When I watched Tyler Perry’s new film Straw, I didn’t just see a character on screen, I saw me. I saw the woman I used to be. The one standing at a gas pump, putting my last $20 in the tank, only to have the car break down. The mother who couldn’t afford to get sick, couldn’t afford to be late, and definitely couldn’t afford to break down physically or emotionally.
Straw tells the story of a single mom doing everything she can to care for her sick daughter while the world seems hellbent on breaking her. From the very first scene, the film delivers blow after blow—late on the rent with the threat of eviction, her baby needing lunch money at school, the mom working two jobs to make ends meet, no support system, mounting bills, and impossible choices. It’s a day-in-the-life of the forgotten, the overworked, and the underappreciated.
This movie it hit me hard.
It took me back to my struggles. Catching four city buses to get to the daycare and then to work. Walking through the snow in the freezing cold, baby in tow, with tears that had to wait because there was no time to cry. The fear of missing a shift because it meant a shorter paycheck and a shorter paycheck meant not enough money for rent. No rent, no home.
There was a quote in the movie that spoke the truth in volumes:
“As bad as it may seem, there is always someone out there doing worse. Be grateful every day for what you have, even if it’s a little bit.”
I felt that. Because even in the middle of those hardest years, there were tiny miracles. A kind stranger. An unexpected check in the mail. A long lost $20 bill in the dryer.
I didn’t have much, but I had love. I had my children. And somehow I made it.
Straw doesn’t just tell a story. It honors every single mother who’s had to show up for everyone else when no one was showing up for her. It’s raw. It’s painful. It’s real. But it’s also a call to be thankful for whatever light we do have, even in the darkest hours.
If you’ve ever lived it, you’ll feel seen. And if you haven’t, maybe this film will open your eyes to the quiet warriors among us.
I survived. And if you’re still in the storm, just know, I see you. I am you. You are me. Keep your head up baby girl, you’re stronger than you know.
#StrawTheMovie #TylerPerry #SingleMomStories #FromStruggleToStrength #GratitudeInTheStorm #ResilientWomen #IWasHer #RealLifeResilience
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