Help Thresea Reach Her Dream

Hello all! I hope this finds you all well, happy and safe! I’m coming to you all, to ask for help in achieving one of the biggest goals in my life, in my little family’s life which will help shape our future. All I ask is that you read and listen with your hearts. I’m looking for your help through understanding, empathy and compassion. Let me explain…

The Odds:

From the moment I entered the world, the odds were stacked against me. I was an “unexpected” birth, as according to my family no one knew my mother was pregnant including herself. Yep, read that again, it’s true. My mother thought she was having a heart attack and upon admittance to the hospital, sent my sister for her heart meds. Upon her return and my dad’s arrival, to their surprise, they found my mother in the maternity ward. There my mother was set to give me up for adoption. It was my dad who saved me, stopped it, named me and brought me home. He was my hero from that moment on.

My mother, well that is too long of a story and should be told another time. So I’ll make it as short as I can. She is from what we gather bipolar schizophrenic who never sought treatment because she thought others were trying to harm her and thus refused any treatment over the years. At the time that my dad met her and for a long time after he didn’t know. She hid her issues very well. He was like me, caring about others with his big heart. However, due to her illness, among other things, we suffered verbal, emotional and physical abuse and manipulation. I witnessed and experienced things no child should ever have to, from hunger to at times homelessness.

What changed, what happened you ask? It was the kindness of one of my teachers, seeing me on the playground way after school and understanding that I didn’t want to go home. Anything less than an a happy face, a high grade, perfection equaled severe consequences from my mother. If my cursive wasn’t perfect or I misspelled a word on a spelling test, then I was kept up until the wee hours of the morning practicing my writing and spelling over and over again, among other things. To my mother, I was never good enough. To my dad, I was his whole world and he did everything he could to keep us afloat, including working all kinds of hours, as my mother rarely contributed. He didn’t see everything but that wasn’t his fault.

In the midst of six grade, the courts awarded my dad sole custody of me and we moved to what I called home the first time in my life. Home was (and in my heart still is) at my grandparents house in little bitty Clyde, Texas. There I was safe. I was able to be myself, to be a child and feel extremely loved. The house needed a lot of work but little by little, with the help of family and friends over time we made it more habitable.

He added hot water, as before we heated it outside over a fire or on the stove, eventually window units, a washer and dryer, a living room and more. He was incredibly strong, determined, dependable, creative and resilient. To me it didn’t matter how little we had, it was home and it was safe. The outcome would have been way different if it weren’t for him, family and friends. He may not have had much but he’d give you the shirt off his back and then some if he could. He passed that on to me.

Throughout this time, I did a lot of growing up. I had a few years of childhood but things inevitably started to changed. During this time, we took in one my half brothers, Don, who was going through a divorce. At that time Don was also diagnosed with Emphysema. We cared for him as his illness progressed and then his death and burial.

Several years later, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer, and had to have part of his colon removed and replaced with a colostomy bag. He was in his late 60’s. After that he was still working on houses. He was relentless and was trying to do his very best for his little girl. A short time later he was diagnosed with lung cancer which they thought was operable. It turns out it was not after they cracked open his ribs and went in to look at it. I remember being angry then…I thought who does that to someone in their 70’s?

After graduating high school, my cousin encouraged me to attend college. He has been another angel in my life. He took the time to take me to tour and to enroll in Angelo State University. He helped push me to be more. It was a new and exciting path. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my future career so I stuck to the basics of course. I love it there, it was a good challenge. Then in February my hero, my dad, lost his battle with cancer and passed.

My dad was gone and my world was shattered. With in six months, my uncle and a different cousin pushed me out of the only home I had ever known. He had me clean out the things I wanted. In the meantime he berated me for the expenses of the funeral and for my dad not paying taxes on the house. I was shocked. This was not the uncle that I so lovingly grown up with who had helped us so much as well. I had loved him too.  But I was young, I didn’t know or understand about things like taxes etc. No one told me. My heart was broken and aching, my hero and my home gone. I was 18 years old. I was on my own.

I spent the next few years at the college, wanderingly taking classes. I lived there year round as I had no where else to go. I fought to have a private dorm as I had all I owned with me. I tell you now, I don’t remember much of that time. I don’t remember where I even went for the holidays. What I do remember is a kind professor stopping me at a restaurant, giving me her condolences and care. It meant a lot. I was astounded she noticed me, she made the time for me. I’ve never forgotten her.

The Gamble:

In the spring of 2002, I took a break from college and moved back to Austin where part of my family lived. I worked, sometimes two jobs and lived a little with of course ups and downs. I met so many great co-workers who became friends and then family and one turned out to be the next greatest man, my husband. During this time I

continued with school sporadically at ACC and then to Texas State University in San Marcos. It was then I settled on that I wanted to teach. I wanted to give back and to positively impact children the way I had been. With the support of my husband I took the gamble (and much lower income) of becoming an educational assistant. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I started at Pond Springs Elementary working with Autistic children and later our program was transferred to Laurel Mountain Elementary. With in my first year, I asked “if it was for real?”. It didn’t feel like a real job in my heart. It was more. It was a joy and a gift to positively impact and help change these children’s lives. In my second year as a assistant I had a mother write and tell me ..”Thank you, truly thank you… you gave me my son back.” Wow, just…WOW! I was stunned as I was just myself, and doing my thing, finding different ways to reach, bond with and teach every child that came across my path. Not only did I find Incredible joy in teaching, assisting, guiding these kids but I met many absolutely amazing staff from both schools who have become friends and extended family as well. They all, from kids to co-workers have taught me so much. Teaching truly is a gift of the heart!

The End Game:

I’ve met so many inspiring and amazing people along my journey through life. Incredible and astounding friends, co-workers, family and others who have help shaped who I am today. Without this support, love, friendship and care my husband and I would’ve crumbled to pieces when we lost our 8 month old daughter, Willow Grace, November 2019. We would not have survived that loss if it hadn’t been for the outpouring of love we received. Now we celebrate the birth snd growth of her little brother, Greyson, another of the greatest blessings of our lives. We were and continue to be in awe of the love and care that can be found in this world.

So to bring this piece of my story to close, I’m asking for one more blessing. I didn’t tell my story for pity but rather to give those who don’t know, a better sense of who I am, how I got that way. I’m asking for your help in fulfilling my dream. I have one class, student teaching and five tests left to do to complete my certification in Education. Texas State University is starting a new program geared towards people like me, They are (for the first time) graciously allowing me to retain my job, take the online class and student teach, all at the same time . This used to be unheard of as TX State University would not allow students to work or take additional classes while student teaching. They understand that I have to continue to work to support my little family, maintain my health insurance and are for the first time making exceptions. Being a educational assistant pays once a month and covers my mortgage and that’s just about it. It truly is a labor of love and of the heart. The reality is though it won’t cover the college fees for student teaching and an additional class, plus materials. Here is where I need you. I need your help in making this goal achievable and realistic for me and my family. I’m looking and asking for donation blessings, enough to cover the $3800 tuition and fees, plus the remaining for materials and testing fees to reach my goal and dream. If you feel you can, could you help me one more time? It would mean a great deal to myself and my family, more than you’d ever know.

Thank you so very much for reading and listening to my story. I hope this finds you all happy, well and blessed. Hugs and love to you all! Feel free to reach out to me anytime.