VOICES of Acadiana

My Story I’m not sure that I can accurately depict my life during the decade of my previous relationship and only marriage, but I am willing to try. I remember my relationship with my ex-husband starting off as what felt like intense flattery and pursuit. There were times where I recognized the red flags, but he portrayed himself as a genuine man with only good intentions. He was fun, lively, kind, & made every attempt to win me over in big, meaningful ways. I slowly let my guard down and he slowly started to show his authentic self but only small parts within the first few years. I remember not long after our wedding his personality changed, and I began to see him more clearly. The first time he displayed rage, our first child was just born, and I remember feeling terrified, for myself and for her. I couldn’t imagine that I had chosen such a monster to start a family, but as soon as the monster showed his face, the charismatic charmer that I fell in love with appeared just as qu...

There was a dent in the right fender of my car. Shattered glass across my kitchen floor. Words said to me that had left marks no one else could see. Emotional abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, and reconstructive surgery are all part of my journey.  My name is Ashley Addison and I am a survivor of domestic violence. I grew up in a home where shouting, screaming, and breaking things were all relatively normal occurrences. Things that seem trivial and small today, back then, caused quite an uproar.    I found that as I grew older I accepted this behavior from dating partners. I found myself thinking things like, maybe I’ll be the one person to love them through this hard time or no one has ever stuck around this long- that'll show them I’m loyal. They won’t treat me the way they treat others. I found myself depressed and my life was in danger. Upon ending a previous relationship, I expressed how I’d become someone I couldn’t stand to see in the mirror. Someone who walked ...

  My personal journey through mental, emotional, and physical abuse began in 1999, one week before the big day. We shall call him J. We had a fight and he threw me against a wall and put his hands around my neck (never saw that coming).  Soon after the wedding, we were pregnant. Life went on without any other problems until I had baby C. You see I already had a son that was handicapped and J seemed to be the perfect father. Baby C came along and J acted like I was a burden because I needed his help caring for two children.  Years later the mind games began. I could spend only a certain amount on groceries, gas for my vehicle, and paying the bills. He watched the bank account like a hawk. He watched the phone records. He took my friends from me. He was jealous when I tried to go back to school. He didn’t want me to be able to care for myself. It was either him or school and I knew I could not survive without him. Or so I thought.  In 2005, J was in an accident and cou...

“This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” These are the words that rang from my mom’s lips every Sunday morning at 6 am!  This is the source of security I grew up with, the Sovereignty of God; the care and support of loving parents; and the endearing, most times, relationships with my 3 siblings.  So, when I declare today that I am a survivor of Domestic Violence, it just doesn’t seem possible! How can a girl from a loving home, loving immediate family, loving extended family, caring church family, and a caring community end up as a victim of such a brutal crime?  Well, allow me to answer that for you…this is my story. My abuser and I lived one street apart from each other in a little city in Texas.  We attended the same high school and frequented the same neighborhood ball areas where we became good friends.  Eventually, our friendship developed into a courtship.  Our courtship continued for approximately a year before he...

Moving Forward Monday by Roxanne Martin💜🤩🧚‍♀️ Since leaving my ex-husband in November 2017 my life has changed... for the better. First and most importantly, I’ve regained a relationship with the LORD. What a powerful GOD we serve. He has stood beside me every step of the way and I can say, I think he kind of likes me:-) I have traveled extensively. Some of the places I’ve been to are Colorado, Alaska, California, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Florida. I've been on several beach and camping trips with family and friends. I’ve also been to live concerts in the Woodlands and Dallas. I was able to buy my OWN home and I absolutely LOVE IT!!! I am the Education and Awareness Chairperson for VOICES of Acadiana. I am actively working with counselors for the Lafayette Parish School System to implement procedures to bring awareness to domestic violence. I am a committee member for ACT 833 for the Lafayette Parish School System. We are working to design procedures to allow teachers across the ...