A Suitcase and a Dream
Imagine being a 9 year old girl who thinks she has nothing to live for because her mother is a drug addict. Brittney, along with her 3 sisters, lived from pillar to post while their mother tried to keep the family together, but could not because she could not battle the addiction. Imagine experiencing sexual abuse at age 9 and no one seemed to care.
As the family experienced perpetual transition, it was often in abandoned houses with no running water and no furniture. A Suitcase and a Dream is the story of a 9 year old girl faced with the atrocities of abuse, hunger, homelessness, abandonment finally ending up in the foster care system. And like any system, there are problems – trust being a major one. Brittney Sherell tells her story transparently and intimately. She shares what it’s like to be that girl, who loses hope of ever having a family that cares about her. We learn what goes on in the mind of a young girl who develops anger issues, trust issues, PTSD and attempts suicide. We learn about redemption through her story; about God’s love, purpose and providence. Finally, we learn we must be accountable for each other, be our sister’s keeper.
Recognizing how many blessings have come her way, Brittney also realizes that hope is the one thing you can NEVER afford to run out of.
Through the experience of a child
Written from the heart! If you know Brittney you feel like she is there with you telling this story to you in person. I wish every child that entered the foster care system came with a book like this, if so, we could better understand their behaviors and emotions. We could empathize greater. This is Brittney writing a book at the age of 13 years and sharing her experience, her “real” as experienced by a child lost, angry and hurt. However, she begins to find her way and her connection with God, which helps her…