On July 27th I shared that I had taken my mom to have her blood drawn. We got the results back and she has Hashimotos. I was relieved to learn that she does not have the reverse T3 problem but she does have hypothyroidism because of the Hashimotos.

Unfortunately, my mother has been in an abusive relationship for more than two decades. I have been extremely concerned about her, uncertain as to whether she could even begin to heal from adrenal fatigue while living under constant stress and abuse. I have wished she could be freed from the life she was leading for many years.

Finally, thankfully, she reached out to me and asked me to make a plan to remove her from the situation. Years ago I told my mom when it was time, she would know. I'm so very grateful that she had the presence of mind to know it was indeed finally time.

My precious mom has been with me for 10 days. She is feeling better, but has been through a lot and it is going to take time. My mother is one of the most important people in my life, and I will do whatever it takes to help her recover.

That is why I have decided that I need to step back from blogging for a period of time. I will still be online as I can, but my mother is higher priority at this time.

One of my mother's first phone calls was to one of her neighbors. She was explaining why she had left and said, “You never know what is going on behind closed doors.”  I knew that my mother was in an abusive situation for years, but it was not yet time for her to leave. Because she is of sound mind, there was nothing I could do until she made the choice. I'm just very grateful that she chose life.

Please be aware of the signs of domestic violence, and please don't wait to leave until it's too late. Especially if you have health problems, you never know when you will become worse and unable to leave on your own.

Here are some links that you may find helpful:

• Domestic Violence – Types, Signs, Causes and Effects from HelpGuide.org
• Signs of Domestic Violence from WebMD
• The Warning Signs of Domestic Violence from the East Texas Crisis Center
• Abuser Tricks from New Hope for Women

As part of my mother's rehabilitation we'll be working jigsaw puzzles, crocheting baby blankets, reading the Bible and having “gigglefests” as often as possible.

Thank you for your patience and I hope to be back soon.

August 2014 Update: My mom is doing so much better!