Finally Free Read Free Page B

mother bringing out cookies, candy, and chips for all the kids in the neighborhood to enjoy.
    Jamel’s perception wasn’t far off. Although my father struggled and may have been separated or distant from us at times, the rest of our family was tight. My brother, sisters, and I joked and played pranks on one another. For some reason, I specifically remember my brother flipping the light switch and acting like he was being electrocuted. My sister would go bananas.
    Besides being practical jokers, we also played different games and had fun contests around the house. Thursday nights were pizza night. We would stay home, order pizza, sit cross-legged, and everyone would have a good time and laugh and joke. We were competitive in everything. We stayed up and played cards late at night, talking and enjoying time with each other. We played spades, war, checkers, and one of my favorite games, Monopoly. In Monopoly, I won all the time. I always had the most money and properties.
    Back then, money seemed easier to manage.

    I was especially close to my grandmother and spent many memorable times with her. Every weekend, my sisters and I would stay over at her house. I laugh now, remembering how I would flee to her for refuge.
    When my mom was mad at me, or whenever I got in trouble and got a spanking, I would usually go to my grandmother’s house. She was my getaway. She was my hideout. And she spoiled me to death.
    If the trash was full, I would take it out, and she would give me a quarter. When I came in at the right time, she would also give me a quarter, enough for me to go get some candy from the store. She was an incredibly loving lady who always cared about us. If anything was wrong with our health, she felt like she could cure us. If I went to her house on the way to school and said I was tired,she would let me stay home, and I wouldn’t have to go to school. If only my mother knew …
    Always a positive influence (even when I stayed home from school), she instilled in me that I had to have the inner strength to overcome adversity. I can remember her saying, “You make sure you take advantage of every opportunity you can in life and make sure you take your education seriously, because nothing is going to be easy.” At that time, when I was young, I didn’t understand what she was saying, but she was right. Taking advantage of every opportunity is something I wish I had done.
    My grandmother also introduced me to the Christian faith. She took me to Solid Rock Church, located in our neighborhood close to where we lived. Those times established an important foundation that I later turned to in my most trying moments.
    During my sophomore year of high school, I started sleeping with the Bible under my pillow. I felt like it protected me, and I wanted to be closer to God. As I read the Bible at a young age, I tried to get a clearer understanding of what was written. But I really needed some counsel, discipleship, and education about what I was reading. Even though I wasn’t able to grasp everything on my own, I was able to build that sense of belief, knowing that I could do all things through God and that I couldn’t do it without Him.
    My favorite Scripture passage growing up was Psalm 23, which, in the King James Version of the Bible, says:
    The L ORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
    he leadeth me beside the still waters.
    He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
    righteousness for his name’s sake.
    Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
    death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
    thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
    Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
    mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil;
    my cup runneth over.
    Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
    of my life: and I will dwell in the house of
    the L ORD for ever.
    My favorite verse of Scripture, Jeremiah 29:11,