Led Astray, But Back on the Right Path

Led Astray is the title of the book Tenneille Moore wrote and intends to see published. It’s her story of conquering her troubled past and building new lives for her and her family; together, in a home of their own.

Tenneille loves her three children more than anything in the world. Even though she cannot imagine life without them, she almost lost the chance to be their parent and inspiration.

Growing up, Tenneille’s father, addicted to crack cocaine, wasn’t the best role model. By the time she was 16, lack of proper supervision was one of the reasons Tenneille was drawn into under-age gambling. Her life only grew harder. The next year while driving a car, she hit a man who died from his injuries. It was a downward spiral from there. A decade plus of using drugs, forging checks, living for a quick buck, and eventually incarceration, consumed her.

Tenneille’s only happiness came when she would think about her children, but she couldn’t be with them. As she moved in and out of jail cells, the separation ate at her. She channeled her loneliness into a passion for singing and writing, but she knew the hole in her heart would not be filled until she was with her children again. She realized that in order to reunite with them, she needed to take full responsibility for her own actions as well as their upbringing.

Tenneille put her former ways behind her, and demonstrated a strong commitment to her family. She enrolled in the Memphis Strong Families Initiative (MSFI) in hopes of finding the housing and services she would need to care for her children. As a single mom with three kids, she knew it wouldn’t be easy but was determined to give it her very best shot. She also knew she would need a helping hand.

Once in MSFI, Tenneille gained access to an affordable apartment and the services designed to keep her and her children housed and healthy as a family. She’s now working hard every day on developing and enhancing her parenting skills, and ensuring she never returns to addictions of any kind.

There are good days and bad but Tenneille says, “Seeing how happy my children are to have their mother back with them in our own home keeps me going.”

Tenneille now looks forward to watching her oldest son, a freshman in college, graduate. Her song of praise, “He’s Worthy,” is being recorded and produced. She’s also counting the days until they publish her book, which thanks to her grit and the help of MSFI has a happy ending.