At the age of six, I lost my mother, father, and my only living grandparent in less than a month. My older sister, who was twenty years old at the time, took everything out of our home, leaving me there alone with my clothes and a limited amount of food. A few days later my uncle realized he hadn’t seen my sister or me and decided to drive by our home. He found me inside hiding, scared, and everything gone. He took me home with him. I had dinner and a bath and went to bed. A few hours later I heard voices and got up to see what was going on. My uncle had contacted the rest of the family to find out if anyone knew where my older sister was and to discuss my care. I was standing behind the door, listening, when I heard my uncle say that no one wanted to feed and clothe another child. After I had been rejected by the rest of my family, my uncle and his wife decided that I would live with them. I was so young and didn’t understand what was going on, but the trauma of it all had a profound impact on my life.

Music played a key role in my healing, building self-esteem, and spiritual growth. I’ll never forget the ten-hour drive I took for a high school graduation. I took several CDs with me, and as I listened to “Imagine Me” by Kirk Franklin, God used the words of the song to heal deep wounds that I had experienced for years. I drove and cried. By the time I reached my destination, I was no longer the same. I could feel a weight that had held me down, lifted. I began to see myself in a different way.