Overcomer
Tabatha truly encompasses everything I was hoping to share in this campaign. Her intimidating beauty, matched with her calm and collected demeanor would give anyone the perception that life comes easy to her. The problem is that perception can be so deceiving, not only for the one perceiving a person, but also for the person being perceived. Tabatha is the definition of strength, beauty and grace, but what you may not know is she also has suffered heartache and loss more than most of us could ever comprehend. Tabatha is a mother of three young children, and two older bonus daughters. She became a widow at thirty, when the love of her life passed away in a tragic accident, when her youngest son was just six weeks old.
Tabatha and Derrick met as single parents, but quickly could see how blessed they would become combining their two families. Derrick brought so much joy and fun into her and her childrens’ lives, he was a breath of fresh air for her little family. Life was great, and they decided to add another blessing, a baby boy would join the crew! Six short weeks later, life would change for them all.
I never had the opportunity to meet Derrick, but the way Tabatha lives out his legacy, I feel like I really missed out! Fortunately, I have a feeling their young son will be the spitting image of his larger than life dad, and Tabatha makes sure his memory is constant within their lives. She will tell you “she will never move on, but she will continue to move forward with him”. Tabatha believes it’s important for anyone experiencing grief to understand “it doesn’t necessarily get easier, but different”. There is so much more to this beautiful, strong, amazing woman and mother than meets the eye.
Sharing our stories allows others to see the depth of who we are, to be encouraged and empowered by our journey, this is Fully Known and Loved.