This is the true story of heartache, physical, sexual and alcohol abuse, love, hate, financial burdens and finally, finding joy, happiness and hope.
We trust that you will understand why the names and some of the circumstances had to be changed to protect the privacy and safety of some of the people in this story. It contains information that is true, but the situations have been framed in slightly different circumstances, or alternative locations to protect the source of the story. In some cases, several people have been combined into one person or events gathered into one time frame for the same reason, to protect the source of the story, who still lives in Cullman County.
This could very well be happening right there in your neighborhood. It could be happening to one of your classmates, your co-workers or your neighbors. It could happen to you, as the song says, “There but for fortune, go you, or I.”
Having overcome so much in her life, Keri has no doubt that this situation can be dealt with, as well, but sometimes we all need a little help, and with children in this scenario, she knows that people offering to help are doing so out of kindness, not pity.
“People can overcome any obstacle if they know what the right path is to take,” she wrote. The family has been able to make arrangements for a house that is big enough for all of them, but they still have to wait to move in until they can save up enough to pay for deposits and to turn on the utilities.
“We don’t want to rely on handouts,” she said firmly. “I want to pay for what we need, and I do appreciate the help that we have gotten. I don’t want people to feel sorry for us,” she said simply. “I want something better for myself and my family, and I don’t mind working for it.
“The Lord helps me through it all. Of course I'm not perfect by any means but it’s mistakes that make us who we are, we all make mistakes, but we can handle a little rough patch with His help,” she said, her face lighting up. “Prayer works, that is for sure, I know that myself, I love everyone and would do whatever I could to help any way I can even if it's giving them the shirt on my back or the last dollar I have because we are here on earth to help each other. We are here for a purpose. I used to wonder what that purpose was for so long but, I know now, my babies are my purpose for living; they are my reason for life and nothing will ever change that. I am here for my children and my husband, to care for them, and I’m not perfect but I am going to give it my all,” she said emotionally. “I am here because of them; they are the reason I live.”
They say that when it rains, it pours. In Keri’s case, it came a monsoon…
“On top of everything else it’s not been a good weekend but things are looking up; we got served an eviction notice, after they gave us two extra weeks on Friday. We have to be out by the end of the week. It was hand printed from a computer, then the words were written in; it was from the landlord, not from a sheriff; I’m not sure if that is the way it is supposed to be done or not…
“My truck started doing something weird. I thought the transmission was going out, it had no gears, when I mashed the gas it was like it was in neutral. I called my husband and he walked me through fixing it myself. I wound up being a mechanic for the day,” she laughed.
“We will be just fine once we get on our feet,” she affirmed.
The family is still in need of a good used refrigerator, washer and dryer. Keri’s old dryer gave up the ghost just as this article was being written. If you would like to donate or sell these appliances, in good working order, please contact The Cullman Tribune.
Next week: what the experts say about Keri's story, how to teach your child when to recognize inappropriate behavior and where to turn in case of suspected abuse
Copyright 2017 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Author’s note: Working with Keri on this series, I have been continually amazed by her positive outlook on life. It would seem that a person who has been through what she has survived would be cynical, hard and aloof. Instead, Keri is a gentle, caring person who loves to make others smile.
Keri describes her younger self as being very nervous around people. Now, she is a very different person. “I meet everyone with a smile on my face,” she said confidently. “You never know how many people are hurting and to see someone smile makes me happy. Smiles hide a lot… people may smile but they could be fighting a battle that we know nothing about. We only see them from our point of view, the outside, but the inside could be so broken, just waiting for healing. To see someone else smile makes me smile too, because smiling is contagious. You smile and usually someone smiles back.”
One of the last things she said to me was, “I know now it wasn’t my fault. I know that for sure, but I will carry it on me for the rest of my life. The anger and hatred are far beyond me now; I am here to be a blessing for someone and I know that in my heart. I’m a better person today because of those two people who took me in; they were there when I needed them the most,” Keri said. “They didn’t even know me, really, they didn’t know if I was a bad person, or if I was a thief, or a killer, yet they invited me in with open arms.”
The one thing they couldn’t do for her, she had to do for herself…come to terms with what happened to her. She is doing that right now…
Part 1: http://www.cullmansense.com/articles/2017/02/04/part-1-there-fortune-mother-s-story
Part 2: http://www.cullmansense.com/articles/2017/02/12/part-2-there-fortune-mother-s-story
Part 3: http://www.cullmansense.com/articles/2017/02/19/part-3-there-fortune-mother-s-story
Part 4: http://www.cullmansense.com/articles/2017/02/28/part-4-there-fortune-mother-s-story
