Opinion > Star Staff
This single mom's Christmas is full of blessings
By Kelley Chambers, kchambers@starlocalnews.com, @KelleyChambers7 on Twitter
I rarely play the single mom card. I've been working full time and raising my daughter alone for the past five years, so I'd like to think I have a pretty good handle on the situation.
But that's not to say I have it all or have it all together. There are nights when I crash in my daughter's bed with her instead of cleaning house or jumping on the computer to get more work done like I should.
Who am I? I'm Superwoman - NOT! (Although I wonder if a cape would harness those super powers I so desperately need sometimes.)
So when I heard about an angel tree for single moms at my church in Plano, I thought, "what the hay, why not." I've always prided myself in never asking for a handout being independent. This year was different. This Christmas, I have found myself spread pretty thin, emotionally, financially and physically. So I signed up and went to the party a few weeks later, at which single moms like myself got dressed up and were treated with a catered steak dinner from Saltgrass and a little Christmas cheer.
The Gifts for Moms project takes its mission very seriously - to take care of those women who spend most, if not all, of their time taking care of others on their own.
I heard testimonies from women who overcame instances of abuse and poverty, and while I'm thankful to say I've never experienced either, I felt a common bond between us in the fact that our lives are not conventional, easy or most of all, planned. We face challenges at every turn and at the end of that day often have only ourselves to unwind and recover with.
It made me feel good to be recognized for my hard work, which could be summed up in a statement made by one of the volunteers. He said he was raised by a single mom and never realized how much she did for him when he was a kid, but thanks to events like these, he realizes it now.
"And your kids will too," he said.
"Boy," I thought to myself, half-joking. "I can't wait until that day!"
If you know a single mom, take a few moments to recognize her strength and wish her a Merry Christmas. We all deserve to have one, no matter what our circumstance.
But that's not to say I have it all or have it all together. There are nights when I crash in my daughter's bed with her instead of cleaning house or jumping on the computer to get more work done like I should.
Who am I? I'm Superwoman - NOT! (Although I wonder if a cape would harness those super powers I so desperately need sometimes.)
So when I heard about an angel tree for single moms at my church in Plano, I thought, "what the hay, why not." I've always prided myself in never asking for a handout being independent. This year was different. This Christmas, I have found myself spread pretty thin, emotionally, financially and physically. So I signed up and went to the party a few weeks later, at which single moms like myself got dressed up and were treated with a catered steak dinner from Saltgrass and a little Christmas cheer.
The Gifts for Moms project takes its mission very seriously - to take care of those women who spend most, if not all, of their time taking care of others on their own.
I heard testimonies from women who overcame instances of abuse and poverty, and while I'm thankful to say I've never experienced either, I felt a common bond between us in the fact that our lives are not conventional, easy or most of all, planned. We face challenges at every turn and at the end of that day often have only ourselves to unwind and recover with.
It made me feel good to be recognized for my hard work, which could be summed up in a statement made by one of the volunteers. He said he was raised by a single mom and never realized how much she did for him when he was a kid, but thanks to events like these, he realizes it now.
"And your kids will too," he said.
"Boy," I thought to myself, half-joking. "I can't wait until that day!"
If you know a single mom, take a few moments to recognize her strength and wish her a Merry Christmas. We all deserve to have one, no matter what our circumstance.
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