Preface

The idea of this book came to me as I was sharing some of my past life experiences with my granddaughter. She told me I had lived a very interesting life and that I should write a book about it. I never thought I would write a book, but I also realized that my children and grandchildren really did not know anything about my life.

             Over the years, I have had friends tell me, “man you should write a book about yourself.” My question to them was why? Over and over again I would hear the same answer. “Man, because the things you have been through in your life are interesting. It’s hard to believe that you survived all of the trouble and hardship and still have a positive attitude, and still have your life that’s been blessed with so many opportunities; you need to share your story.”

            By sharing my life story and experiences, readers will learn how I made decisions and why, what wisdom I gained from my life growth and my transformation, and what made it possible for me to grow, change and become a stronger and better person.

This true story spans over 50 years.

            The motivational message of this book is certain to inspire anyone seeking to find balance and fulfillment in their own life.

Reflecting my early childhood, teen years, and adulthood, it is not by chance that the title of my book is “Battling the Blessings.”

            The title is very much a part of my life story. It seems that I have been battling my blessings most of my adult life. I have been in denial of God. Not that I did not have faith in the Lord, I just did not believe in myself. Raised in a Baptist Church , I had a spiritual bond with the Lord. Over the years I have questioned the Lord about everything that has happened in my life. I believed it was God’s fault that I lost my faith.

What a STUPID thought. It was just my way of not blaming myself for my actions.

            God does not cause hardship; we do. I started to believe in luck, not blessings. Can you imagine going through life thinking you are lucky, that everything good that happened to you was brought on by luck?

             Luck is something that, I found out later, doesn’t exist. You can feel lucky one day; the next day you can be unlucky. That’s like believing that you are lucky to be breathing. When, in fact, it’s a blessing just to wake up from sleep and find you are breathing.

            With blessings you are blessed; the Lord doesn’t take back blessings. As a matter of fact, they stay with us for life; no one can take them or steal them; you can’t give your blessings away. Blessings belong to you and that’s something to be thankful for; I am very thankful for my blessings.

             My book is based on my life, through years of living with my alcoholic/drug addiction, failed marriage, family life, illness, and finally, self-discovery. From chapter to chapter in this book, you will read about how I loved the street life; worked at a steady job and still had time for the street life. While both lives can be a full time job, the funny thing about being employed at a full time job and hanging out in the streets is you have to be able to keep the two lives separated.

            From the time I was a teenager hanging out in the streets to being an adult, what I learned was that you don’t talk about your education or your employment. I tried selling drugs; bad idea when you are using drugs. I ended up being my best customer.

            You will understand how I was being blessed with the opportunity to better my life, and how my life blessings have always been there; I just refused to recognize them. In order to receive blessings from the Lord, you have to open up your heart. For all the troubling years that I had, my heart was always open to the Lord.

            During my first marriage I had no children; during my second marriage, I was blessed with three beautiful children whom I love very much. As of writing this book, my first, I have been blessed with six grandchildren.

            I would like to help other people by passing on my strengths. I hope the story of my life could be used as a motivational tool for other people, as I feel it shows how to cope with a wide range of emotions. I feel very strongly that we all have a story we can share. And my story one day could save someone’s life or be an inspiration to someone. I will now take you on my life journey through my trouble and my joy, “Battling the Blessings.”

*********

 “Battling the Blessings.”  

   Table of Contents

Chapter   1 - On the Porch..........................................    9

Chapter   2 - Man of the House..................................   34

Chapter   3 - Best Friend............................................   50

Chapter   4 - Greenhorn.............................................   77

Chapter   5 - Meat Scraps for the Dog........................   96

Chapter   6 - Jelly Jars............................................... 104

Chatper   7 - Neighborhood........................................ 118

Chapter   8 - My Girlfriend........................................ 129

Chapter   9 - Butterhead............................................ 143

Chapter 10 - Party Time............................................ 154

Chapter 11 - I Am Your Brother................................ 169

Chapter 12 - Runaway Child...................................... 184

Chapter 13 - Making the Grades................................ 195

Chapter 14 - On My Own.......................................... 207

Chapter 15 - Battle Scar............................................ 227

Chapter 16 - Backstabbers........................................ 240

Chapter 17 - Chili Bowl Pimp..................................... 247

Chapter 18 - Two of a Kind....................................... 261

Chapter 19 - Lost...................................................... 280

Chapter 20 - Opportunity Comes Knocking................. 294

Chapter 21 - Going South........................................... 307

Chapter 22 - Right Place at the Right Time................. 314

Chapter 23 - Family Life............................................ 319

Chapter 24 - Daddy Needs A New Pair of Shoes....... 326

Chapter 25 - This is What I Live For.......................... 332

Chapter 26 - The Foundation...................................... 341

Chapter 27 - The Bottom Fell Out of My Dreams....... 352

Chapter 28 - You Can Never Go Back....................... 366

Chapter 29 - Why Me, Lord?..................................... 376

Chapter 30 - The Truth Hurts.................................... 384

Chapter 31 - The Road to Recovery........................... 389

Chapter 32 - Self Discovery 

The Creative Side of My Life................ 393

Chapter 33 - Truly Blessed........................................ 403

Chapter 34 - Jamila................................................... 409

Chapter 35 - Recovered............................................ 415

Battling The Blessings   About Author  Introduction   

 Chapter 1    Chapter 2

Chapter 16    Order Book   Reviews   Photos & Snapshots 

Resource Center    Store Front

Editing Service

Click for Garden of Souls Home Page