#MoveInDay #125

 Design Leads: Celeste Durkin and Jane Coyne (first independent project for both and they rocked it!)

 Heavy Lifters: Michael Reid of Rolling Thunder Battalion

Adam Williams and Jay Wagner

Volunteer Team: Anita Snow Anne Smith Ana Wilson

Erin Lamb Brown of #zeldaskitchenwitches

Gia Manno Schurla Gina Caruso Sineni Kathy Robbins Mary Peterson Gibbons and Natalie Lynch

Special thanks to Pastries So Tasty

 Referring Organization: Almost Home Sarah Galvan

 The Backstory;

In our clients own words-

I was asked to write a bio about myself to share on social media but I find myself struggling to decide on what to share. There is so much I want to say. Should I tell you I grew up near an island? Should I tell you that I’m a Leo or a cat lover? That I have two kids ? That I thought staying with my abusive husband was better than being labeled as a single mom that doesn’t have a happy family under one roof ?

My name is irrelevant but my story may be similar to yours, where we encounter struggle and growth through experiences with people that come in to our lives. One thing that might be different is that I endured abuse for almost ten years because I thought that staying together with my ‘husband’ was best for our kids. I learned the hard way. I trusted him when he told me he would grow out of his addictions and bad habits. I believed him when he said he would change and do more for his family. I understood his mental health issues and made excuses for him saying, “it’s not his fault”, hoping that he would see how his behavior and lack of presence is affecting his family, our children. I tolerated too much and did not set healthy boundaries in the beginning. It cost me jobs, relationships, time, lots and lots of money, and tons of energy.

The first time I left him after the first incident of abuse, my daughter was 6months old. I went back home (TX) since I had no family or friends in Illinois. I had no job, no money, and was a 23 yr old stay at home with a bachelors degree that I wasn’t using. I didn’t know about anything about Illinois state laws. I just knew that it wasn’t safe for anyone to be around the person he decided to be that night. He served me with papers and took me to court after I told him I didn't want go back to IL and live with him again. it cost over 20,000$ to get us back to the state of IL, only to leave me in a position of struggle . With no family or friends residing in IL , I was on my own until he told me that he changed, wanted to try and make it work, and can be different. I believed him.. so he bought us a house and we decided to try again. Well, here comes child number two, our son, and with him returned the bad habits of my husband. It wasn’t until Covid hit that the relationship took a turn for the worst, with habitual drinking being the root cause of disruption in his life. I knew I wasn't going to be the one that could get him the help he needed.

If it wasn’t for the Grace of God and all the wonderful people He placed in my life to help me, I would not be the person I am today.

A basic idea of what circumstances led to this…. Once I started to see how my children were being directly affected by the abuse they witnessed, it became clear that if I wanted what was best for my children, our children, we would have to distance ourselves from his destructive lifestyle.

I am thankful for organizations like these that make it possible for individuals and families to start a new chapter in their lives.