And So ,This Is Christmas
I'm leaving tomorrow to go to my daughter's home for Christmas, and we all know that holidays can be tough. Plus, if you have seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, well, it's kinda like that. Meet Clark Griswold, Jr. But, I count myself as lucky; my wife, children, and grandchildren will all be there, and they know the story of my abuse. But before I get in the car, I wanted to say something (no surprise there
)
If I could give every one of you a gift, it would be 'hope'. My writing talents are limited for sure, but someone named 'Anonymous' is much more gifted when it comes to 'hope' for survivors:
Hope, for male sexual abuse survivors, is not about moving on or pretending the past is over. It is the decision to keep living when the pain would rather shut everything down. Hope is the refusal to let abuse define a man’s worth, strength, or future. It shows up in small, hard acts—telling the truth, staying present, asking for help, and choosing not to disappear. Hope means learning that what was done was not weakness, not consent, and not identity. It is the growing belief that healing can happen, that connection is possible, and that a life with peace, meaning, and even joy is still within reach. For survivors, hope is not passive—it is an act of courage, claimed again and again.
So, I wish that for every last one of you...you deserve it and so do I.
)If I could give every one of you a gift, it would be 'hope'. My writing talents are limited for sure, but someone named 'Anonymous' is much more gifted when it comes to 'hope' for survivors:
Hope, for male sexual abuse survivors, is not about moving on or pretending the past is over. It is the decision to keep living when the pain would rather shut everything down. Hope is the refusal to let abuse define a man’s worth, strength, or future. It shows up in small, hard acts—telling the truth, staying present, asking for help, and choosing not to disappear. Hope means learning that what was done was not weakness, not consent, and not identity. It is the growing belief that healing can happen, that connection is possible, and that a life with peace, meaning, and even joy is still within reach. For survivors, hope is not passive—it is an act of courage, claimed again and again.
So, I wish that for every last one of you...you deserve it and so do I.
