ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPH:

“The picture that I chose was my wedding picture. It was one of the happiest days of my life. And I say that because my husband; I love him with all my heart. I'll always love him. And we've been through some things, but nothing still ever stopped me from loving him. He passed. I chose that picture because it's a beautiful memory for me. It's also a picture of his sister, his stepmom, and his stepdad. And when I look at this picture, everybody standing on that side of him, every last one of them has passed. So it's heartbreaking. But we still have memories. On the other side, my mom and my stepdad are in the picture with us. My mom and my stepdad are still here. My mom went through some challenges, and my active addiction and also in hers. But I love her to death. Through Narcotics Anonymous, and the fellowship, also with AA, I have learned forgiveness. First of all, I had to learn how to forgive myself. And then I had to learn how to forgive others that I felt had wronged me. And today, there is nothing I wouldn't do for my mom. And that comes from my heart. I am a case manager here at the Off the Streets program. I'm in recovery. I'm a recovering addict. My sobriety date is March the 14, 1999. I enjoy being able to give back to this community, and the women that we serve due to the fact that I am one of them.”