Have you ever been in a situation where you felt small and helpless? Like no matter who you told your story to, no one would believe you?
I feel blessed to say I haven’t had to experience this type of defeat too often. But I know that there are many people in our world today who have had their voice silenced by others. In less than two weeks, I get to be part of an event that gives voices to victims of domestic violence through creativity in an art show! The event is put on by the Pagosa Springs victims advocacy group called, Rise Above Violence. This year the theme is called, Voices Rise: Art Above Violence. The art show is a way for the survivors to get to share their stories in an artistic and creative way. The way the event works is that an artist from our community is paired with a survivor of domestic violence. The survivor meets with the artist to tell them their story and the artist creates a piece to share at the event, giving the survivor a chance to use their voice in an anonymous way.
I heard about the event a few years ago from my friend, Heather Rose, who encouraged me to make something for the show last year. I participated last year by writing a song and making a batik that went with it called, Bloom. I was moved by the event and the way it brought healing to the survivors and awareness to our community of domestic violence.
This year I wrote a song that I will get to perform at the event. Here is a little bit of the story behind it.
My song this year is called, “I Hear You & I Believe You.” I met with the mother of a young girl who is a survivor of domestic violence. This young girl was brave enough to go to her mom and tell her the truth about what had been going on with another member of the family. When I met with the mom she wanted to make sure to encourage others, “Don’t be afraid to speak up or it won’t stop. Be the one to put an end to the violence that has already occurred, no matter how little you think it might be.” In 1 Timothy 4:12 it says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Unfortunately, children’s voices often go unheard because grownups simply don’t believe them. In this case, the mom chose to believe her daughter. I am so proud of their bravery in speaking up when it would have been easier to be silent. We can’t stop domestic violence if no one is brave enough to speak up. With the theme this year being Voices Rise I felt that this was the perfect theme for the song. Not only is it meant to encourage people to speak up and use their voice, but it is also meant to encourage people to hear and believe.
If you are able to, I would encourage everyone who can to attend the show. You will be moved by the stories of the brave ones who are speaking up and by the amazing artwork inspired by their stories. Would you please honor the survivors by coming to the show, listening to their stories, and making it possible for Rise Above Violence to continue to support those in our community who need it? I know you will be blessed in return.
For more information about the event and to purchase tickets click here!
To hear a preview of the song you can follow me on Instragram where I recently shared a little snip-it!
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