Reply ID: 4fmh

Dear Rita,

Received your kind offer to be a lifeline, and I greatly appreciate your offer and accept. I do have other pen friends, but my situation calls for as much support as I can get. The injustice perpetuated against me is stagger and has a firm grip that I cannot shake alone. I'm an open book, so feel free to ask what you like.

I started in a Baptist church but outside of that community proved very difficult to navigate with a Bible. I couldn't understand why it was so difficult for people to adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Simply put: "Treat people like you want to be treated." You don't have to be a Christian to believe in that principle. Can you imagine a world where this is so? For now it's only a dream, as the world continues to spiral out of control. Because of this chaos, I had my mother for only a short time and had to share the man I called "Dad" with another family I wasn't a part of. My mother was the first woman to break my heart when she chose an abusive man over me. She left me on Grandma's stoop, who was already overwhelmed by other house guests. Life was hard on a struggle inner-city family. I don't blame my parents for how I was raised, I blame society and its degradation.

Though Christ's teachings are in my DNA, I struggle with it as I try to survive society and the streets. The church doesn't protect me from the hierarchy of society or the gangs on the streets. My mother, the unsung hero, taught me how and how I should be a good person in the short time we were together. For a long time, I felt alone and abandoned. My self-worth was in the toilet. I didn't know if the problem was me or the world. I learned some tough lessons that have made me stronger today, and the Scriptures have a strong foundation.

More later. That's as deep as I can go for now. Thank you for caring. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Peace,
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