I had been meeting with...
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I had been meeting with Ann for fifteen months. At the age of 33 all Ann could think about was dying. It was her first thought in the morning and her last thought at night. Ann had been physically abused when she was a teenager. For eight months her brother's boss stalked her, threatened her, and abused her. For eight months she listened to her abuser's threats. "Remember that your brother might lose his job if you don't do what I want. If you don't do what I tell you to do, I can always go after your little sister." When I asked Ann why she wanted to die, her response was always the same. "I need peace. All I do when I'm awake is think about what he did. My dreams are filled with the sound of his voice, the smell of his aftershave lotion, and the touch of his hands." After telling me about her days and nights, she'd ask, "What's so wrong about wanting to die?" My response to her is always the same. If you take your own life, then he's won. If he wins, then evil has won. But if you continue to hold onto God and if you hold onto what is good in your life, then God's love will win.
-- Conroy
-- Conroy
