Scars & Stars

I used to believe marriage was forever, that once you say I do, it means you never let go no matter how hard things get. My dream was simple: to have a complete and happy family. For years, that dream kept me holding on, even when everything inside me was falling apart. We were together for fourteen years, married for seven. To others, we looked like the perfect couple but people around us only see the smiles not the moments in between. They don't see how slowly things change

I first came to Canada from the Philippines believing it would be a new beginning, a chance to rebuild life with hope and determination. But only a few months after arriving, life changed in ways I never imagined. The foundation I had built cracked, and suddenly everything I thought I could rely on was gone. To survive, I took on two full time jobs. Doing this meant I could provide for my kids but it also meant sacrificing almost everything else. Sleep was rare. Many times I

There are moments in life that leave scars, and others that remind us to look up at the stars. My story holds both. This is where The Survival Journal begins. With honesty, pain, hope, and the lessons that carried me forward. Life hasn't been simple. I've had to start over in new places more than once, carrying not just belongings but heavy emotions too. There have been times when trust was broken by people I thought would stand by me, and seasons when I felt invisible or bet