Laura - "One Step at a Time"
Photo by Randy Bacon
One thing I would say about me and about my life is that life is hard. Life is very hard. You take it one step at a time. You keep going no matter how tired, how mad, or how angry you get. You just keep going. You don’t ever stop. Even if you have to push and push and push, you don’t EVER stop. When you feel like you can’t go on anymore, you keep going, and you do it every day. I was homeless for 8 months. I came to Springfield to fight a custody battle. I was staying with friends, and they started using drugs so, I went to stay at a shelter and started working and that’s how my life got started being homeless.
Photo by Randy Bacon
The hardest part about getting out of homelessness is finding a place to live. Finding someplace that will accept you and then try to get it going from there. But I never gave up on it. I applied for every low income housing there was and kept doing it. And I finally got accepted. Don’t let people push you around. For the women out there, don’t ever settle for second best. It will happen if you allow it to. My life now…well, some days are complicated. I have a lot of joy in my life and I have a lot of heartache. I still take it one day at a time. I’m trying to find out who I am through this journey I’m on. My dream is to see my children off drugs, to be a family, and to see my little precious grandbabies that I’m raising, be back with their family. And, I want to travel. To find out who I am that I’ve left behind. Anyplace can be a home. It’s what you make of it. It could be the worst place or it could be the best place, but it’s what you make of it.
Photo by Randy Bacon
Laura was originally part of "The Road I Call Home" and was gracious enough to come back and share her follow up story with. Her story is brought to you in partnership with Safe to Sleep. Visit their website to learn more about how you can help.
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