My mum was left as a single parent at 36 after dad died very suddenly and out of the blue. I remember her drawing a path winding between trees and she copied this next to it:
Look to this day,
for it is life, the very breath of life.
In its brief course lie
all the realities of your existence;
the bliss of growth,
the glory of action,
the splendor of beauty.
For yesterday is only a dream,
and tomorrow is but a vision.
But today, well lived,
makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
and every tomorrow
a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.
Kalidas (Indian poet)
She must have had times of despair about how she was going to raise 2 young girls and manage a house and bills when her world was falling to bits but she built a new life, day by day. It was at the time when the Conservatives were doing their ill founded moral crusade around single (female) parents and 'latchkey kids' and I know she felt ashamed sometimes of her situation - crazy really.
What I want to say is that women can be very strong, perhaps especially when life throws a curve ball or two. Be proud of who you are.
Another quote I really take to heart is Helen Keller
'Life is full of suffering, but it is also full of the overcoming of suffering'.
The people I really admire in life are the ones with inner strength who have faced their challenges and said this is not going to define me, I am bigger than this.
And I get how hard it is advocating for a child with SEND. The SEND board here (education) has always been a source of great wisdom and practical advice.
Onwards and upwards.