Miranda’s Resilience

The Stress of a Single Mom

Miranda’s a single mom in recovery with two kids. Her son is five years old, and her daughter was born four months ago. Before having her daughter, she had been substance-free for two years. “I thought I was doing so well,” Miranda said. She even had a good job as a manager at a restaurant. However, the stress of having two kids on her own caught up to her.

She worked right up to the day before she gave birth to her daughter, and she went back to work two weeks later. The fact that she was nine months pregnant and worked whole shifts as a waitress shows just how courageous she is.

Going from one kid to two was quite a shock considering her situation. Juggling full-time work and two kids under five was tough. Miranda broke down and started taking drugs again. Eventually, she went to her drug court and told them she was using. “I was extremely scared,” Miranda said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen.” Thankfully, the court referred her to Madonna House in Lockport.

Her Time at Madonna House

Miranda’s been at Madonna House for two months. She’s very grateful for the ability to bring her kids to the program on the weekends. “When my son comes here, he’s happier. It makes me happier,” she said. “He thinks I’m at mommy school right now,” she said with a laugh. “He sees that I have homework and classes.”

Madonna House is helping Miranda to see just how resilient she really is. “I’m learning a lot about myself,” she said. “I’m a strong person.” It’s also helping her to develop positive friendships. “Before I came here, I maybe had one or two friends,” she said. Now, she says she’s “building a sisterhood” with the other women at Madonna House. “I’m learning to trust again,” said Miranda.

Her time spent at Madonna House has allowed Miranda to plan out her hopes and dreams. Restaurants are definitely her passion. In fact, she’d like to own her own one day. She said it would be a “laid-back, soul-food kinda place with food like your grandma would cook.” Everything would be made from scratch. She has a great vision, but she knows she’s going to take her time to make it become a reality. Next up, she wants to move into one of our Supportive Living apartments with her kids.