, funny groups, groups of intelligent people gathered together for various causes, and some groups that are just downright questionable. I learned that pretty much anybody can start a group on facebook. So, I clickety-clicked here and clickety-clicked there until I had made my mark. A group called "We Support Mackenzie Phillips' Decision to Speak Out Against Abuse" was born. I expected maybe 30-40 people to catch wind of the thing via facebook's search feature. I figured maybe a few of them would join with me in my efforts to let this courageous woman know that I am forever grateful to her for letting us survivors know that we are not alone.

A week passed, and my little group became a big group. We had grown to over 800 in number and I was simply overwhelmed and overjoyed that so many people had come to stand with me in my effort to somehow support Mackenzie Phillips. With each media appearance where facebook supporters were mentioned by her, our membership grew and we became over 1,000 strong. One thing led to another, and before I knew it a full-fledged support group had grown out of this tiny little seed that had been planted. People were e-mailing me, telling me their stories and asking me for help. I welcomed this new-found responsibility with open arms, and in the process of perusing resources for the group's participants, I found Angela Shelton. God bless Angela Shelton.

For those of you who don't know who Angela Shelton is, all I can say is that "Searching for Angela Shelton" is a must-see film that will introduce you to her world. Once there, you will find that you can't put her in a box, and there's far more to her beauty than anyone could ever fit into a blog. You don't "research" Angela Shelton. You experience Angela Shelton. You become captivated by her story, her efforts, and the movement she has inspired. In the short time that I have been following her efforts to shine a light in this world, I have been beyond inspired. One of Angela's websites offers a free "Finding Angela Shelton" 30-day "Joy Campaign" that I'm participating in. I have decided to share my journey here through blogging.

I'm not a writer. I'm a survivor. I'm sure there will be grammatical errors and sentence structure will be questionable at times. This is not about perfection. It's about SPEAKING OUT. I've been through years of therapy and I have found my voice. This is one of many steps I am taking to become not just a voice, but a voice that will be heard. I will be the change I want to see in the world. This is where it begins. Welcome to my joy journey!