Therapeutic Autobiography

It's taken some deep thought & a little time to come up with this one. I have thought about this for days & was trying to figure out just 'how' to word it.

I was born in the end of October of 1966. It was a great day, because I was here!

I attended Highland Gardens Elementary School, Capitol Heights Jr. High School, & Robert E. Lee High School, all located in Montgomery, Alabama. I have fond memories of all three schools. I was your typical kid. I was heavily involved in church with GA's (anyone remember Girls in Action?). I went to GA camp every summer for years. My parents always sent my brother to RA (Royal Ambassadors) camp at the same time. I didn't understand why, but now that I have children, I do! :-)

I was also involved in softball! I absolutely loved it. I played for years. We lived at the ball park. My brother played baseball & my parents coached & ran the concession stand. Those were the days! Life was a lot simpler.

My mom died when I was in ninth grade. That was a turning point, I believe. I changed. I had some wild teenage years. I made some really bad decisions. I just pray that my kids don't do what I did.

I married a neighborhood boy that I had dated forever when I was 19. He had joined the Army and was gone quite a bit. I got involved with some 'lonely' wives & things went down hill from there. Our son was five at the time. I was stupid, selfish & had no clue what damage I was inflicting on those around me. Because of some very bad decisions on my part, I divorced him & immediately begin seeing someone else. That relationship didn't work out, then I met my second husband. At first he was wonderful & caring and had a secret past. Not known to me, he was a recovering and now practicing drug addict. After about two years, maybe three, and two sons later, the marriage was a train wreck. Because of some circumstances, I had to leave this one in secrecy. He had no clue for 2 or 3 days. I drove from Michigan to Alabama, with a 3 kids, a dog, & a hamster. I found a job, rented a house & life was starting over for me & the kids.

Then, like a knight in shining armor, in walks Russell. (I swear I heard theme music in the background) He brought two beautiful girls in my life, which now call me mom & he inherited boys that he taught how to play baseball. We became fast friends, then best friends. I couldn't go a day without talking to him. That still continues today, almost 10 years later. We added to our already made multitude with another son.

I have found my way back on my feet and today I am a proud, Christian, wife & mother. I am not perfect and I have never claimed to be. I went from being the one that inflicts pain to being the one that suffered. That is a lesson I still carry with me today.

So, there you have it, in a nutshell, how I got to where I am today. It was not always a pretty picture, but I feel like I have made it. I have learned lessons that what I call 'bought' lessons. They are the ones that have the most impact & cost you the most, but they are the ones that change you for the better.

There is only one reason I am where I am today & that is my foundation in God. I accredit that to my upbringing. I tell you, anyone can climb out of the hole that you are in, whether it be a hole you dug yourself or someone has put you there. God is in the rescuing business. I am living proof of that.