There is a word I want every survivor to hold onto today.
Again.
You will have hope again.
You will dream again.
You will smile without forcing it again.
You will laugh—the kind of laugh that comes from somewhere deep inside you and makes you forget, even for a moment, everything you’ve been through.
You will feel joy again.
You will sit with your children and enjoy the moment without your mind constantly racing.
You will spend time with friends and realize that you haven’t thought about the past for hours.
You will make plans because you’re looking forward to tomorrow instead of being afraid of it.
You will trust your own decisions again.
You will discover things you enjoy again.
You will look in the mirror and recognize the person looking back at you again.
And one day, you may realize something incredible:
You aren’t just surviving anymore.
You’re living.
Healing Doesn’t Mean Forgetting
“Again” doesn’t mean what happened suddenly disappears.
It doesn’t mean there won’t be difficult days, memories, triggers, or moments when the past comes knocking.
It simply means the past doesn’t get to own every day that comes after it.
There are still birthdays you haven’t celebrated.
There are still places you haven’t visited.
There are still conversations you haven’t had.
There are still people you haven’t met.
There are still sunsets you haven’t watched.
There are still jokes that are going to make you laugh until your stomach hurts.
There are still quiet mornings when you will sit with a cup of coffee and realize:
I’m okay.
Maybe not everything is perfect.
Maybe everything didn’t turn out the way you once imagined.
But you’re here.
And there is still life ahead of you.
Believe in “Again”
When you’ve lived through abuse, it can feel like some things are gone forever.
Your confidence.
Your peace.
Your trust.
Your dreams.
Sometimes even your ability to imagine being happy.
But healing has a way of returning pieces of you that you thought were gone.
Sometimes slowly.
Sometimes unexpectedly.
And sometimes one tiny moment at a time.
So if today is difficult, I want you to remember one word:
Again.
You will hope again.
You will dream again.
You will smile again.
You will laugh again.
You will feel joy again.
You will enjoy time with your children and friends again.
You will make memories again.
You will believe in tomorrow again.
And most importantly—
You will live again.
Your story did not end with what someone did to you.
There are still good chapters waiting to be written.
Again is coming.
— Dave Beatty
Founder, Riders Against Domestic Violence (RADV)
RADV — We Are the Bridge
radv.org