Surviving Domestic Abuse

"Has he ever hit you?" I hate the question. What is a "hit"? Many people think that domestic abuse is a slap across the face, or a kick, or a shove. And if it's not bad enough to go to the ER, if there are no bruises, cuts or broken bones, then maybe it wasn't that bad. "Just get over it." The answer to that question for me is, "Yes. He hit me once, early in our marriage, while I was driving the car." That hit had a profound effect on me. It made me feel stupid and deserving of punishment. Surely I said something "wrong." It also squelched my ability to communicate my feelings freely with my husband. What would happen if I said something "wrong" again? No, I am not dead. I haven't had stitches. I haven't had to visit the emergency room. But I am hurt....deeply hurt....over a very broken and abusive relationship with my husband. This is the story of how I learned to SURVIVE!