Streaming Media

Download

Download Full Text (3.9 MB)

Document Type

Short Story

Story

I would like to tell you about an episode that changed my entire life.

When I was four years old, my dad was killed in front of me, my brother and sister. We were on our way to our grandmother’s house. A car pulled up in front of our car, and somebody started shooting and killed my dad. During the shooting, my sister and I were injured. I received a shot in my cheekbone, and until today I live with the bullet in my neck.

From that moment, our life changed.

My mom was a widow with three children. She decided to leave our country Colombia to move to the US, working there to support us. She was there without papers. We started living with our aunt. She was like a mom to us. She really took care of us and loved us. We felt good with her, but we really missed our mom. For ten years, I didn’t see my mom. My childhood was very sad. I took refuge in my brother and sister. I say they are my mom and dad.

After ten years of not seeing my mom, I moved to the US, but I was afraid there. I was scared of losing my mom and never seeing her again. I was insecure and alone because I grew up without my mom and dad.

After that, I learned that I needed to be a strong woman in different moments of my life. For example, the day when my daughter was diagnosed with autism, I learned the meaning of life. I learned the meaning of family. The most important is my family. I learned that I must never leave my daughters alone because they will suffer without me, especially my older daughter with autism. She really needs me. But I think that everything happens for a reason, and today I live in a good place, a good country. I thank God that He brought me to Canada to live a better life. My childhood was tough, but today I think I have a better life because I live here and feel that I am secure here. I have learned that many times, we can have horrible moments, but the sun will be bright again.

Publication Date

2023

Keywords

stories of home, memories, turning points

Terms of Use

Terms of Use for Works posted in SOURCE.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

It Is Never Too Late

Share Feedback

Share

COinS