Lost in the Welfare System
A year later I found a church that took me under their wings. They did not judge and they took care of me spiritually. I took classes in spirituality and began to find myself again. Money was not an issue anymore. I didn't have what I was used to but my twins weren't sleeping in drawers either. I was safe. I wasn't getting beaten. Life was getting better. But it took work and a lot of tears to get to that spot.
I take life one day at a time and try to find something I am grateful for daily. I help others today. Life is not about just me anymore. Many strangers helped me get through some suicidal times and somehow I made it with the twins and without having to give them up. But I realize every day how lucky I am. Life is not about my needs; it is about my children. It is about other women who are desperately trying to get out of a domestic violence situation. It is about all the single women trying to raise their children alone on almost nothing. I can never forget who I am and where I've been but I do not need to dwell on it. I tell my story to help others, not to find pity. I'm over being a pitiful human being and selfishly taking from others. I may not have much to brag about but what I do have today I've worked hard for.
Nothing has been given to me without sweat and tears. I do not take handouts. I do not use the spare cash that I have to dissolve myself into a drunken stupor. I am a healthy member of society today, repaying as much as I can to all that has been given to me. It still amazes me where I've been and how far I've come and moreso where I plan on being in a year. Alive. I am grateful to my Higher Power and the people who believe in me. Today, it is one day at a time, believing in myself and my children and my God.
Angela Eaton (This
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