You know a woman who has been, is being, or will be stalked. 1 in 6 women have been stalked at some point in their lives.1 These women believed they (or someone they cared about) would be harmed or killed by their stalker. How many women do you know? 1 in 6 is a high number. There’s a very good chance you know one of…
For the Ones Who Can’t See the Light
Dear You, I know. I know what it’s like to trudge through knee-high snow, in the woods, at midnight, without a coat, during a blizzard, and squint through those icy bites, looking for that warm candle light that will lead you home, but there is no effing flicker of light out there. OK. Maybe I don’t actually wander the woods during a blizzard, but I think…
#Triggered Jokes
“Sherlock sucks.” #Triggered He posts it as a joke. He’s making fun of all the little internet kiddies who use “triggered” when they really mean “I don’t like that thing you just said.” But those little internet kiddies aren’t reading his comment. I am. And those kids misappropriated that word from the people who need it. Those kids aren’t triggered. They’re irritated. They’re offended. They’re…
All The Things I’ve Done Since I Died
Sixteen years ago, this week, I found an obituary with my name on it. Here’s what I’ve been up to since I died in 1999. I lived in Indiana. I started smoking. I bought my first car. I got lost in a cornfield in Iowa while trying to find the gas station the sign on the interstate promised me was out there somewhere. I lived in Kansas….
Christian Assholes
Let’s get real. There are a lot of Christians out there. There are also a lot of assholes out there. You get some crossover between those two groups. But it’s cool though, right? Because God forgives our assholery. Except you know who doesn’t forgive our assholery? People. When someone’s an asshole to you, it hurts. And it’s really difficult to forgive someone who’s caused…
Asking for It
Angela lent me a dollar to buy this composition book. I told her it’d be a journal—and that wasn’t a lie—but two self-indulgent entries later and I’m tracking research in it instead. You’re asking for it, the way you dress. April 11, 2000 Outfit: black tank top and long burgundy skirt Hair: side-part—small section braided on the side Make-up: full face, dark lipstick…
Collateral Damage of Stalking (Guest Post)
I’ve read a lot about stalkers, stalkees, PTSD, and pies (because who doesn’t like reading about various pies?) One thing that bugs me is the lack of information about people who are close to a stalking victim. They live through these experiences alongside the victim and it impacts their lives too. You don’t have to be the direct target of stalking to be hurt by…
What Does Being Stalked Look Like?
If you’re interested in the whole story, I wrote a book about that. If you want to know what being stalked looks like, it looks like this. If you scrolled all the way down here looking for an inspirational lesson, there isn’t one. It’s just a series of pictures that starts out on a really happy day, moves through the worst time in my life,…
Faith in the Eye of a Shitstorm
When I was ten, my parents took me to an Anabaptist museum called Menno-Hof. My family had visited a Mennonite church several times and Mom and Dad wanted to learn more about these Anabaptist types (they were a little disappointed to learn they weren’t Anti-Baptists, as they’d originally thought.) As you walk through Menno-Hof, you enter different rooms that immerse you in Anabaptist history….
Why My Stalker Was Never Arrested
When I talk about being stalked, one question always comes up. Why didn’t you go to the police? My family and I did go to the police, but it didn’t do any good. The reasons for that are complicated and I think it’s worth explaining. State Anti-Stalking Laws Each state has its own version of an anti-stalking law. These laws can vary drastically from state…