I BELIEVE

When, I was twenty years old, I went through a state of depression. This depression was, of course, caused
by a man. It wasn't always bad, but nothing good lasts forever.
Our relationship started when I was twenty years old. We were child hood friends. Alfter five years of not
seeing each other, we reunited at a friends party. We spent that whole night talking. After that, we were insepearable.
So five months into our relationship, I learned that I was pregnant. That same night I found out, I told the news to my
boyfriend. I was scared of the reaction because I felt we were not ready for a baby. However, he took the news
well. he was so excited. We then made plans to move in together and get prepared for the birth of our child.

As I said, nothing good lasts forever. After living together for a couple months, our relationship began to
crumble. We were always arguing, and he stopped working, so it was all upt o me to get a job in order to pay the
bills. he didn't want ot do anything to help, but I stayed so my child would be born with a family. Needless to say, he
picked up and left two months before my due date. After he left me, I couldn't eat or sleep. I no longer socialized
with me famil and friends. I basically locked myself in the house, crying for hours. I kept wondering, "What did I do
wrong?" I was very depressed.

On November 28, 2006, I went to the hospital to have my labor induced. At 3:03 p.m. , my daughter,
Jasmine, was born. When I held her in my arms, all my worries, fears, and concerns seemed to disappear. I didn't
care about anything except the health of my baby. At that moment, I vowed to never fell like I did before. I vowed to
not let my ex-boyfriend, Jasmine's father, bring me down any longer. My daughter is now fourteen months old and her
father still refuses to be in her life. It is because of her that I am happy with my life. She is the reason I decided to go
back to school to get my nursing degree. She makes me feel like I have a reason to be alive. That is why I believe
children are a blessing.