We are Sunshine, Fritz and Otis! Fritz is nearly 12 and Otis is 10. Our little trio has a miraculous story of love, loss, survival and victory! We are reaching out to the world to spread some hope and maybe receive a little ourselves.
In early 2020 we realized we hadn’t hidden from our abuser well enough when he found our safe place and things changed in our lives literally overnight. I, very calmly, changed the radius on my Marketplace, picked a house in a town I had never even heard of, packed up and within 24 hours we were sitting in an empty house 2 hours from our friends, family, familiarity and support system. Before we even had a chance to explore our new area the world shut down because of a virus and we have been here every since.
I knew when I started that Marketplace search that leaving home meant I was committing to breaking a lot of cycles. It was on me and only me and I got to work. We found mental health help and work and we signed up for homeschool and we planted a garden. We absolutely needed to be exactly where we landed but man on man has it been tough. We have faced every trial I can even imagine in the past 5 years, faced ourselves time and time again, lost and regrouped over and over, healed and broken, healed and broken, healed and broken.
Very recently I received an all clear from the doctor. I am officially 5 months cancer free, the longest period since we got here. Between that and our lease ending in February, we all feel like it is time to find a forever home of our choosing and use all of these tools for a better life. Safety is our number one priority of course but I yearn for community, friends for the boys, cousins to play with, family to feed, places that feel safe. We plan to move where we have family and support and more chances to grow. We have been mostly stable and thriving now for 5 years. The boys are social and doing amazing things. They excel in art and sing all day long. I have learned trades in construction, built a small business, grown my knowledge of plants and making medicine and learned a lot about my purpose in this world.
As a single parent, I have been working 3 jobs for months to try to recover from the sick time I have had to take off the past few years to deal with my health. I am getting us back on our feet more quickly than I thought I would. I don’t believe I am going to meet the deadline to move across the country by February though. We have had the wheels in motion to move since June then in July our only vehicle gave up. It is beyond repair and we are still, by a series of miracles able to take care. With colder weather approaching I have great fear that will change because we walk most places. I will also need to find another job in the next city soon as the construction jobs are slowing down for the winter. Essentially, I am seeking help so we can keep going all the way HOME.
I hope that you are inspired if this finds you. I don’t ask for help out of sympathy but in hopes you see our hope and are hopeful as well. We take all of these second chances we have been given in life very seriously and we are ready to get to work again, in a place we want to be, with people we love and with a better opportunity to offer a hand up to the next person.