I want to be remembered as the woman who accepted responsibility for her poor choices and found the positive in the ugliest situation.
I have three daughters, Bella (10), Ana (8), and Willow (1). We all know kids lose teeth, and when Ana lost hers this past year, my mom, Tutu forgot to contact the tooth fairy. After about two weeks of going back and forth with Ana about why the tooth fairy didn’t come, my mom told her it was because she lost her tooth somewhere in her room. Well, Ana finally found it. That night, she put it under her pillow for the tooth fairy. When I called the next day, Ana was mad. She told me the tooth fairy had taken her tooth but left no money. Uh oh. While Ana was still on the phone with me, Tutu snuck some money under the pillow. A few seconds later, Ana checked again and said, “Hey, I got money!” But then I heard her say, “Wait a minute, isn’t this the twenty from Tutu’s purse?” I couldn’t help but laugh at the end. During my incarceration, not only did I give birth to my daughter, but the love of my life was also murdered. Rather than causing me to reject God, it solidified my relationship with Him. It allowed me to realize that God and Jesus love me, no matter how many flaws and sins I have, even though everyone else is truly paying the consequences for my actions. By raising my children without me, by me being absent in their lives, I know that everything will be alright because God says it will be. I want to be remembered as the woman who accepted responsibility for her poor choices and found the positive in the ugliest situation. I don’t know if I am inspirational in any way, but I want others to know they are not alone. God is always there. When my boyfriend Kenneth Piper was murdered, it hurt so bad, but I knew at that moment that God would always be there, no matter what. He can fill any void. Let Him, like I did.
