Maggie's Place

Testimonies

Testimonies

Interview footage courtesy of APS

From a Maggie's Place Mother

November 16th, 2000. That is the day I began my life. Just a short time before I was a single, carefree daredevil. I lived life on the edge and to the fullest without a care in the world. You see, I never knew what LOVE really was. I had a GOOD childhood; I had all the necessities: food, shelter, and running water. But I lacked one thing in my life that I needed more than anything: LOVE. I believe my mother loved me in her own way; however, my father died when I was only 2 years old. My mom had tons of boyfriends, and I looked at them as father figures until they left to go to the store and never returned. Soon, I came to the realization that it was just going to be me and my mom and that was fine by me. That is until I turned 16 and my mother told me she never wanted any more children (I am the youngest of 6); she only had me because my dad wanted a child. I was stunned. I thought "So, for 14 years I have been an unwanted burden to my mother". I began to live my life as such: unwanted. I decided if my own mother didn't really care about me why should I. I began stealing, getting into fights and failing all my classes in high school. This behavior followed me all through life.

At 24, I found myself homeless and pregnant. I found a newspaper clipping about Maggie's Place and I called and talked to Teresa. They were not even open yet; however, I received my phone interviews and was asked to come live at Maggie's Place. They had no idea what they were in for, and as God would have it, neither did I. Mary Peterson was my contact person and the more I tried to push her away the more she was there for me. There was also another mom there that I bonded with and opened up to, Maria. We became very good friends during the course of my stay. I was there for about a month and was diagnosed with Toxemia (high blood pressure brought on by pregnancy). I gave birth to my first daughter, Mahkenzie, at 26 weeks pregnant. At this time the staff brought in a counselor and we would all sit and talk about different topics. Week after week I would just sit there with my stern face and not participate. One night I came home after dealing with work and all the ups and downs of Mahkenzie's health at the hospital, and the counseling session was beginning. I was asked to sit in even if I did not want to participate. I sat and began to cry uncontrollably. I could not even speak. Everyone except Maria was surprised to see me cry. I remember Maria saying "she cries in front of me all the time. She really isn't as mean as she puts on you just have to get past her shell". That night all the moms showed me the love I had been missing for 22 years of my life. I realized that I was loved, and by people who did not even know me and all the bad things I had done. Despite my faults, everyone at Maggies Place loved me, and that was enough for me to change my life.

Unfortunately, Mahkenzie became very ill and she went back home to be with God. I still miss her terribly everyday but God has sent me another one of his angels, my daughter J'nai. She will be turning 2 this month. She is a very smart, loving and happy little girl. I am truly blessed. I have learned to love and accept love from others. Through all my trials I have always had a foundation of God in my life. I know by believing in him and honoring him, I was able to finally become the woman he inspired me to be when he was creating me in heaven.

Please keep J'nai and myself in your prayers. God Bless.

Monica, a Maggie's Place Mom

From a Maggie's Place Volunteer

It is apparent to me that both the moms and the staff teach and learn from each other as you both enter a new experience when coming to live at Maggie's Place. I am humbled that you chose to uproot your lives and come to live and serve these precious moms and babies. Some of you come fresh out of college, while others embark on a new journey after raising your own families. I believe that by being strong, educated, independent, and spiritual women you are great role models for the moms.

Please know that you are important to volunteers. You let us just be ourselves and discover our God given talents. You let us help in our own way, in our own time. Seeing many of you just out of college chose to use your time for service makes me wish I had done the same. It's impressive that at such a young age, you get it. By "it" I mean, you get what God wants us to do with our time on earth. As I see my mom and in-laws age, I wonder what I will be doing at that age. Will I be sittin' and knittin' as they say? My eyes well up at the thought of my kids being grown and Paul being gone and me being alone. They well up not just with sadness, but with joy, because as I've learned from Peggy, it is never too late to give fully of yourself - at any age.

Julie, a Maggie's Place Volunteer

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