About four years ago I was introduced to a single mom in need of serious help. She was homeless at the time and, frankly, her life was a mess. It would have been easy to just do a few simple things for her and her son that would have provided some temporary relief. But she was different. She was determined and had a drive about her that indicated she could make it. All she needed was the right kind of help. Fortunately, at the time, we had room in our Ministry House. We placed them there and began to build a support network based on what she needed.
Life had been tough and her self-esteem was low. A parishioner with counseling skills offered to meet with her on a regular basis and her confidence began to grow.
She had dropped out of high school, but knew education was important and constantly stressed that to her son. One of our awesome teachers offered to tutor her on her own time. The mom was so proud when a couple of years later she obtained her GED.
She had limited marketable skills. A local non-profit offered an opportunity to learn office, computer and customer service skills. Eventually she did some work within the School District assisting others in situations similar to hers where she learned that helping others is what she wanted to do.
Eventually she met someone, moved out of state, married and had another child. We stay in touch exchanging holiday greetings or just simple messages from time-to-time. She had told me she wanted to start college. With a little one at home she knew it would need to be online, but for her this was a huge move. She recently sent me a text with a photo attached. The photo was of her award for making the Dean’s List for her first term ever in college.
None of this would have happened were it not for many, many people caring and guiding her along the way. It took years for her life to fall apart. It is taking years to put it back together. Thank you all for helping make this happen. Please pray for her continued growth.