RADV Article: Perseverance Is Taking One More Step
Perseverance does not always look like strength. Sometimes it looks like getting out of bed after a sleepless night. Sometimes it is making one more phone call, filling out one more application or quietly putting aside what you may need when the time comes to leave. Sometimes perseverance is simply surviving today. People may look […]
RADV Article: If They Are Walking on Eggshells Around You, It Is Time to Listen
When the person you love tells you they are walking on eggshells around you, your first response should not be to defend yourself. It should be to listen. They are telling you that they do not feel emotionally safe. They may be carefully choosing every word, watching your expression or trying to predict what kind […]
RADV Article: Fighting Fire With Fire Only Burns Everything Down
When someone hurts you, the natural reaction may be to hurt them back. When they raise their voice, you raise yours. When they insult you, you search for words that will cut even deeper. When they lie, threaten or try to control you, part of you may want to show them that you can play […]
RADV Article: Domestic Violence Is About More Than Bruises—It Is About Control
When people hear the words domestic violence, many immediately picture bruises, broken bones, or a frightened survivor trying to escape a violent home. But domestic violence does not always begin with a raised fist. Sometimes it begins with questions that sound like concern. “Where are you going?” “Who are you talking to?” “Why do you […]
RADV Article: A Strong Man Builds His House—He Does Not Tear It Down
A man’s strength is not measured by how loudly he can shout, how much fear he can create or how completely he can control the people around him. Real strength is measured by what he builds. It is found in the safety his family feels when he walks through the door. It is heard in […]
RADV Article: The Rearview Mirror Is Smaller Than the Windshield
Sometimes you become so focused on how difficult today feels that you forget just how much you have already survived. Take a moment and look at how far you have come. You have lived through things no one should ever have been forced to experience. You survived the fear, the manipulation, the nights when you […]
RADV Article: When Someone Won’t Leave You Alone—Keeping Yourself Safe From Stalking
Stalking is not affection. It is not persistence, and it is not someone simply having trouble letting go. It is a pattern of unwanted attention, monitoring, contact, intimidation, or threatening behavior that causes fear or makes you feel unsafe. It may come from a former partner, someone you dated, an acquaintance, a family member, or […]
Before There Was RADV
Chapter 7: I Thought I Had Escaped Going to Texas changed the direction of my life. But it didn’t erase my past. I had a place to stay. I had a job. I had left meth behind and never went back. From the outside, it probably looked like I was getting my life together. In […]
RADV Presents: The Ripple Effect
Changing Tomorrow by Investing in Today Series #13: Anger Is an Emotion, Not an Excuse Everybody gets angry. Children get angry. Parents get angry. Couples get angry. Even the most patient person eventually has a moment when something gets under their skin. Anger isn’t the problem. What we choose to do with it is. That’s […]
RADV Article: If You’re Reading This and Thinking, “That’s Me”
Maybe you have learned how to read the room before you even walk into it. You can tell by the way the door closes, the sound of a voice, or the look in someone’s eyes whether it will be a peaceful night—or another night spent trying not to make things worse. Maybe you carefully choose […]