Thursday, June 16, 2011

Identity Theft

I am so excited that Blogger now has mobile settings so it is much easier to read blogs on your cell phone! YAY!......


When I was 18 years old I discovered that a girl that I had gone to school with since the second grade had been arrested and used my name when she had been arrested. It was a pretty big ordeal and took a lot of effort on my part to clear my name. I had actually been pulled over for speeding in a school zone and was almost arrested because the officer thought I was her saying I was me. Luckily, I had a picture of my friend in my wallet and the officer who pulled me over just so happened to be the officer who had arrested her and new I was indeed not her. But it was still a lot of work for me to clear my name. 


I really never thought another thing about it after that. Somehow over all the years, my path and this girls path have crossed many times. And I know for a fact that it was God each time. Just as an example, she left a note on my sons grave and who knows how long it had been there. I happen to go by there and get the note with her number on it. It was legible after rain, wind and who knows what. Then, when my mom died, her mom just so happened to read the obituaries and they came to the funeral. I mean, who reads the obituaries?!?!? Then, when we moved back to Texas from Georgia, my brother happens to see her mom outside of a store in a city that he didn't even live in! At that time, I discovered that she was in prison. So I started communicating with her and helping her out. I won't say all that I did for her because it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that my heart went out to her and I knew she needed a friend. I mean, I had known her since the 2nd grade. Longer than I had known really anyone.Unfortunately, she got out of prison and it wasn't long before she was back on the streets and living the same kind of life she has always known.


Fast forward to now. We move to Georgia and we put in an application to rent a house. Fortunately, we didn't really like the house all that much but we loved the location and the school district. The next day, I get a call that due to my criminal history they would not let us live there. I was totally beside myself. But yet I knew this was all happening for a reason. And honestly, I really didn't think for a second it was my old friend from school. It was my best friend who mentioned that it had to be her. But I just still couldn't believe it. As the details started unfolding, it became clearer that it was her but I still didn't want to believe it. It wasn't until someone from the courthouse in Dallas said her name and started giving me details that I had to come to grips with the fact that she had done this to me again. And this all happened before she went to prison. So it was in 1986 and in 2001. 


I would have to write a book to share all the details and drama of what has had to take place to clear my name and get this worked out and it is still a mess. But I just want to say that I am in no way angry with this girl at all. So many people, even church people have told me how upset they would be and all the things they would do to her if they were me. But ya know, the saddest thing of all to me is that she did this way back in 1986 the first time and here it is all these years later and she is still living the same lifestyle and is actually a homeless drug addict. This breaks my heart. Being mad at her and carrying around anger in my heart towards her would only hurt ME. I know that it is only by the grace of God that I can feel this way. And I am just so thankful that I have God and I have Hope. 

My life is far from perfect and I actually ask you now to pray for my family and for me personally. I will blog more later but we finally did get a home and move on June 25th. Please pray for peace for us and that every single detail will work out perfectly and smoothly. There is so much to do with getting the girls enrolled and just over all with moving. Deryl's back has been really messed up for a while now and please pray God will protect his back and he will not injure it further as he moves us. 

And I just want to say thank you for continuing to read my blog. It truly is therapeutic for me. For some reason, I haven't felt like I have been able to be as transparent as I have been in the past but I feel God tugging at my heart about that. I want this to be a place of encouragement but also a place where you know I am not perfect and YOU are not alone. And I want to know I am not alone too and that you are not perfect either!!


And as always, you can send me your prayer requests to kelley@feelthetatas.com 


Love you,


Kelley