The doctor declared Sharon dead on arrival he screamed to the nurses, after looking down at our malnourished bodies,” call the police.”  Long story short we stayed at the hospital for 3 months the time it took to reintroduce our bodies to basic foods and regain strength. My brother was 9, younger sister 6, and I was 7 years of age when we became wards of the state. We left the hospital and were placed in foster care immediately.  

This experience was bittersweet we were with a family that cared and fed us consistently and we got to stay together as a family. My father lost custody of us but was granted visitations. The stepmother would join him when he visited  until I requested he stop bringing her. The love for my father never wavered because he was still my father. When I asked him years later why he allowed us to be mistreated and literally had a hand in the death of his daughter Sharon, he said love was blind and then would get defensive. Father believed the past should stay in the past.  

The bitter parts of staying in with this new family were the attempts of sexual abuse from my foster father. I acted out so badly as a 14 year old not in action but in talking back and being disrespectful to my elders. Confrontations got so bad my foster mother decided it was time for me to leave.  She called social services and had me removed.  What a blessing for me but a curse for my sister.  I found out years later that our foster father whom we called dad had sexually abused her. He had touched me improperly when I was growing up but not at the degree I discovered with the many girls who stayed in their home.  

I believe my spirit wanted to get out and saw devastating trauma for me ahead and did whatever it took to get removed from that home.  In the moment I just thought my foster mother was rejecting me playing favorites with my sister and just didn’t like me altogether. The story behind this story was my foster mother's actions literally saved my life.  My foster mother was a spiritual giant; she brought us up in church and taught with a strict hand.  I believe she was the perfect foster mother and I knew she loved and cared for us deeply.  Because of my experience with her I learned how to be a strong black women.  We didn’t always agree especially in my teen years but I loved her.

to be continued.....