My less than appealing introduction

Hi. My name is Missy. I am 39 years old. I, like everyone, have a story to tell and a journey to share. Part of my journey has been getting to where I am right now. Where am I right now?  Well,......let's see....Currently as I said, I am 39.   I am a mother and a grandmother. I am unemployed, a convicted felon, and a heroin addict.  Why I would choose to introduce myself in this way? Well, this is how society defines me. Plain and simple.  So I figure I may as well just lay it all out there. Let's go a few steps further.  I live with my parents, and am currently on welfare.  Oh! And I'm a single mom. Okay, honestly that last sentence took some guts. So now that I have been thoroughly judged and put in my place in everyone's minds, let me explain why I am seemingly in no position to be giving advice, let alone trying to help anyone but have every intention on doing exactly that. I am where I am today because I chose to be.  Now, if taken literally, it sounds as if I CHOSE to be a mooch and live off of taxpayers hard earned money by being lazy and not getting a job.  This is the furthest it could possibly be from the truth.  If you care to stick around, you will get to see a transformation. Who knows...perhaps this is my way of holding myself accountable...of making sure I accomplish what I intend to do with my life.
 I will start my story by telling you that I am a survivor of domestic abuse.  However, it was not without cost. I chose every day for seven years to stay with my abuser. My daughter, my beautiful precious daughter, Poppy, payed the ultimate price for my choice.   She did not make it out of the relationship alive, as my other two daughters and I did.  My daughter died because I was afraid to leave.  I think about her and miss her every second of every day.  Bless her little heart and her beautiful little soul.  I will never see her again. I will never hear her sweet little voice or hear her happy sounds of laughter or feel her safe in my arms again.  Ever. My heart is broken into a million pieces and there is no way in this universe that it will ever heal from this experience. I will touch more on this later, as this has brought me to tears, and now I am losing momentum on my intentions here.  I am, very obviously, only human.
I know there are a bazillion self help books, groups, blogs, and what not out there, but I assure you, if you decide to take this journey with me, you will find strength and hope and the courage to figure out where you fit in and what your purpose is.  I am not going to wait until the end of my journey to celebrate.  I am going to celebrate along the way.  If I can celebrate where I am in life, anyone can.