No Longer Last
on My Own List

After losing my husband, that year changed how I lived. My children came first in everything, and I was so busy thinking about them that I did not notice when one question quietly disappeared from my days:

“

What do I need?

I joined the psychological support course at the Women’s Center. I was nervous as I had never taken part in anything like it before, and I had no idea what to expect.

That uncertainty did not last forever. The way the team treated us, and the care I felt from the specialist during the sessions, made it easier to settle into the experience.

The sessions gave me practical ways to deal with the fear and pressure I had been carrying. But they also made me look at something I had almost stopped noticing: myself.

I still had things I liked. Things I wanted to learn. Things I hoped to do or have one day. Those parts of me had not disappeared; I had simply stopped giving them any room.

My children are still my priority. That never changes. What has changed is that I no longer think caring for them means I have to come last.

Now I am waiting for the entrepreneurship course at the Center. I wish to learn how to start a small business, work, and build an income that helps me support my children.

For a long time, I imagined the future only in terms of what I could provide for them. Now, when I think about what comes next, I can see myself shining there too.