God has enriched Martha's and my life through the deep love and passion we have for the hearts He has entrusted to us, and each of us has developed friendships with them that will last a lifetime. What we have been able to sow into them has been multiplied a thousandfold and we give all the glory, praise, and thanksgiving to the One to whom it belongs forever.
I shared in an earlier post that the name of the materials we use in our "Understanding & Healing Hidden Hurts" sexual abuse recovery group is "In The Wildflowers" by Julie Woodley. Thus the source of Georgia's title for her poem.
THE WILDFLOWERS
Like the wildflowers, we have an inner beauty that we don't let anyone see.
Because of the lies we believed, we won't let them see the real me.
We were filled with a lot of fear, a lot of regrets, and a lot of blame,
and our minds were crowded with our guilt and shame.
We started a group with ten steps to work through,
but the childhood sexual abuse had hurt more than we knew.
As we began to share our stories, our pain became more revealing.
But, we are now wildflowers on the road to healing.
We learned that tears are salve on our wounds, while silence is salt;
to take the blame from ourselves and put it on those at fault;
We were taught that our emotions were the heart cry of our soul,
And we are the wildflowers who will continue to heal and grow.
We learned to let go of our anger, resentment, and fears.
And we did it all through our laughter and tears.
We learned that anger can become our enemy, it isn't a safe place,
And as we released that anger, we saw the bud of a wildflower in each face.
Julie says a life without heart is not worth living at all.
But our hearts had been hidden and we felt so small.
Both our heart and soul were screaming inside so deep,
Yet, we are wildflowers who are learning to be free.
Strangers brought together by the past on that very first night,
but friendships formed as we battled the fright.
No more will we have to fight this battle alone.
We're becoming the best wildflowers we've ever known.
God will restore what the locust has eaten from each of our lives,
as, together we're becoming better parents, grandparents and wives.
We are seven petals that God has formed into His wildflower
So that He could heal us by His wonderful power.
by Georgia Purdue
Oct. 10, 2012
__________
October 4, 2010
Betty,
There are not enough words to tell you just how important you are to me. It started with Pat
Dew (our church chaplain) talking with me about the group. She picked up a pamphlet and gave it to me that Sunday. I first felt, "Oh, no! What now?" Then, I thought, "Why waste my time?" because it had been such a long time since my abuse. "I don't need it. I don't even like groups." But, I might add I love this one. I just hate the reason that I have to be here.
I know it had to have been three weeks that I wrestled with this decision. Why was I wrestling so hard if I didn't need it? I told my daughter about it to see what she thought. She said she felt a better connection with you. She thought that I needed it and that it would be a good thing for me t o do. So, I gave you a call, but only after hearing you speak in church.
And I had to make decision because it was getting ready to start. I don't know if you could tell, but I was nervous. I never dreamed that you would know who I was, but when you came over to give me a hug and said, "I already love you," I knew you meant it.
I have looked for love my whole life feeling rejected by everyone else who was supposed to love me, except for my grandchildren. But they know nothing else.
So, thanks for the warm hugs, the tender love, the broad shoulders to carry all my tears. I might add, you really needed a barrel. God has truly gifted you for this ministry. I hope and pray that you are encouraged and healed as well. I love you, and hopefully "Old Faithful" may make it to the next group.
God Bless,
Georgia Purdue
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