...I encourage you to take a moment to look back, and see: 1 - any changes you've made this year... 2 - changes you would like to make, as 2025 comes in... 3 - acknowledgment of growth you've seen in yourself this year... 4 - growth you're anticipating in 2025... Try to highlight those positive things; and maybe dim the light on those negative things that seem to bring you down. But remember, everything you go through can be utilized as bricks to build your future endeavors. I, personally, believe everything, good and bad, happens for a reason. There are those that don't believe this; and that's ok. Everyone has the freedom to believe as they do. The bottom line, is, that you grow. I have known many people over the years, that have chosen to stay where they are - refused to grow, make changes in their lives, etc. Again, this is their choice, not mine; but as a result, I have had to move on - because I choose growth. Have a Happy New Year, and above all, #besafe...#beaware #growinto2025 ##domesticviolenceiseverywhere #ENDtheSILENCEofVIOLENCE #isityou  everybodyknowsomebody #besafe ***October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please share this post, no matter what month it is, to help get the word out. The Victim has to make the choice - but, "What If..." they read something you sent them, and it just "clicks"?*** *I would love the opportunity to share YOUR ideas in a Blog post. Please send them to Connie J... - beamererin@yahoo.com ; or through Ozer email, ozerministries@att.net .

Sounds crazy, right??! But, if you think about it, many people are doing just that. They're working so hard to MAKE their lives, that they're missing out on so much LIVING . I have done that in the past—and honestly, it could happen again, at any given moment—so I must be aware of it all the time, and when I realize it's gone awry, work to fix it ASAP!!! We get soooooooo wrapped up "things." Take a moment and think about what your "things" could be. A lot usually involves filling your wants as opposed to your needs. One thing that helps keep me, well, "grounded," if you will, is practicing being content—whatever my situation happens to be at that exact moment, I stop and realize how much I'm struggling. That's the time to step back and take a HARD look at what my focus is. If you wear glasses, you TOTALLY understand the minute you don't wear them at the proper time—your focus goes whacko!!! Keeping focused on what you need to do can make all the difference. I know when I lose my "structure," chaos ensues, and it's not until I get back to it that I feel calmer about, well, everything—even the chaos!!! Can you think of any situations from the past, or even in your present, that you are "Crawling Downhill"??! What changes do you need to/can you make right now to get back to where you NEED to be? That first step can make all the difference... Thank you, have a good day, and be safe... #beaware #growinto2025 ##domesticviolenceiseverywhere #ENDtheSILENCEofVIOLENCE #isityou everybodyknowsomebody #besafe *** October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please share this post, no matter what month it is, to help get the word out. The victim has to make the choice—but, "What if..." they read something you sent them, and it just "clicks"? ***

As this year comes to a close - how are you feeling about your 2024? Do you have a negative attitude about things you've been through, this year - I'm not saying everything that happens in anyone's life should make them excited; bad things DO happen to everyone. How is your attitude, regarding them? Are you able to utilize those things for growth? Have you really looked at them as the life-lessons they are? Or are you still in the "stuck" part of the process? What you do next, that very next step, could make all the difference in every aspect of your life. Take the time to think on them - a) decide if it's something you need to deal with, b) nothing you do will change anything, or c) it's not even YOUR issue. Just be thankful for the opportunity to make those choices, make them and do what must be done; and then move on with your life. It won't change what happened; but it will remove that "stuck, spinning your wheels" feeling. Thank you, have a good day and be safe... #beaware #growinto2025 ##domesticviolenceiseverywhere #ENDtheSILENCEofVIOLENCE #isityou everybodyknowsomebody #besafe ***October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please share this post, no matter what month it is, to help get the word out. The Victim has to make the choice - but, "What If..." they read something you sent them, and it just "clicks"?*** *I would love the opportunity to share YOUR ideas in a Blog post. Please send them to Connie J... - beamererin@yahoo.com; or through Ozer email, ozerministries@att.net. 

 ...I can EASILY make 15-20 people angry - just by my presence in their lives, simply by doing my job. However, I CANNOT focus on that; or let THEM determine what kind of day I'm going to have.

Hopefully, "Team YOU"!!! Football games AND Domestic Violence? Have you ever thought about the FACT that the outcome of a football game can cause Domestic Violence to rise?

...for a reason. We have to learn and be taught, literally, EVERYTHING (beginning with that initial smack, which teaches us to take a breath!!!). This learning does NOT (or should not) end, EVER. As we go through life's twists and turns; we are CONTINUALLY learning and re-learning. That is just life... However, some (MANY) people tend to get "stuck in their ways", and think their learning has stopped. They dig in their heals - and say, "That's just the way I am!!!"

...in your trauma; or THRIVING in your healing? We aren't put here just to exist - we exist to be thriving, growing human beings. Even if in a Domestic Violence situation, or you've survived other kinds of abuse; it is STILL possible to thrive, in spite of it. It's not a quick process (I've LITERALLY been working on it, over half my life) - and it can be very hard; but it's possible. The time will pass, anyway, correct?? Are you able to change your "Impossible" to "I'm Possible"??!

...to "win" much of what we fight for (though there ARE DEFINITE win/lose situations); however, our goal should be to progress our passions. I was told, once, "You're not going to end Domestic Violence." I quickly replied, "Does that mean we don't do what we can, anyway?" My personal theory is it probably began after Adam and Eve were sent from the Garden of Eden - so what??! It doesn't mean it's right!!! Amiright??! It's about our mindset. Can we be a positive change in an ever devolving world? Well, I don't know about you; but I will "rage against the machine", until there is no fight left in me.

...just be harmless." "...one person at a time..." These are quotes from Pastor Eric Camden, on the fictional television series, "Seventh Heaven"; which I have been bingeing. I think they are good words to live by - especially if you're attempting to help a Victim of Domestic Violence. They remind me, a lot, of the oath that Medical Professionals take - "First, Do No Harm". I used to think that I had to have a degree, or special training to be able to help people - I was helping people before I began my "Healing Process" - and now that I have been in this process almost half my life, it's almost auto-pilot. I have basically incorporated what would have helped me in my "Floundering Years", into my everyday life.