A Hard Life but a Good Ending (Story #47)

My parents were migrant workers and we lived in Okeechobee center Projects. Ive been out here 47 years but moved to NY in 1974. Then moved back t Belle Glade, then I met my husband and now Ive been here for 47 years now. I was a big family everyone showed love. Then my husband died 2016 and I moved into Quiet waters. I remember when there was no Wendy’s, McDonalds or anything here. Just a hospital and one lane road. Now there’s everything. I started work in corn field 1976 and in 1979 I started driving tractors, then my sister got me a custodial job at a school for 5 years. I had a daughter so then I worked for the state driving a school bus, then I got disabled after 17 years. If I had stayed in the corn fields I wouldn’t be here today. You know when we were living in the projects there were kid shelters, and then they were jus stick houses, and then they had labor homes (duplexes kinda), then they built brick projects houses (for rent). Then they threw us out because of my 18 yea r old son. We had a family reunion from the projects, saw children we hadn’t seen in 40 years. We’re having another one next year. We came up a hard way, but we made it.

About This Story

  • Project: We Are Here
  • Date submitted: 2018-10-14 00:00:00
  • Emotional tone: Strongly positive
  • Who should know about this? Everyone

About the Storyteller

  • Community: Belle Glade
  • Age: Over 61
  • Gender: Female

How the Storyteller Interpreted Their Story

Note: Responses which fell closer to the middle (between two or three options) are shown as two dashes.
  • In your story, why did people act the way they did? They did the best they could in the situation
  • My story relates to: The traditions of the past
  • Why did things happen in the story I told? The way people were brought up
  • The lesson in your story is: Take the good, lose the bad
  • In my story, problems are solved by: --
  • My story teaches us to: Always look ahead to the future
  • My story teaches us that: --
  • My story teaches us that: The community is resilient
  • My story teaches us that: The community is volatile

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