Felicia

Felicia

FeliciaNow I can say, I’m a supervisor, line captain, I have been with Nehemiah since 2013 and in Cincinnati since 2011, and I oversee lines, and am responsible for the quantity and quality. I’m trying to keep people doing their job- if you know where I am coming from, this looks like a miracle.

MY PAST

My sobriety date is July 2011. Six years.  Before then, I had a rough life on the streets with deep addiction. While in addiction, my mom passed away in 2009, and so I sent my two youngest to my uncle in Cincinnati because I couldn’t take care of them. You would hope that such separation would motivate me to change, but change only happened two years later when I hit the rock bottom. Still, I remember the face of my mother when she first saw me high or when she first visited me in jail. Those faces haunt me – when anyone reminds me of who I was back then, I remember those faces and remind myself that’s not me anymore. I live a new life.

CHANGE

My change began when I found Nehemiah through the City Gospel Mission which is a non-profit organization. I grew up feeling neglected and abandoned, but when I came here I began to feel that I am part of a team or even part of a family. People here didn’t just tell me that they care, but they showed me they care. What I got here was beyond the words. I used to feel that life cornered me. But when I was given more options, I found the strength and motivation to make changes in my life. Now, I look forward to every day. It helps me to want to get up, come in the extra hour, stand on two hours later, come in on a Saturday! I get to wonder, “what can I do for the company? How can I contribute to make it a better place?”

MY GOALS

At the same time, I get to dream about my own future, as well. One of my goals is to get a car – this I have been wanting one for a long time. I have a place to stay and my kids are back in my life. My next goal is to find what I can do to help others. I am in school to get a degree in social work and chemical dependency counseling. I eventually want to go back to Pensacola, FL to open a place for women like me.

 

IF I AM GIVEN A CHANCE TO ADVISE SOMEONE

I would say, “Keep trying even if you fall, yet don’t beat yourself up. You’re not going to be perfect, trust me, I tried straightening myself up a hundred before I actually did it.” For those who would like to help people like me, I would like say options are important. Give them more options, like I was given them. There will be a much better chance for them to change their lives.