Being a single mom, we are naturally proud. We do everything and I mean everything by ourselves.
The judgement. People whispering. Why does she have all those kids?
Well note to self. I didn’t dream as a little girl to be a single mother when I grew up.
Life Happens
But it happened. Life happened. I had no idea my king would come, in the unforeseen future.
I didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me.
You know everything falls on you.
Working, cleaning, paying bills. Taking care of the kids. No matter how tired you are.
You mentally MUST stay strong. All the time.
So, if someone offers you help, you don’t know how to accept it.
Everyone Needs Help Sometimes
My twin daughters used to go to a Lutheran preschool. I learned a few months later that they offered free dinner. It was a relief. One less meal I had to cook. One less worry to stretch my pennies to afford another meal for my young family. But I did notice some people that would come to dinner were living out of their cars.
Some people had it worse than me. Guilt ate at me. I didn’t want to take away from people that had it worse than me. I had a roof over my head and a steady job. One day I learned the church had a pantry. Where I could get free groceries. But I still felt guilty. Taking away from someone that had no home. There were people from all types of backgrounds. People going through rough times or just fell on hard times. Former executives and VP’s that were laid off. Entry level employees like me. I was shocked. As I stood in the line for free groceries, I spoke to a lady in line. I could tell she was a very successful businesswoman. That ruled the world at one point. But had fallen on hard times. I spoke to the lady, and she said, “I’m so happy that they have this pantry”.
With a solemn look on my face, “I feel guilty taking groceries from here”.
The lady smiled, “Everyone needs some help sometimes”.
Sharing My Story
At that moment, all the years of my pride just seemed to melt away. A huge boulder was uplifted off my shoulders. Moving forward I made a mental note to not turn down help from strangers or loved ones. I am fortunate to have a husband now that helps ease a lot of those burdens. But I love to share my story to other mother’s single or married that are struggling with accepting help. Currently, I am not sure if Still Waters is serving dinner every Thursday, but they still do have their pantry open.
It’s Ok To Accept Help
I hope you can learn from my story, that it is ok to ask and accept help. We all will need help at some point in our lives. If you need help please use the information below.
Still Waters Café in Simi Valley, offers free groceries every Thursday, from 2-6 pm. 4191 Cochran St, Simi Valley. They also accept donations on Wednesday, 10-1.
