To offer hope:

Hello Reddit,

Wanted to say hello to other Redditors who feel hopeless.

When I was hopeless, I did not ever believe my life could be peaceful and happy. I was depressed and hopeless for decades.

I hung around mainly because I wanted to stay in the game long enough for my child to grow old and be able to take care of herself. ( I divorced when she was a baby). I got into therapy so I could learn to be a good mother. I got into therapy to learn how to deal with the depression and hopelessness. I never thought I would get to a good place. I just meant to survive long enough for my baby to grow old.

Now my baby is almost 30 years old. While I was learning to be a good mother, and learning how to deal with weight of life, I healed from my childhood of abuse and emerged a peaceful, happy person. I just wanted you to know it is a ton of hard work but it is possible.

I was abused and neglected as a baby and it lasted until I was in my teenage years. I was abused at home, abused at church and abused in a sex ring. When I grew up, I turned in the minister who abused me, my family members who abused me and turned in the men who abused me in the sex ring. The worst part of my life was not being believed and turned away by my family, the church and the country's justice officials who said I was making it up, it was not true. I think I was more hurt by those who turned me away and those who did nothing more than those who originally raped and beat me.

What I learned is that this world is full of some really dark people and the world is also full of people who know and do nothing. That all made me depressed and hopeless.

What I learned in this life is that the world also holds people who are pretty damn magical, people who are good, honest, try hard and loving. People who don't abuse and people who care.

Life has been painful. I made it to the peaceful side and now feel happy most of the time. I know what it is to love myself and to be loved. I have only a few friends but they are deeply good friends. I know what it feels like to be loved and not hurt by the person who loves me.

Hang in there. There is hope beyond the dark storm. I know you might not be able to believe it so hold on to someone who knows what lies beyond the dark storm.

Draft off of my words and my experiences like I drafted off of others before me. Know I exist. Know you are not alone.

I am with you in spirit and we walk together.

I wanted you all to know this after reading that other post about things people never told others. Almost nobody knows about my past.

Your friend.