To say I have been broken in the past week would be quite an understatement. I have been utterly devastated as I received the worse possible news any family member could ever hear last Tuesday -our precious girl was gone, taken from us way too young and at the hand of someone else’s child. My best friend (the aunt who lives in another state) had called me frantic as she got pieces of information from other family members. I was almost to my home in Muskogee as I turned my vehicle around to go flying back to Checotah. I had called several in authority to find out what hospital I needed to race to when I was told “Slow down, she isn’t going anywhere.” As the reality punched me in the gut, I knew she was no longer with us.

This baby girl had been a part of my “adopted family” and she had been more like another daughter/ niece to me. I have been a part of her family for many years; even taking care of her grandparents until their passing in the home that now she would never come back to. We had spent so many holidays together and taken vacations together along with my children that the thought of this home not having any more laughter in it made me physically sick to my stomach.

How could this even be true? How could this even happen? I wrestle the disbelief as I waited inside the police station to make sure her 7-year-old went home with one of us, his family – not strangers. Thankfully his father was able to take him to his home. This baby boy had seen, heard and been through more than any child ever needed to go through. I couldn’t process it all so how could he.

As the days have transpired and we have had to make memorial arrangements and tend to everything that has to be done including taking care of several animals now left behind in a home that will never hear her sweet voice belting out another Adele song, I struggled to understand the why?

Why does this happen? What can we do to bring awareness to it? How can we turn this brokenness into a blessing? We have always relied upon our strong faith but this one has hit me way too hard. This one has taken our child and left her baby without a mother. This tragedy has also made his children fatherless. It’s simply unbearable for everyone and no one will ever be the same.

This is why my daughter and I have told of our domestic abuse stories for years now. This is why we do a Domestic Violence Walk every year in October. This is why we tell others to tell their stories and support the families of those who have had their voice silenced forever.

I thought what had transpired last Tuesday was the worst nightmare that anyone should ever have to go through, but the reality is that domestic violence is happening every single day. Families are still being left devastated and destroyed daily. This is why we have to speak up even though we are broken into a million pieces right now. We have to continue to tell people that there is still hope. There is still a chance to walk away for someone. Please walk away.

Yes, we are broken, but I thank God that we were still blessed to have this baby girl in our life and now I will tell her story until He comes.