There’s a lot happening in our culture that is hard to hold. Further disclosure of sexual abuse and negligence at the Boy Scouts. Children continuing to be separated from their families and detained in unsafe and unhealthy environments. Mass shootings. An increasingly public and violent surge of white supremacy.

It’s a lot to hold. It impacts us as survivors of child sexual abuse and survivors’ loved ones, as there are triggers of our own abuse and our culture’s response, as well as an awareness of just how much work is left to create a culture that values, respects, protects, and empowers children.

So let’s hold it—together.

This is different than what our culture tells us to do: hold it together. When we hold it together, we often wind up trying to hold our feelings at bay so we can do. So we can be. So we can survive.

We’re going to try something different in this email. We’re going to try, in a small way, to hold it—together. We’re going to try to use this email as a way to accompany you, even if just for a moment.

We wonder if you’re feeling anxious. Afraid. Heartbroken. Overwhelmed. Sorrowful. Unsteady. Numb. Horrified. Enraged. Yearning for a different reality.

We wonder if you have a need for safety. Stability. Understanding. A shared reality.

We wonder if you have a need for connection. Belonging. Care.

We wonder if you have a need for respect. Equity. Community.

We wonder if you have a need for the wellbeing of the people you love.

We wonder these things because we care about the OAASIS community. Because we want you to know you’re not alone.

Together, we can do something more than holding it together.