Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everybody. This 2020 Thanksgiving is obviously a little different than other years. Possibly some of you aren’t able to be directly with your family due to social distancing and staying safe and healthy.

The concept of Thanksgiving makes me appreciate more than ever those that I love, those that have shown me love, my great family members and, you know, those who have shown kindness. This very much for me does not include my father, Mike Rinder, who assaulted and battered my mother and caused her damage for life. He refuses to accept any responsibility for what he did to my mother, on top of everything. And meanwhile my mother is living a life of pain, really for the rest of her life. She’s never going to have the full use of her arm. She’s never going to be fully recovered from the violent assault, the domestic abuse, all caused by Mike Rinder. And that is something I really don’t want to give thanks for. That's really the only thing I can’t give thanks for this Thanksgiving.

Destruction of our family, our family values and caring for each other is Mike Rinder, and always has been Mike Rinder. His entire livelihood depends on, on attacking his family, telling lies and destroying everything that I live for, everything I believe in, everything my mom lives for and believes in and holds dear. And his son—everything he lives for and believes in. And his brother and everybody else in our family, he works to destroy every single day, meaning Mike Rinder. That harassment, abuse and mental and physical pain he has levelled is just something I cannot give thanks for.

Of course it’s more important than ever at this time to be vigilant, be aware of domestic violence and take action where you know of it or you see it—whether it be your household or another's—this is the time to speak up about that and to do something about it. We’ve been in stay at home and lockdown for a good part of the year. And the domestic violence statistics have gone up. Let’s put an end to that violence. This is the time of year when we want love in the families and celebration of families. Lots of love to go around.

For all of the families that don't have a memory of abuse, like mine of watching my father, Mike Rinder, maul my mother, they absolutely have something to be thankful for. I do hope those loving families are having a very wonderful Thanksgiving together and celebrating the family unit, as best they can during this trying time.

I give thanks this year to all those who have supported me from around the world and all of the support I've received from people that I don't know—from as far away as Africa—that also want to raise awareness against domestic violence and to make this a better world.

I give thanks for that encouragement to keep on going and to stand up and tell the truth about what happened in my family with my father Mike Rinder.

And, of course, I give thanks to every single person in my close knit family—not including Mike Rinder. I love them all. I have family members from Melbourne, Australia to New York, New York and even in Switzerland. I absolutely give thanks to them this Thanksgiving and forever more. And I wish all the best for everybody else as well.

Again, for all of my supporters who I consider basically part of my family in that way, thank you very much and Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Taryn

Make life worth giving thanks for.

End domestic violence.