You are a Great Mother

        "Don't you know how to wipe the table properly?" the harsh man said to his child in front of everyone. "You have to get the sides of it too!!!" he pushed further as he demonstrated how to wipe not only the top of the table, but the one inch lip that goes around the table too. Standing by watching my child, age 8 being talk to like this was horrifying. Several thoughts were going through my head. 'I don't even wipe the table like that every time', 'I better show her how to do this so she doesn't get yelled at any more', 'Is this normal? It can't be normal, I don't know but I better find a way to do better'. The whole thing left me feeling like I was a worthless mother. I can't even teach my children how to do things the right way.
         "You are a great mother!" Hearing these words caused my thoughts to wander back to that horrible moment. I would hear these words on occasion  from the harsh man and never believed them. The way he treated me and his actions told me I was a worthless mother so deep that these words were just empty words, very empty words. But as I was hearing them now, I started to tear up. This new man I have in my life, who loves me, is telling me that I am a great mother.  I want to believe him. I almost do. I manage a half a smile amidst the tears.  What kind of mother am I? I put my children through so many years of a horrible life, with that harsh man. But then I have to remind myself of what my counselor tells me, I was a victim, we all were victims. It wasn't my fault. But somehow I still feel awful.

What is life with 8?

What is life with 8? Well, I am a mother of 8 right now. Many of you are wondering about what is happening in my life, how did you go from being a single mother of 7 to a mother of 8. And no, I did not have a baby...LOL.... I am excited to share my story and how all the pieces came together. I finally feel like I have enough confidence to tell how I really feel.  This is my life, no one has walked in my shoes.  Some of my story is hard to tell, I have felt rejected, judged, and abandoned by some, but also loved and encouraged by others.  This will be a story of love, rejection, faithfulness, loyalty, hardship, perseverance, and passion.  So stay tuned to learn more.