Hi! My name is Clara and I’m a writer and speaker.
I’m also a mom of eleven kids who are all grown up, and now I’m getting to enjoy eighteen awsome grandkids!
Growing up on a farm taught me to enjoy nature and simple living. Home canning and gardening are passions of mine. And, I’m game to try a new recipe any time especially if it has “Italian” in the title! Sure, you can send me your Italian recipes and I promise to share my “special ingredient meatball recipe” with you.
Oh, did I mention I love chocoate, too?
The mountains of Pennsylvania have been my home for the past forty years, but my heart is bound to the ocean. My dream is to spend half a year oceanside, and half a year countryside. And, I know that dreams really do come true!
I blog about life and resiliency. Everybody has some major obstacle to overcome and I hope to inspire you to overcome yours!
My most recent challenge has been learning how to find peace and joy after finding out I didn’t know the man I loved and was married to for almost forty years. Unknown to me, he was a practicing pedophile since the age of fourteen and is now serving a thirty-year sentence in prison.
My healing is coming from being a voice for abused children and adults.
Love,
Clara
Clara,
I loved Loved LOVED your son Chris’ s blog. Is there a way to get in touch with him? Thank you for your honesty in your posts. You are so brave to share.
Clara, thank you so much for the work that you do in protecting our children! I’ve been a faithful reader of your blog for about 3 years now because I wanted to be better equipped in spotting potential predators. Your blog has taught me far more than I even imagined possible! Thanks to this knowledge and my sharing it with some friends, we are pretty sure we have a potential predator attending our church. If it hadn’t been for your blog, we never would have picked up on his early grooming behavior. (He is now being closely monitored by the pastor and several church leaders.) I just wanted to give you my sincerest thanks for all that you have done and continue to do. YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!!!
Nicole, You have no idea how much reading this means to me! This purpose of this blog is two-fold: to educate and to help victims of abuse to find their voice. You have just given this blog some worthwhile validation! Thank you so much for using this blog for its intended purpose!
Thank you for your blog, I read it faithfully. As a survivor of abuse it’s extremely hard to read but every post I read makes me feel more secure in keeping my own children safe. You are a voice for so many, this blog is hard at times for me, but it’s also inpowering, so thank you!
Melissa, Thank YOU for having the courage it takes to read this. I continue to pray over this blog asking God to bless all who read this with courage and strength, and I see that God is answering my prayers!!!! Be strong — you are a woman of courage!!!!!
Clare, I happened upon your blog when searching the internet for other examples of what our family has experienced. First I would like to say that I am sad that your family and all of the children have had to experience this horrific thing. The ex-husband molested my daughters from my first marriage and we are working through this with support from our family and counselors. Would it be possible to reach out to you privately? If so, please email me directly. Thank you Clare and I pray for continued healing for you all.
Thank you for this blog. I am nearly thirty years old and am still sorting through the trauma of abuse that occurred from the ages of 8-12. I can only imagine your pain, and appreciate not only your compassion for survivors but also your resilience in your own struggle. I keep hoping that one day I will wake up and all of this will just go away. But I’ve been hoping that for 17 years, now, and it hasn’t happened.
Thank you.
Catherine, Thank you so much for having the courage to read this blog (I’m sure it stirs up a lot of bad, bad memories) and to comment. The trauma caused from abuse doesn’t just go away overnight — it often takes years to get to a solid place of healing. But, you’re going to make it! Little by little — every time to do something like make a post, talk to someone, journal your thoughts — you’re releasing some of the pain and the power that this abuse held over you. I call it “diluting the pain” — and while you’re diluting the pain you’re also empowering yourself!!!! Continue to work daily on feeding yourself thoughts that “you are worthy”, “you are beautiful”, “You are free” — say those things over and over and over again until your heart and mind are so full of those thoughts that the pain will eventually begin to fade. Thank God you’re no longer in a situation of abuse!!! My special thoughts are with you!