“‘Hi, my name is Teresa and I’m mom of six,’ I want to say like we’re in a support group. I still laugh at the whole concept of me being responsible for all these wonderfully, crazy children. Kids were not the plan. But as my husband and I stood before the photograph of a little boy praying, it was like blinders fell from our eyes.”
“That’s how it all started. A little bit of weed and a little speed. She believed people who told her it was no big deal. She wanted to get clean. ‘Daddy, I don’t want to go back to that stuff ever again.’ Then she had a couple of bad days. The rest of the story is buried with her.”
“The day you came into the world was hellfire, more pain than I ever knew I could handle. I didn’t handle it actually; I think I survived it. I remember thinking I will never forget this, even though they say you do. But then you were warm on my chest and I did. I forgot it. I will never ever forget the gold and magic I see inside you; you can count on that.”
“He was my partner in crime and he always took me back. The feelings I SHOULD have for my husband simply were not there. I was not in love… at all. I began to resent him and knew I had to do something.”
“She had just bit me. And screamed at me. She wanted to be in control. So did I. But here I am, on the bathroom floor, engulfed in her embrace. I’m not innocent in all this. I was ignoring her. She lost it on me. ‘Do you need a hug?’ I sure did.”
“Love makes a home, but it doesn’t keep one, and we needed an income. Is there guilt? Well, I listened to the PTA president of my kid’s school talk about how good it is for mothers to be involved. Thanks Betty! Perfect timing. Then there’s missing the baby because he’s asleep when you left, and asleep when you get home. But I’m just going to say it, I don’t feel guilty. I love it.”
“It’s November 19 again. The ‘Deathaversary.’ The day I lost my husband, my kids their father. Mixed feelings of laughter, despair find me when I see a card my little one left on the junk table: ‘Deer dad, we all wish you could come back. A boy Luke likes me. I wish you could see him.’ I want these feelings to leave us the hell alone. And then again, I don’t. They keep him here with us.”
“I was 25, divorced, and living in a cycle of brokenness and addiction. I had 3 other kids and didn’t have custody of any of them. My boyfriend wanted me to have an abortion, but when I chose life, he left. My children’s foster mom saw my hurting heart when all the odds were stacked against me, and fought alongside me. She never gave up on me.”
“It was a Friday night, the first football game of the year. I was a freshman. One of my friends talked me into going to the game and dance afterwards. Little did I know, that dance would change my life. I ran into my neighbor and his friend, Chad. We talked, laughed, had a great time. By the end of the night, I put my number in Chad’s phone. Months later, I was asking my friend to buy me a pregnancy test. I was 15.”
“Her uncle started raping her when she was 7 years old. I tell her she’s going to be okay. I tell her WHY she’s still a virgin. ‘Rape is not the same thing as sex. Having sex WITH someone can only happen with consent. Otherwise, it’s just violence, period.’ She dries her tears, and smiles for a new beginning.”
