Cocoon by Mary Jeanne LinfordAs a woman, I am very interested in issues that affect women in our society. When the issue of abuse came much too close to home, I began to see first hand how women who are abused can stay in the situation and not try to leave. I also saw how emotional abuse takes self confidence and feelings of self worth and destroys them. I saw a strong, confident, bright young woman become a withdrawn, shuttered person who doubted every decision she made, and