NPR Rihla

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It took a time of need and hopelessness that I needed to make a change in my family. My family started to fall apart; it only took a simple "hi" and "bye" to get through the day. My father has lost his eye sight and his hearing, and my mother was laid off of work. There was no money coming from my main support of 17 years. It took me several months to realize that we were no longer financially well, so my sister and I realized that we had to make sacrifices to make sure that we won't fall apart as a family.

My sister was in college in this time of need , so she barely had enough time to pay off our bills and school. It was in the summer of 2011 that made me react quickly and get a job. I have never done any type of work because of how my father liked to provide for his family at all times. It was an experience that was very overwhelming for me. Trying to provide for my family was not an easy thing to do at the age of 17.

After months of searching for a job , I had lost hope. Something came to mind after days of waiting for a call, and it was my grandfather's wise words of " when there's no hope, Saint Judas will be there for you". That is when I started to have faith in someone I have always heard of but never paid much attention to, and I realized I had nothing to lose. I started to buy my candles and light them up next to the statue my grandfather had given me since I was little girl. I would do everything in my power to believe and have faith. After a week of having dedication, I finally got an interview. This is when I needed him the most so I prayed from day to night, and I was blessed. I got the job , and I was able to provide for my family.

Everything seemed to be going as planned until I started my senior year of high school. I was juggling school, sports, and a job. I was starting to notice the amount of pressure I felt after several months of being busy. I started to lose sleep and motivation. My grades started to reflect my life, and that is when my mom decided to go to school so that she can provide for her family. After months of hard work, she had finished school. She told me to leave my job and focus on school because at the end of it all it is all about my education. Ever since, my mother has been a hard working mother providing for a family of four.

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