I always wanted a bumper sticker that read: SINGLE MOTHERS ARE THE STRONGEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. For I think now that life makes us strong if we let it.

 I was staying in a relationship because I was scared that I didn’t have it in me to be a single mom anymore, to do all of those things alone.

Even with the most difficult parts of single parenting included, my world has been on an uphill slope since my daughter entered into it.

I’d never thought about the what-if scenarios of my death. Mia’s a badass kid. She’s resilient. We’ve been through so much, I think she can make it through just about anything.