For decades, Linda Burston cycled between jail and the streets, a survivor of so much violence, struggling to find her place. Today she's a homeowner, clean and sober, supported by family, devoted to the "beautiful ladies" at Women's Lunch Place, where she's worked for the past 19 years.

Below, in her own words, is a small piece of that story.

“I started off as a guest at Women’s Lunch Place, sitting in a corner on the side, rocking back and forth with the voices in my head and strung out. And it was a staff member there that gave me unconditional love and made me feel human, even if it was just a little while.

She asked me if I wanted her to wash my clothes that I had had on for weeks, when they should have been thrown away. She didn’t judge me. She never treated me less than. I was so beat down, she brought me to the nap room and gave me a bed and literally fed me because I couldn’t feed myself. She made me feel good about myself.

And I always remembered that, cause I never knew what love was. I didn’t feel like I deserved it. And to get this from a stranger, it was: What do you want from me? When she really didn’t want anything from me, but just for my better welfare.

And I continued my run til ’93, and that’s when I went to High Point, and from there to Women’s Inc. And that’s when I really learned who I was–in a therapeutic community setting. I learned some job skills and I learned that I can work. I found (the job listing) about Women’s Lunch Place and faxed them my resume. And on August the 20th, 2000, I started working there.

I never told anyone that I couldn’t read and I couldn’t write ‘cause I could always fake it, you know. But I got tired of faking it and I told (the staff) and I got tested and found out I was on third grade level.

And I went to Ann (a major donor), and she said, I’ll tutor you. And then she introduced me to her aunt and her name was Bernice. She passed away in July. And she took me from third grade level to college.

She tutored me every Monday. And her daughter Amy, who was a teacher, also tutored me, and her grandsons. They were my family. When I tell you she was my mother, my mother never let me lay on her bed.

When I started school, I had the fear of not being smart and the low self-esteem kicked in. I called (Bernice) on the phone and I was crying. I said: ‘I can’t do this. They’re all younger than me. They’re all smarter than me.’ And she just listened to me crying. Then she said, ‘Are you finished?’

I said, ‘Yeah.’ She said, ‘Okay, get yourself back in there.’

And I went back in there, and I was an A student.”

This story was produced in partnership with the office of Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell for a project that brings together District 4 seniors with their formerly incarcerated neighbors to document the seniors’ stories.

Linda was interviewed by story ambassador Tina Booker, who worked in construction before becoming a community advocate. “As a woman in recovery myself, I was impressed and inspired by Linda’s story,” said Tina. “The message to me was: No matter what life challenges you come across, never give up.”