Nuns on the Bus
I was asked to share my personal story of poverty and to speak to one or two of the most pressing issues poor people face. The thing is, when you’re poor, there isn’t really such a thing as one or two pressing issues, because your life is like a Jenga game, and if one block moves too quickly or from the wrong place, everything comes crumbling down. My story of poverty is lifelong, and I’m so grateful to be able to join you this morning from my home here in West Virginia. You may be a little familiar with WV. Maybe you’ve sung a bar or two of “Country Roads” or have heard about Katherine Johnson from “Hidden Figures” or Steve Harvey, Brad Paisley or Jennifer Garner. But what you may not know is that WV has over 300,000 people living in poverty. It’s said that 1 in 3 children, that’s 33%, under the age of 5 in WV are poor. So, when I am asked to share my story of poverty, my mind goes to the people I’ve met whose stories are far worse than mine. Sure, I’ve gone to bed hungry on countless nights because my kids wanted seconds. I’ve been screamed at by both of my kids that they are tired of being “the poor kids.” I’ve been the poor person buying a birthday cake for my kids with SNAP benefits and hiding it under my coat in the buggy because I knew what people would say. I’ve kept my family going during unemployment by cashing in my retirement savings and living off of my tax refund, praying that I would catch a break before the money was gone. Read the full article