Words

Recently I finished a very powerful book called Words by Ginny L. Yttrup.  With the wonder and power of technology I was able to find the author on Facebook and ask her if I could use her discussion questions as topics for my blog.  She said yes!  And of course I will give her all the credit and mention her book every time I use one of said questions.  I know my blog doesn't have a big audience but I like pretending I have a Fantasy Book Club because no one has time for real ones any more- at least not in my circle of people.

This is the synopsis of the book from goodreads.com-
      "Ten-year old Kaylee Wren doesn't speak. Not since her drug-addled mother walked away, leaving her in a remote cabin nestled in the towering redwoods-in the care of a man who is as dangerous as he is evil. With silence her only refuge, Kaylee collects words she might never speak from the only memento her mother left behind: a dictionary.
     Sierra Dawn is thirty-four, an artist, and alone. She has allowed the shame of her past to silence her present hopes and chooses to bury her pain by trying to control her circumstances. But on the twelfth anniversary of her daughter's death, Sierra's control begins to crumble as the God of her childhood woos her back to Himself.
     Brought together by Divine design, Kaylee and Sierra will discover together the healing mercy of the Word-Jesus Christ."

1. As with Kaylee, victims of childhood sexual abuse often lose their "voice".  What types of circumstances silence you?  How do you gain the courage to speak up when you'd rather remain quiet?

Although I have never experienced childhood sexual abuse, I have had negative sexual experiences that silenced me for seasons.  Thankfully I had friends who helped me open up before I reached tormenting like rage or locked silence such as Kaylee experienced.  The trivial things like being embarrassed in front of a crowd or being embarrassed for someone's performance can very quickly silence me. 

I have gained the courage to speak through Christ and supportive friends.  They got me into counseling.  It is hard to say if any of the counseling helped very much but I did feel cared for.

What silences you?  Are there "words" that comfort you?  Comment if you feel comfortable sharing or just tell me something that inspired you or what you have been reading.