“I’m thinking about writing a book about life at Joshua Station,” says Marcelle B. “I would title it ‘Immense Courage.’ It would not be just my story, but stories of all the other parents and families here. This place is absolutely life changing.”
Marcelle’s own courage story is a long time in the works. After many years in an abusive marriage and struggles with addiction, she ended up in shelters, recovery programs, and probation. Eventually in 2019 she reached out to Joshua Station, where staff members told her straight up: “It’s not just a place to stay. If you come here, you need to come ready to work on your life.”
“Ok I’m ready,” Marcelle thought, “but can I actually do it?” Walking into her beautifully decorated residence unit for the first time, she was both overjoyed and nervous. By this time, Marcelle and her two children had spent stressful long stretches in one-room living situations. Her sons, aged 12 and 13, were not prepared to sleep even in their own bedroom at Joshua Station. “We took it slow, with all three beds in one room for awhile until one of them was ready to try the other room.”
The Covid-19 lockdown felt overwhelming last Spring, triggering past traumas. Marcelle felt so low that she couldn’t bring herself to stand in her doorway for a photo series we created. So how is it possible now, with many virus restrictions still in place, that she is all over Joshua Station helping others and gushing about how far she has come into the light?
“Therapy at Joshua Station with Nancy (Black) has been pivotal for me, along with Mary Margaret (Hagen) for my boys. We also started family therapy. And it’s funny, I heard about something called rage rooms you pay for. I mentioned that to the staff, and I ended up with a project to smash up old furniture before it went into the trash. It felt soooo freeing!”
Marcelle’s next project was to “spruce a room”—playing interior decorator for a new family moving into Joshua Station in September. Stepping up for a job normally done by outside volunteers who can’t be on site now, Marcelle made the rooms absolutely shine, with décor matching each new family member’s age and interests. The bathroom sparkles with items she brought from her job at Bath & Body Works.
Marcelle says she had never experienced genuine community before, so she had no idea how important it could be. She arrived at Joshua Station with mistrust and fear. Now relationships are bringing her courage and life. “My kids and I have been stripped of dignity. We have no credentials. We ride the bus. None of it matters when I’m with our residents, staff, and volunteers—I’m not the only one with shame and guilt. We belong! All I want to do is serve this community and become all I can be with our family.”
