Reviving Hope: Overcoming the Horror of Childhood Sexual Abuse

By Kathi Bloy

Written with honesty and compassion after extensive interviews, Reviving Hope exposes childhood sexual abuse through the eyes of a five-year-old girl. Innocent, afraid, and unable to advocate for herself, Hope struggles with guilt and the weight of this evil. Now, as an adult, her candid disclosure of her abuse is offered to increase awareness of this crime against children. She hopes that her story will inspire others to join the effort to end such abuse. Equally important, Hope wants to encourage victims to reach out toward healing and restoration. Therefore, the book lists resources for those who have been, or are being, abused. As Hope reveals, the journey to wholeness can be a difficult one. Abuse has no quick fix. The path to freedom may be strewn with obstacles, but determined survivors can overcome every impediment. Time and support from those who care will help as they walk toward the goal of freedom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kathi Bloy
• Release date: Nov 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370622542

Kathi Bloy

Kathi Bloy, a freelance writer with more than 20 years’ experience, earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and has edited numerous articles and books for other authors. Written with honesty and compassion after extensive interviews, Reviving Hope is her first venture into publishing under her own name. Kathi and her husband live in Wisconsin and have four grown children and nine grandchildren.

Book preview

Reviving Hope

Kathi Bloy

© 2017 Kathi Bloy

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All names have been changed.

Dedicated to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Only by his grace am I alive to tell my story. Also to my therapists, especially Dr. Beth Corey-Taylor, who for years helped me uncover the truth I had buried deep inside me. And to all who have experienced sexual abuse as a child. You are not alone. Remember that the human spirit will always prevail when led by the Holy Spirit.

Hope

I am grateful for the love and encouragement of my husband, Tom, whose repeated verbal nudge, I thought you had writing to do, inspired me more than any muse! This book would not have seen the light of day without my faithful critique group: Beth Ziarnik, Chris Stratton, Deb Schauland Kris Orkin, Pedar Bloom, and Ruth Schmeckpeper. They helped me learn, month by month, to write well. Marilyn Hein was most helpful in examining my manuscript from a professional counselor’s viewpoint and encouraging me to tell this story. Her advice was invaluable, and I am grateful for her beautiful foreword. I am thankful to Kathi McCarty, pastor, author, and friend, for doing the final style edit and asking all of the right questions. Any errors that persist are my responsibility. Mostly, I am thankful that Hope was not only willing, but eager, to share her story, believing it would impact positively others who have been abused.

Kathi Bloy

Letting the Darkness Out

A little girl

So small and delicate

Prayers at night

Offered to a watchful, nurturing God.

Now I lay me down to sleep,

Prayers float skywards,

Fluttering on angel wings.

A little girl,

So lonely and confused,

Trapped, wanting to escape

Imprisoned

By words stronger than bars

I pray the Lord my soul to keep

Tiny, delicate soul,

Tarnished, locked, hardened,

Striving desperately

To subdue pain.

If I should die before I wake,

Blue eyes, wide, beautiful, fearful,

Refuse tears which are offered,

Toughness, walls, strength.

Vows never to let them see her cry.

I pray the Lord my soul to take,

Where will the soul land?

Heavy, burdened, as it is,

Surely it can not fly.

Small hiding child

Her God beside her

Slowly she dies

A death of shame.

Can a soul be taken in pieces?

By Sarah Newton.

Used with permission.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1 - The Night in a Flower

Chapter 2 - The Darkness Deepens

Chapter 3 - Dead of Night

Chapter 4 - Prevailing Darkness

Chapter 5 - Before the Dawn

Chapter 6 - A Speck of Light in the Darkness

Chapter 7 - Emerging from the Darkness

Chapter 8 - Escaping the Darkness

Chapter 9 - Facing the Light

Conclusion - Please Join Me in the Light

Appendix 1 - Finding a Therapist

Appendix 2 - What to Look for in a Counselor

Appendix 3 - Reporting Abuse

Foreword

As a therapist who has counseled many victims of sexual abuse, I read Kathi Bloy’s book with deep understanding of Hope’s need to tell the story of her childhood sexual abuse. Her account made me think of the book To Be Told, written by my graduate school professor, Dr. Dan Allender. He encourages readers to face the truth about the moments that