50 Days of Gratitude: Day 30

To move from offering gratitude for being in the same place as our grandchild, to today’s subject necessitates that I note that they are absolutely unrelated.

Today, I’m profoundly grateful for the women who have shown the courage and strength it takes to publicly name the men who have assaulted them. This comes to mind because of E. Jean Carroll’s case, in which a jury of his peers found that former President Donald J. Trump was guilty of sexual assault and of defamation.

Birdwalk: This finding should engender disgust from every person who hears what he did. Full stop. There is no defending sexual assault. And yet, senators and congressional representatives are defending him publicly. I’ve no doubt that his base is also defending him, including some women who are so brainwashed and gaslighted that they would defend almost anything he does or has done. He admitted that he assaults women because he is, to use his own words, a “star” and that this has gone on for “millions of years, unfortunately or fortunately.” There is nothing fortunate about sexual assault. One in three women will be assaulted in their lifetimes.

So, back to my gratitude. It takes a bold confidence and a deep courage to tell the story of your assault. So, today for Ms. Carroll and all of the other women who have told their stories, I am deeply grateful. For the women who still hold their stories deep within, you are beloved.

If you need to tell your story, please find your local sexual assault resource center and reach out to them. They are there to listen and walk alongside. If you have the capacity to give financial support to your local sexual assault resource center, I hope that you’ll consider doing so. If you need a more personal space to tell your story, I am here to listen.

For storytellers and those whose stories remain deep within, I am grateful.