He also wrote that he had to leave without a lot of things, and asked Santa to get him stuff like "chapter books, a dictionary, and a compass and a watch."
Trigger Warning: This story mentions domestic abuse that may be disturbing to readers.
7-year-old Blake and his mom moved in to a domestic violence shelter around Thanksgiving 2019, and were left isolated while everyone else geared up to spend the holidays with loved ones. Then his mom found a heart-wrenching letter in her son's backpack, and immediately showed it to others at the shelter, according to TODAY.
It was so touching and heartbreaking that the shelter shared a picture of the letter from the innocent boy on their Facebook page. The letter was a glimpse into the boy's soul and it showed exactly how he was feeling.
"Dear Santa, We had to leave our house. Dad was mad. We had to do all the chores. Dad get everything he wanted. Mom said it was time to leave and she would take us to a safer place where we don't have to be scared. I'm still nervous. I don't want to talk to the other kids. Are you going to come this Christmas? We don't have any of our stuff here. Can you bring some chapter books, a dictionary, and a compass and a watch? I also want a very very very good dad. Can you do that too? Love, Blake."
His letter went viral, touching hearts around the country. "We never anticipated it would get the kind of attention that it has gotten," Kathryn Jacob, the president and CEO of the nonprofit shelter SafeHaven, said. She then went on to add that though it might seem heartbreaking, for them Blake is just another kid at the shelter—which serves all of Tarrant County in the area of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas—that is going through a hard time personally.
"To us, it was kind of a story that we've heard all the time," she said. "Like tonight, we have 73 kids in the shelter. So Blake is just one of many."
Once the letter was shared, people from all corners of the world came together to help Blake with everything he mentioned on the list, except probably a very good dad, though there are really amazing men out in the world. But, what shocked the staff at the shelter is the sheer number of comments under the post from women who could resonate with what Blake and his mom have been going through.
"One in three women in Texas will experience domestic violence in their lifetime," she explained. "Even though we inherently know that what has been remarkable to us is the number of women commenting on those stories saying they can relate."
But, by sharing the letter, Blake and his mom are in no kind of danger, added Jacob. "We would never compromise that through a social media post or otherwise," SafeHaven wrote on Facebook. "Blake and his mom are safe! Thank you for your concern for his family."
References:
https://www.facebook.com/safehaventc/photos/a.130000360365846/2926947800671074/?type=3
Cover Image Source: Facebook | SafeHaven of Tarrant County
