Yes to every syllable. I love reading your words and hearing your ardent, just, impassioned and fierce voice in my ear, Chris. Your posts vivid dispatches from the frontlines of a past that refuses to stay behind you since it keeps happening to other girls. I am so grateful for your powerful, poetic witness. 🩷
You have taught me so much over the many years I’ve known you about children — those who are lost, who are fostered, who are “found” or find themselves. Your fierceness has affected so many people, Chris, and I hope you know that. I am reading Virginia Guiffre’s memoir, and it is difficult to absorb it all — so difficult that I have strange dreams, wake in the night and don’t go back to sleep. I want to be a witness. To abide with her, even in death.
Chris, something occurred to me after I read this, later in the day when I was driving in my car past the place where I get my hair cut. The young woman who's been doing my hair for several years now is from small town Louisiana, 27-years-old, a mom of 5 (2 hers, 2 his, and 1 theirs), bright, funny and charming. A couple of months ago she told me that her stepfather abused her sexually as a young girl, but it wasn't a big deal, she said, she's okay. The implication was that diddling underaged girls happens all the time. It chilled me a lot to hear a victim of child abuse downplay the personal and therefore social significance of what happened. She also told me in the next breath that she put 3 states between her kids and him. That need to minimize the experience is how she's gotten this far. It's a survival tactic.
So much here to learn from and admire. Your words have meaning. Your words have meaning. Thank you for sharing your fearless, powerful thoughts, dear Chris.
Yes to every syllable. I love reading your words and hearing your ardent, just, impassioned and fierce voice in my ear, Chris. Your posts vivid dispatches from the frontlines of a past that refuses to stay behind you since it keeps happening to other girls. I am so grateful for your powerful, poetic witness. 🩷
Infuriatingly true.
You have taught me so much over the many years I’ve known you about children — those who are lost, who are fostered, who are “found” or find themselves. Your fierceness has affected so many people, Chris, and I hope you know that. I am reading Virginia Guiffre’s memoir, and it is difficult to absorb it all — so difficult that I have strange dreams, wake in the night and don’t go back to sleep. I want to be a witness. To abide with her, even in death.
I’m reading her memoir very slowly.
Chris, something occurred to me after I read this, later in the day when I was driving in my car past the place where I get my hair cut. The young woman who's been doing my hair for several years now is from small town Louisiana, 27-years-old, a mom of 5 (2 hers, 2 his, and 1 theirs), bright, funny and charming. A couple of months ago she told me that her stepfather abused her sexually as a young girl, but it wasn't a big deal, she said, she's okay. The implication was that diddling underaged girls happens all the time. It chilled me a lot to hear a victim of child abuse downplay the personal and therefore social significance of what happened. She also told me in the next breath that she put 3 states between her kids and him. That need to minimize the experience is how she's gotten this far. It's a survival tactic.
Denial is indeed a survival tactic, as it was for me for many years.
So much here to learn from and admire. Your words have meaning. Your words have meaning. Thank you for sharing your fearless, powerful thoughts, dear Chris.