“Hidden beneath the smile is the pain unseen. It can arise at any moment, triggered by a memory. Don’t give into it, I’ve heard people say. Yet deep within me, I wish they could enter in it and pull me out somehow, some way.” A Woman of Hope
Journey with me, beyond the tough demeanor. Venture beyond the worn down sneakers. See further in past the children hiding under the table, or the tears that roll down his mother’s eyes. Settle in, take a breath, and journey with me, into the realm of the pain unseen. In the places where hurts go hidden is where you will find the hearts of those who first enter Acres of Hope. You see every detail tells there story. It’s the child who rages at the sight of a social worker. The story written inside of him is mommy is going away. The woman who jumps at the sound of a chair pushed back from a table, is taken back to a time when the sound of furniture scraping across a floor meant her boyfriend was coming to wreak havoc. The smells of certain meals cooking, may bring a tear to an eye, as memories of one lost to addiction forges to the front of a heart. Yet if you only have eyes to see the external, never venturing close enough to learn about the pain unseen, you may never have the true opportunity to heal the pain hidden in the dark.
The willingness and ability to recognize there is pain unseen is the strength of Acres of Hope. The willingness of staff and volunteers to meet our residents exactly where they as they cross our threshold, is key to what allows them to feel the safety and security to stay. Recognizing that just as much as there are tears of hope, joy, and success , there will also be the tears of fear, pain, and memories that creep out from the recesses of a soul, now that a safe place has been found. The ability to recognize when unseen pain is rising gives the opportunity to heal a heart, when we are able to stop in that moment to reflect on the pain that lies beneath the surface. If we pause, and we enter in with another, through empathy, listening, supporting, and aiding in opening eyes to the present, we can show a soul with pain unseen that they no longer have to walk through the valley of shadows alone. This healing culture allows for women and children to learn exactly that. That they are no longer alone facing unbelievable circumstances. Instead they are surrounded by those who will walk with them out of the shadows, shine a light upon their paths, encourage them through the open door and into the warmth of healing.
Acres of Hope is a place where the power of pain unseen is stripped of it’s control over the lives of women and children. It is a community of healing and freedom from the past. Just see for yourself…
Acres of Hope is changing the lives of women and their children, and you can be a part of leading hearts out of the realms of the pain unseen. Will you join us in bringing light and hope to more families?
To join us:
Visit: acresofhopeonline.org or Call: 530-878-8030