1st Annual WOPA Pioneer Day

A few months ago, I had the idea to celebrate Pioneer Day, July 24th, as a holiday for Wives of Porn Addicts (WOPAs). Below is a description of my current vision for the day. I hope this becomes an annual tradition in the WOPA community, and I welcome your kind and constructive feedback for this concept (please be aware that given the current context of my marriage, I have not had very much time to devote to this and the ex-editor in me is actively cringing!). I encourage you to share this information with others and on your blog (please link to mine if you do!). 

Love,

Victory

We are Pioneers.

We are not alone.

A day of honoring and celebrating our strengths as Wives of Porn Addicts (WOPAs) and uniting in love, thought, and prayer.

1^st Annual Wives of Porn Addicts Pioneer Day: July 24^th, 2013

We Are Pioneers

Inspiring words about Modern Day Pioneer Women by Maurice W. Harker, Therapist

See full post at: http://mwharkertherapist.blogspot.com/2010/08/modern-day-pioneer-women-survivors-of.html

“Commonly, the wife I meet has a history of trying to be a righteous woman. She followed all the rules that were supposed to “guarantee” a good husband and a good marriage. She tried to be a good wife by meeting all his needs. But nonetheless, he stepped out of the marriage through pornography, masturbation, an affair, or anything like unto such. . . I have since learned, with the help of my wife’s example and research of pioneer women, that women, when necessary, can really buckle down and handle very difficult situations. They don’t want to, and will do all in their power to avoid it, but once a woman finds herself on the plains pulling a hand cart with children sitting inside, she can walk many miles, barefoot, singing happy songs of hope and faith to her children and skinning buffalo with her bare hands. Women, when you find reprieve from the spinning, I encourage you to tap into this power within. Recognize the devastating situation you are in and approach it as a challenge to be conquered. Remember your strength and intelligence. You are a problem solver. You are brave. You are strong. Make a plan, and make it happen!”

We Are Not Alone

Unfortunately, you are not the only WOPA . But fortunately, we are blessed, through modern technology and the dedication and hard work of many individuals in the caring industries (some WOPAs themselves) to have access to many resources accessible to almost everyone everywhere. If you have not yet reached out and created a community of support, let today be the day! Start your journey at http://www.hopeandhealinglds.com/

A day of honoring and celebrating our strengths as WOPAs and uniting in love, thought, and prayer.

I hope that today you will find at least one way to honor and celebrate yourself and another WOPA and unite with WOPAs or other sources of support. Below are some suggestions of how you could do so. Please share what your experiences!

·         Indulge and/or nourish your body, mind, and spirit. For example, you could eat oreos, go on a walk, take a nap, try a new nutritious food, get a haircut, write in a gratitude journal, do yoga, go to the Temple, or do something that requires and reflects your courage. You could sing a hymn (perhaps “Come, Come, Ye Saints”), or offer a special prayer asking blessings for the WOPA community.

·         Unite with others. For example, you could seek support for yourself or offer support to another, seek communion with God, express gratitude to another who has touched your life for good, or do something (like write a blog post or create an information packet for your ecclesiastical leaders) to educate others about the issue of pornography addiction. I specifically invite you to offer a prayer at 2:40 pm (because it's the 24th) in your local time zone in support of WOPAs.