The Rose That Grew from the Concrete

After having my daughter handcuffed and shackled to the hospital bed and hauled off to jail where I was then convicted of 31 felonies and 1 misdemeanor, I knew something had to give.

Feeling untouchable but relieved, I was then sent to prison for six years total (nine years less than what was promised). God stopped me to actually get me going, and as crazy as it may sound, it was one of the best things to happen to me. It was there that I actually learned the importance of living versus existing.

After a failed relationship, being broke as hell, and having a bunch of kids, I got selfish with whom I allowed in my space, bossed my life up, and handle my business. I secretly went back to school and got my college degree. I didn’t want to tell many people because I was so afraid of failing and giving others something else to talk about.

The picture may be beautiful, but my journey has been ugly. So many days, I wanted to give up because working 40 hours a week and being a mother to eight kids became just too much for me. There were days I set my alarm to wake me up at 2 or 3 in the morning just so I could get some homework done. Then, I got back up at 6:30 a.m. to get my kids ready, dropped six of them off at school, then headed to work myself.

There were days I took late lunches so I could pick them up from school and get back to work. I got off at 6 p.m. and my kids would literally be on the side of the road waiting so I could take them to dance, cheer, or basketball practice. There were many days I went without eating—not from a lack of food but from pure exhaustion. Exhausted from life but also hurt because I had no one cheering me on.

So I became my own cheerleader. As hectic as it was, I never gave up because I was on a mission. I set a goal that needed to be accomplished—and that was that.

Throughout this journey, my kids were my reason and not my excuse to at least try and give everything ALL I had in me. For years, I’d been the butt of all jokes because in this day and age, having eight kids is deemed a bad thing. Never mind the fact that I actually have all my kids in my custody and take care of all them by myself.

I want to thank all those that doubted me and said I’d never be anything or amount to anything other then being a baby mama. I want to thank my older kids for holding down the fort and helping with the little ones for these past two years. I’m not looking for a pat on the back, because all the things that I’ve done are things that I’m supposed to do. I’m simply sharing this piece of my life to encourage those with strikes against them to use that as fuel to overcome obstacles.

I’m not perfect, but I’m striving daily to be better then I was the day before. Not only did I finish school with my associate’s degree, I finished with high honors (3.8 GPA) and perfect attendance. Job already secured! #GodsPLAN