I originally moved to Winchester, VA to broaden my horizons and venture out on my own. Lived and raised in MD and always had family there, I always wanted to become my own self. So I packed up and left. When I moved to VA I had a roof over my head until suddenly my sons and I had to move into a hotel. Honestly, it was crazy! But I stayed in church and prayed up, every step I took I knew that God was right by my side. So after staying at the hotel and burdened by the expenses, I knew I had to leave. So I prayed and decided to move into a shelter home. I decided from that day on it was all about me and my family. I knew that God would not give me anything I can’t handle so we packed up and moved.
We all stayed in one room with two sets of bunk beds. We all got our own bed. At the shelter, kids had to be with their guardian at all times so it was stressful and at some moments I felt like I was going to have a breakdown. But I stayed in church and prayed up which got me through my worst days. I had to get my kids off to school, go to work and be back at the Salvation Army property before they came back because there was always a risk of us being kicked out if they arrived before I did. I stayed at the Salvation Army for 6 months and managed to stay focused on not only one job but two jobs. I made it work and in the long run, my children saw that I was on a mission for us to get out of there. It honestly made them grow and appreciate me a lot more. They wanted to help their momma anyway they could, so that made life easier.
After saving up money I was ready to make a move. I started to look for my own place. I looked and looked and I could not find anything until a friend mentioned an apartment to go look at. I got all my paperwork ready and I was approved to move in. When I got to my kids I took them out for dinner and then told them we were moving. They were so happy of course, but I did not tell them they had their own room until I took them to the new apartment. We did not even have beds to sleep on, but it was ours!
I define success as a reason why I move forward whether it is for my family or the fact that I am here on this earth to be able to interact with people. I have grown to love. My field of study is my life, which is to go through all my struggles and still come out with a great personality and be able to laugh at the end of the day. I always look for ways to better myself for my children and for myself. I find that I have built my relationships with honesty and spunk. So that is what I do. I know that life is too short and if it’s my time to go then I will be remembered as the crazy, organized and loud personality. Never let anyone prejudge your situation; you know what is best, they have lived their lives so it is up to you to make the final decision. Stay strong and focused because God is never going to give you something you cannot handle.
