Bailey* made herself a promise that her children would never know the kind of abuse she grew up with . . .
“My dad was very abusive—physically, mentally, every kind. I had a good mom, but she was raising seven kids. I’m the oldest of seven.
“We didn’t have running water, we didn’t have a bathroom, and my mom was always working. My dad stayed home and was just the worst dad,” Bailey says, shuddering at the memory. “I said, ‘I’m not going to do my kids that way.’”
Yet even as she worked to be the best mother possible to her two children, the horrors of the past clung to Bailey like her own shadow. She tried to shake the memories, but only alcohol brought her any escape. “I would drink just to forget,” she says, fighting to hold back her tears.
Drinking changed her dramatically. “This other Bailey comes out, and she’s not a good person,” Bailey says. “She’s mean and angry and just does things she isn’t really proud of, things she wouldn’t do sober.”
Every attempt to get sober ended in disaster until, at her lowest point, Bailey’s daughter declared, “I’m going to disown you. Quit drinking.”
In despair and shame, she cried out to God, saying, “You’re not supposed to give somebody more than they can handle. But I think that you don’t love me. I’m just this bad person that needs to be punished.”
Then, she met a new friend at an AA meeting who shared that lifesaving, life-changing help can be found at Nashville Rescue Mission.
“So I called my daughter and said, ‘Look, I’m thinking of going in a seven-month program [at the Mission]. What do you think?’ She said, ‘Do it.’”
After learning our Life Recovery Program is Christ-centered, Bailey said, “Sign me up.”
“I came here, and it is more than I ever dreamed of. It’s been life-changing for me. The therapists are outstanding,” she says. “What I love about this program is that everything is around God. Whatever we do, we pray. We pray before we go to work, pray when we get off work. We have Bible study, and I’m like a kid thirsty for knowledge.”
What’s next for Bailey? She says one possibility after graduation is to work in a restaurant. “I’ve always wanted to go to culinary school. I’ve always wanted a food truck because I love to cook. That’s how I show my love.”
Bailey is beyond grateful to the donors and friends who support Nashville Rescue Mission, “It’s just been amazing,” she says. “I tell people I’m 54 and I’m learning how to live for the first time . . . but that’s good. At least now I don’t feel like it’s the end of my life.”
Bailey also hopes her story can guide others who need help getting on the right path. “I put my kids through a lot. If I can help somebody else, that’s my goal,” she says.
Thank you for standing with Nashville Rescue Mission to restore hope in lives like Bailey’s. Her relationship with God and her family is restored, and the future holds so many opportunities for her! Please partner with us again today with a gift that will impact lives across Middle Tennessee, now and all summer long!
*Name changed for privacy.
