Did the title catch your attention? Have you been there or are you someone who, at times, 'sees' and believes…We have all heard the stories – 'welfare schemes.' And what would you say if you only knew? Life delivers a lot of lessons. Listen; forgo lectures. Learn before you leap.

By Darlena Cunha Follow @parentwin | Originally Published at The Washington Post. July 8, 2014
Sara Bareilles played softly through the surround-sound speakers of my husband’s 2003 Mercedes Kompressor as I sat idling at a light. I’d never been to this church before, but I could see it from where I was, across from an old park, abandoned in the chilly September air. The clouds hung low as I pulled the sleek, pewter machine into the lot. But I wasn’t going to pray or attend services. I was picking up food stamps.
Even then, I couldn’t quite believe it. This wasn’t supposed to happen to people like me.

I grew up in a white, affluent suburb, where failure seemed harder than success.

In college, I studied biology and journalism. I worked for good money at a local hospital, which afforded me empathyeducates – This Is What Happened When I Drove My Mercedes To Pick Up Food Stamps: