I have no regret.

The other day I had someone ask me if I ever regretted turning in my father or if I missed him. My answer was “No I don’t regret turning him in.” As for missing him, I don’t either, I told this person how sometimes I wonder what things could have been like if I was part of a “normal” father/daughter relationship but where would that put me today? I also told this person I didn’t regret turning in my dad because I know he would have kept abusing me or find someone else if he couldn’t get to me. I would be afraid if I were to one day have children to leave them alone with him (not that I ever would but just used it as an example).

Today I was asked some interview questions for a local write up in the Calais Advertiser one of them being ‘do you believe you are making a difference and why.’ I then happen to find this story of inspiration and I believed it described the situation perfectly…

‎"A man goes out on the beach and sees that it is covered with starfish that have washed up in the tide. A little boy is walking along, picking them up and throwing back into the water. "What are you doing, son?" the man asks. "You see how many starfish there are? You'll never make a difference." The boy paused thoughtfully, and picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean. "It sure made a difference to that one," he said.”

If I make a difference in one person’s life I believe I have made a difference. I may have a dream to change the world but it will be done with one voice at a time. Each voice that is shared with me is one more voice to raise awareness, one more individual to accept the present or past, one more voice that can change their future.

I choose to take a public stand on an issue that is often believed to be a quiet and private manner. People may disagree with me and most of the people who will is because this personal to them, it hits home, it’s a realization. I am not here to make friends with everyone, I am here to make a difference and if I create enemies on the way, that means I’ve stood up for something, right?

I don’t believe in regret to get back to the beginning of this post. I believe in chance and that everything happens for a reason. In court I told my dad he didn’t deserve me as a daughter because he failed me and that the reason that this happened was because I was strong enough to stop him and prevent him from finding another victim.

Today he’s in prison and today I am here, sharing my voice, sharing my story, making a difference.

He’s probably worried about how cool he is in jail.