I read this on facebook and it moved me so much I asked for permission to share it.
Thankfully, I was granted permission to pass it on.
I never enjoy sharing personal stuff in public places, but someone needs to hear this, so I'll share.
When I was a teenager, thousands of miles from any relatives, living with an abusive boyfriend who said that if I ever left him he would kill me . . . and then I found out I was pregnant, I was overwhelmed. To put it mildly. . . . . I needed older women to care.
I needed them to tell me that my life choices were adding to my problems.
I needed them to explain that just because he'd started hitting me, that didn't mean I wasn't valuable anymore.
It wasn't a reflection of who I was, but it was just a reflection of who HE was.
I really didn't get that. AND I needed people to tell me that I COULD be a good mother. I needed people to give me hope and guidance and support, and courage. Maybe I just needed somebody to take me to the airport and get me out of there.
But the older women who surrounded me offered no hope. They only encouraged me to get an abortion, at their expense. They told me I would fail as a parent. I just wasn't mature enough, not good enough for motherhood.
They said a baby would ruin my chances of ... well, everything. And yes, I figured that getting the abortion would be my ONLY chance to get away from the toxic relationship I was trapped in.
To this day I have no idea how I walked out of that abortion clinic determined to be a mom . . . it was a miracle. I still believed abortion was fine. But I left and never went back--and I spent the rest of my daughter's life fighting to keep her safe.
Only later did I fully realize that I was carrying a real person inside of me.
I really hadn't grasped that concept.
Be kind to the young women who find themselves in an overwhelming situation. Be patient -- they really don't understand. Help them, and encourage them--because they CAN DO THIS. Especially if we take their hands.
I was a good mom, and she did not ruin my life. She made it AMAZING.
republished with permission
Cheryl Sasai Ellicott
https://www.facebook.com/csEllicott
