Melba Y. Smith
My name is Melba Y. Smith and I'm writing my story. It's time to HEAL. It's time to tell it. It's
time to set myself free. It's time WHEW!!!
As I write this I'm getting very emotional. My hands are shaking. As a matter of fact my body
is shaking. It has been very difficult for me to share my story. My mind takes me to a scripture
"For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for
welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome Jeremiah 29:11
(amplified version). I realize I'm not alone and someone else will benefit from the test. Yes! It
was only a test so that I could be used by God to offer up a TESTIMONY.
I'm a divorced mother of two wonderful children and have been since March 2010, a Registered
Dental Hygienist, and one who loves to motivate others to be their best. I was going about my
busy single mom life taking care of my family and my responsibilities. Apparently my STRUT!
caught the eye of a past love from about thirty years ago in January of 2011. Yes, my high
school sweetheart, or so I thought. He pursued and I accepted. We began dating and going
out. We both had busy lives and we were both raising our children. Our courtship was brief.
We couldn't find the time so we ended the relationship... Only to rekindle in December 2012.
This time around we were both adamant about blending our families and I thought this time
we were headed in the right direction. So he proposed on Mother's Day 2013. Let the planning
begin I was so happy!!!
I's gettin married Y'ALL! and yes he was a minister… a plus right, HUH? He was so
understanding during the planning and very cooperative. The school year was ending and I
was hoping to have my children in another school district by the end of summer. So, we decided
to have a summer wedding, July 2013. It was the only way to make it all work. We attended 5
weeks of marital counseling. The summer and everything else whizzed by before I knew it. We
were married, my home of 12 years was on the market, the transfer I requested was approved,
my kids and I were packing their rooms. Yes, it was really happening. It is the end of July, after
the wedding and I get the news from my job that my transfer was postponed until late 2014 .I
didn't sweat it, I was married and confident that I wouldn't have a problem finding a job. I kept
moving with my plans. The broker had a buyer for my home, school was starting in two weeks
and now I have no job. I had to resign from the office where I loved to get up and go to
everyday because we’d moved 100 miles away from everything we knew to Cartersville,
Georgia. Talk about a reality check! It really set in after the dust had settled. Nothing could
have prepared me for the road ahead.
Marrying this man has affected my life in so many ways from being so independent and having
my own to being very dependent on others for housing, food and money. You see, I've been
unemployed and searching for work since August 2013. That relationship has left me broken. I