Struggles

Howdy ya'll, sorry it’s been a minute! I hope you all are having a wonderful week! This post is very personal but I felt as though it needed to be shared...

     The first time you see someone what’s the first thing you do? I for one am guilty of the "automatic judgment." I look at a person’s appearance. Its sounds horrible I know but it's the truth. The hard, cold truth. BUT behind that person’s appearance is a story, a story that many people will never even know and today I am telling my story. A story that many people never even knew about.

     During middle school/high school I wasn’t someone who had the best clothes or shoes or always had the newest gadgets. I was just an average girl with decent clothes, shoes and gadgets. By looking at me you'd have no idea that my family was financially suffering, and I do not say this lightly. We were not suffering in a way that my sisters and I weren’t able to have the newest I-phone. We were suffering in a way that food was always running low, milk was something you made out of power, and conditioner wasn't an option... In a way that bills weren't being paid, our car was reposed and our father was telling us that we might lose our home. These things you weren't able to see on the outside but it was a reality for my family. These times during my life were hard. Both physically and emotional. Middle school & High school are rough years as it is for a teenager and having to go home to that wasn’t always the easiest thing to do… but it was life for me.
     During my summers I helped clean bathrooms once a week at a pool to earn $10.00-$20.00 for every cleaning I did. At the end of the month I had a check for $60.00 (this was huge to me at the time). The school year was coming up and I knew that my parents were struggling to make ends meet, so I took my small $60.00 check and took my two little sisters school shopping. My first day of school junior year I wore a friends hand me downs... but you wouldn’t be able to tell that by just looking at me now would you?

If you know me well, you know that soccer is my life and growing up I was living for it. It was all I did. I was fortunate enough to be on such an amazing team, an amazing team that my younger sister was able to be a part of as well. We were good and we worked extremely hard to get where we wanted to go. We traveled often which meant expensive travel fees, as well as the usually club costs, jerseys cost and gear that we needed along the way. These things are not cheap, and my parents had to double all the expenses because it was both my sister and I. Looking back now life was hard, things were difficult at times and we weren't always able to get everything we wanted but somehow my parents did it. They always found a way (I have no idea how) to get by. We didn't have the nicest, newest things but we HAD things. We were dressed well, we were able to always do our hobbies, to the point of receiving several scholarships, and we never went to bed hungry. We ultimately struggled but without the struggle I wouldn’t be where I am today. I learned early on that hard work pays off, and that if you want something you must work for it. I learned that when times are difficult you can always find a way out. I learned that my parents are my heroes. My mom and dad are the most giving human beings in my life. They gave up everything to give us everything they could at the time and looking back now at how far they've come I’d just like to say how proud I am to be one of their daughters. They have transformed not only my life but their own and I am so happy to say that those struggles our in the past, my family is doing very well for themselves and the future looks bright! I learned to work extremely hard to get what I have in my life now, and everything I have and get I thank god for every night. I learned that I have amazing people surrounding me who were always there to help when times were tough. I am so grateful for the church and all the food they provided to my family during those years, I am grateful for my coach and all the times he helped pay for expenses and gear I needed. But I am extremely grateful for my family and the sacrifices we made together.

I know this post is random but I felt as though I needed to share the message that everyone has a story and it may not show on the outside. Life is an extraordinary thing that teaches you the greatest lessons in the hardest time.

Make it worth it.

 

Love always,

The Crazy Collards