I would like to share my story of survival, betrayal, heartache, and God’s love. Almost four years ago, my entire life fell apart.

I was living in California with my autistic son. A year before that, I had gotten out of an abusive relationship; not only was it physical, but it was also emotional and purse strings abuse. Purse strings abuse is when an abuser takes control of one’s finances and uses it against that person at every opportunity to keep someone trapped. My abuser got me fired from every job I had, so I would become dependent on that person for everything. My mother and father had both passed away so I had no family to turn to.

I couldn’t believe I was in something like that. I had always been independent, did everything on my own, and never asked anybody for help. The one thing I did was hide it from everyone I knew.  I was leading a miserable life and had no idea how to get out of it.

I was sitting in my house with no water, lights, or food, but I had some bread. One day, my abuser beat me up badly and tried to abuse my son. The abuser hit my child, and that day, I had to fight for my life and the life of my son.

After that and a series of other traumatizing events including being evicted, I tried to kill myself.  I wanted out of life. I felt like God didn’t love me because after all the praying I had done, He hadn’t answered any of my prayers or so I thought.

After sleeping in my car and not feeding my son, I had no choice but to give him up. The day I was going to surrender him to foster care, he said, “No, mommy, please.” My son doesn’t speak, but he did that day, and it was the day that changed my life. I didn’t go through with giving him up.

  I went to my social media pages, asking for help. I had to remove my pride and tell people what I was going through. All I asked for was a place to live so I could get on my feet. I got an outpouring of love for my situation and a few offers to come and live with friends, but everyone was out of state. I had people sending me money to eat and get a hotel for us.

So, on November 22, with my mind made up, I got in my car, went to my storage, got what I could fit in my car, and got on the road with my son and our dog. I drove from California to Georgia. I didn’t think about any danger; I just wanted to be in a better situation for my son and life.

Today, we are in our own place and doing well. My son is happy and finally adjusted to living in Georgia. I’ve had a lot of changes in my life, good ones. I started my own business, and now I am a published author with four books. I would have never found the courage to do so if I hadn’t gotten out of California. I had to get out of my toxic environment to get to the best of me.  

While I was going through all that turmoil, I remember asking God, “Please, can You take me out of these bad situations?” I will not lie; I was angry at Him for a while because I thought He’d left me. No, He was upgrading me and putting me in a better position in my life. I had to do work and stop allowing others’ words and letting my own pride get in the way. Now, I believe if I had spoken up sooner, things wouldn’t have gotten so bad. I was so worried about what people would think of me so I kept quiet. I had to humble myself and stop being ashamed of needing help. We all need help at certain times in our lives.

Some people don’t have to ask strangers for help because they are blessed with families to help them. Then they’re people like me who didn’t have family but I had angels to help me when I had nothing. Now I realize how blessed I was back then. I made it from California to Georgia without one car problem. No more being ashamed ever again about it. I got to this place with God and drew closer to Him.

Sharon Blount is a native of Oakland, CA, who currently resides in Georgia. In addition to delivering caffeinated romance with humor, she loves reading and is the founder of Building Relationships Around Books (BRAB). In the future, she envisions BRAB becoming a foundation in many states and improving literacy nationwide. Sharon’s first published book in the Java City series is titled Espresso Served With Love. She has recently won two awards: new author and the Donna Hill Breakout Author award. Her second book, Mocha Kisses, is available now, and Sharon is currently writing the third book in the romantic-comedy genre. 

Author Sharon Blount may be reached:

Twitter: @coffeebratt

Instagram: Coffee_brat

Facebook: Author Sharon Blount

Website: coffeebratpublishing.com

E-mail: Sharonlblount@gmail.com

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