Heather's Domestic Violence Story

by Heather Shore
(Centennial, CO)

It all started so innocently.

Our first date was over seven hours long. Seth was easy to talk to, pleasant to be around and very charming. Our relationship started with dinner at an Italian place, then we went hiking at one of his favorite places, then saw a movie. What a romantic date.

We had met a few weeks before at a college club. I had no idea that Seth had joined the club just to get to know me. As we talked, I realized he was good at finance. I needed a finance tutor, so we decided I would pay him to tutor me for a couple of hours a week so I could pass the class.

Weeks turned into a few months, and soon our conversation turned to marriage. Sometimes, we would have fun together, but then we would fight over stupid stuff. I don’t remember what we fought over; I just remember his anger over seemingly small issues. He had to have his way.

As you can see, my story started innocently and built slowly before turning violent. It would take a year and a half before my then boyfriend who became my husband would slap me. Domestic Violence wasn’t something I grew up with at home. I didn’t know what it was and certainly didn’t believe it could ever happen to me. I was wrong.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. It could happen to your neighbor, someone in your family or you. This blog is to help encourage anyone going through violence or other hard subjects to get help and grow from their experience.

There are hope and joy on the other side. October is here. Help us end violence.

Heather (Vessey) Shore has several years of marketing experience in the digital and publishing worlds. Having worked for and with some of the biggest companies (WebMD, Amazon.com, etc.) she decided to go part-time to become a mom. This big life transition has been full of surprises and gave her time to write a book: God Uses Deeply Wounded People. You can follow Heather at heathervshore.com.