Violet Voices

When Francine Came To Visit

by Meredith (and Francine)

I’m sitting at my desk with a new friend I met today. Francine. She’s one of the gals in my neighborhood that I’ve written about before. And we’re having a sleep-over, as she’s in transition to a new, and hopefully more enjoyable life. I thought she should have a chance to tell HER story. So here she is…

I’m a mom with nine kids, ages 12-25. We used to live on an Indian reservation, out in the country. We had raccoons, deer, and eagles in our area. My kids loved playing outside.

My husband and I split up, and he took the kids, and I ended up in Omaha. I started hanging around some people that were into drugs and prostitution, and I guess I just ended up becoming like them. I’ve been on the streets the past two years. It’s scary. You don’t know who you can trust, but you have to take the chance anyway, just to have a place to sleep at night. I’ve spent nights in empty buildings, laundry rooms in apartment buildings, and at the houses of people I know–who usually want a part of me in exchange for a place to sleep.

I got tired of being this way. I want to change. I’ve been clean for five days now. It feels good. I’m not giving my self to anybody any more.

I need people to encourage me, not put me down. Every time I hear someone say something negative about me being this way, it makes me want to go back to the old way–the drugs, etc. I need people to see me as worth something.

My dream is to have my family back. I know it won’t happen right away. But that’s what I want.

I want that for Francine, too. Please pray for her, because she is my sister. She is every woman’s sister. She’s a mom, just like me, just like a lot of you. And she is so very, very valuable and precious.

Please pray for Francine. And please find ways to love her and others in similar situations. We’re all God’s children, and need His grace and protection.
Thanks.

The When Francine Came To Visit by Violet Voices, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Written By: Meredith Efken
Posted under: On Being a Parent, Women's Voices .  Email This Post