There are times when you meet someone who so special that words simply can’t describe. I attended an event a couple of weeks ago and as soon as I walked in the room, I was drawn to her. She stood next to this table that had two suitcases on it. One of them had some things in it and the other was almost empty. The sign said “A Suitcase and a Dream.”
I wanted to know more so I asked her to tell me about it. “What is this?, I asked” “What is a suitcase and a dream?” The display made you want to know more, but the words, “A Suitcase and a Dream” drew me in, not to mention the incredible smile she wore.
I was honored to meet Ms. Brittney Sherrell. She is the Founder and Author of this organization and book called “A Suitcase and A Dream” which tells us about her life’s journey through the foster care system, the legal system and the system of lessons.
One of the suitcases represented the stuff we pick up as we go on the road of life’s journey; like our pains and traumas. Most of us continue on carrying these things which weighs us down and only makes us struggle even more. The other one represents the suitcase that has been emptied and now are carrying a lighter load of joy, love and trust. After meeting Brittney, I had to ask myself, “What’s in your suitcase, Charmaine?” ” What are you still carrying from your past?” Although I wasn’t in the foster care system, I recognized that many of us have picked up some stuff that we have been struggling with for years.
Brittney Sherrell bravely tells her amazing story and while she wonders, “Why did this happen to me?,” she also gives us a peek into the mind of a little one who suffers through the atrocities described in her book. She helps us to see through the lens of her hopes and fears and her anger and eventually trust. She eventually learns to how to have real relationships and be responsible. She learns how to trust in God and accept His love.
But despite the hurt and disappointments, Brittney’s goal is to use “A Suitcase and a Dream” to help other within the system or coming out of foster care navigate through it with a different perspective of life.
Brittney Sherrell is a poet, an artist, a hairstylist and a survivor. She is a mental health advocate and foster care warrior.
Email: suitcasedreamfostercare@gmail.com
Instagram:@poeticvoice1992
Facebook; Brittney Sherrell Turner
Twitter: @poeticvoice1992
