I have circled up in many Blue circles since joining the Hidden Water community five years ago. I often think, surely my healing will be done, there will be no fresh insights for me to share as a circle participant. As I prepare to be a keeper for each season, I wonder whether my story will be old because of the many times it has been told. But each circle I am confronted by the twists and turns that show up in my own personal path to healing. My family will never confront our shared suffering and it is unlikely we will ever do the work needed to heal together. And so I am deeply appreciative of sitting in circle and feeling understood by other blues. It is the only time I no longer feel like a blue bystander. I know that the harm I have felt by the actions and inactions of every color connected to my brother’s abuse has not been imagined. And in my blue circle I do not have to apologize or downplay the impact this has had on my life. Blues often feel invisible, but time and time again as I circle up with other shades of blue, our stories connect, our feelings make sense and our experiences are real. It is often the first time we are truly seen.

Please help support Hidden Water on Giving Tuesday to ensure this vital programing continues, and allow loved ones to be apart of the healing for the whole family.