Making a change in someone's life

When I finally got up the courage to leave my husband we ended up loosing everything and going to a homeless shelter. It was the darkest time in our lives and one we really want to forget all about. I was feeling very depressed and like nothing mattered, almost. It was like the world around me was just blackness. It was like nothing existed in the world, it is very hard to describe that feeling but if you have felt it then you know what I mean. All that existed was myself and my daughters, the only lights shining in that vast darkness.

I think I am one of the lucky ones since my mother had always taught me that I had a beautiful and strong soul and to never forget it. I tried to teach that same thing to my own daughters. I think it was that wisdom that guided us during that time. We were barely hanging on, struggling to come to grips with the changes happening to us and wondering what would happen to us. Being the mom, I knew it was my duty to be strong for them, to be their support and strength but they were just as much mine as I was theirs. It was our caring about each other that helped us get through that hard time.

What amazed me about it was before we left that place and got an apartment of our own one of the other ladies staying there made a comment to me that I will never forget. She and her own daughter were leaving a bad relationship and had a rough life as we had had. She said it really helped to change her daughter's view of the world by just meeting us. She said that seeing how we cared about each other and did everything we could to help each other and the real love that we shared helped her daughter feel hope and joy again.

I didn't know what to say to her. I was barely maintaining any sense of sanity during that time and it was most definately meeting us at our worst moment but I was very glad to hear that from her. I have always believed that being a good person matters. My mom taught me that value and I taught it to my daughters.

My daughters and I have always wanted to make the world a better place. We all do small things to help but sometimes feel it is not enough. I had never told the girls about what the lady had said to me until late last year. They were worried that our little bit of good was not enough to help make the world a better place so I told them how they had already changed the life of one girl just by being themselves. I said that we might not be able to do great things but we can do good things.

I think we are not always so lucky to have someone come up and tell us that we somehow helped change their life for the better but wanted to share my story so others can know that by just being good people you can make a big difference in the world.