I have been like a small dog kept in a crate. Unable to venture out because I'm frightened of what I will find. It is safe in the small space I have created. I know what to expect, I control what happens. I'm finding though that lately I can step out, begining to trust one person. Hoping beyond hope that they won't hurt me like he did. I run back to the safety of the crate often and have to be coaxed out again. Sometimes I can exist comfortably with the door open watching the world. From a distance it doesn't look so bad, it's when you are right in the middle of it that it can hurt. I know I'll find a place to be safe outside the crate, it will just take time.

OK, sorry if that sounded like such a downer but I it really is how I feel.

Sandy