On February 25, 2021, my life changed forever. My oldest son was gunned down and killed.
I remember going to the scene and seeing my son with his head lying back in the car. The first thing that came to my mind was, please let him be okay, but he wasn’t. He died at approximately 5:17 pm.
I asked, “Where is my grandson?” At the time, he was only two years old and had been in the car with my son. The officer said, “He’s okay, but we don’t want him to see you like this.” Those images are still in my head to this day.
For a while, I gave up on God. I didn’t know what He had in store for me. For months, I cried, asking why. I remember my grandmother used to say, “Don’t ask God why or question why,” but at that moment, I needed to question it.
Three months after my son’s death, I heard his voice saying, “Momma, I am sorry.”
During that whole year, my life was up and down. The day I found out about my son, I had fallen and fractured my hip. I was in so much grief that I went six months without realizing it. The pain in my body did not overwhelm the pain in my heart.
On Mother’s Day 2021, I tried to take my life. I took a bunch of pills, and I went to sleep.
During that time, I had a vision. My son came to me and said, “Mom, you’ve got to help the ones like you.” Instantly, I awoke from my sleep. I began throwing up and crying in disbelief. From that day on, I knew God was doing something in my life that would change me forever.
I fought with it for several months, but God came to me and said, “If you step out in faith and do the work I asked you to do, you will be blessing so many people.” I cried out, “I will, Lord, I will do your will.”
In November of 2021, I asked God to forgive me for the words I had said to Him. If He wanted to use me, I was willing.
It was then that I started an organization called What About Us for families impacted by gun violence and homicide. We assist families and help with funeral arrangements, and we have partnerships that provide counseling and other resources. We also make grief baskets and give them to families.
When we first started, it was just me and one other lady whose son had been killed the same day as mine. We had group meetings and helped those who faced the same thing we had faced.
In 2021, there were 126 homicides here in Birmingham. It was then that my organization grew from two to ten. God showed His love and caring heart, not just through me but every mother who had lost their child.
We give God all the glory and all the praise. If not for Him, you can only imagine how families would be even more broken without Jesus Christ.
I will continue to do this work for as long as God allows me to. I would like to say God is everything. He is the air we breathe and the light we seek. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. With Him, all things are possible. Even though my story is sad and heartbreaking, God knew my purpose. I want to thank Him, even though I lost my precious son, because God gave me the wisdom to help so many others and to give them a voice.
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