New job

One Woman's Journey After Vehicular Homicide


Imagine going to sleep, waking up and finding out you killed somebody. 
That's exactly what happened to me. 
Two years ago, I was drunk and fell asleep at the wheel. I'm not trying to make excuses.
But I never ever would have done such a thing on purpose. And if there were 
some way I could go back and change it, I would. 
In fact, I've been sober ever since.
Now I'm paying for my crime by being incarcerated two weeks a year for the 
next 10 years.
This blog follows my journey afterward, trying to put my life back together in 
between spending a week in jail at Christmas and at Father's Day each year.

Today was my first day on the job at Goodwill.
I am training. Today, I didn't do what I would normally be doing, which is processing donated items, but it was still good. I trained under a lady named Ann, and she was really nice.
Today, I took processed items out to the floor and placed them on display for sale.
Then, I watched a two-hour slideshow on the store's standard operating procedures. It was a lot of information.
I am grateful to be part of the working world again.
It had been more than two years since the accident that ended my victim's life and changed my life and the lives of my victim's family forever.
At times, I wondered if I'd ever find any semblance of normalcy.
All I can say is 'God is good.'
I had interviewed at Lowe's last week at two locations: Madison and Hendersonville. I felt like the three interviews I did at those locations went really well.
So, I was surprised and excited when Goodwill called - out of the blue - and offered me the job Monday afternoon.
I really feel like it's a God thing that I was offered this job, and I intend to make the most of it.
In this role, it may seem like I'm primarily focused on myself, but that's really only a portion of the truth.
On Friday, which is my victim's birthday, I will be speaking at Portland High School about my life, my addictions and the events that ended my victim's life.
It never leaves me, as well it shouldn't.
But I didn't want to leave the impression that I'm just going on with my life now, without any thought about the past.
I am still dedicated to telling this story: in hospitals, treatment centers and in local schools.
I have the opportunity now to move into Metro Nashville Public Schools and to spread the message even farther. I don't have firm dates yet, and now, I have a job that has to be factored in, so it's not a done deal.
But I am trying very hard to balance putting my life back together, while still focusing on my victim's death and the new life that resulted in me.
It's very important to me.
Tonight, I will be going to a local hospital and sharing the message with the patients there, in hopes that they won't use drugs or alcohol and get behind the wheel of a car, like I did.
It's ironic. I thought 'I want to go out just one more time.' Six months had passed and I was dry. I was taking prescription Xanax, as directed, and still smoking marijuana. But I hadn't had a drop of alcohol in my body in that time frame.
Just one more time ended in death for my victim and a lifetime for me.
Still, admitting my role in the accident weekly gives me some relief. It gives me hope enough to try to do things like get a job and try to move on with my life.
And that is making all the difference.