Book Excerpt - SILENCE

It was a dreary winter’s morn, when the child was born. Early she came, with a head full of hair and a veil covering, her face. Everyone waited for the familiar sounds, relentless cries of a child entering, the earth. Happy they made the mother, as they proclaimed a victorious birth. When Ester, the midwife popped her, the child made no sound. Try as she might, no noise did the child offer. Ester surrendered and gave up, the fight. Ester gathered her things and headed for the door. As she did, she left these words behind; “Three days”. “In three days, that’s when I’ll remove the veil”. Taking one last look at the child before rushing out the door, chills ran up and down her spine. Her legs went numb and she almost hit the floor. She gathered herself together, she rested against the door. As she caught her breath, for the family she prayed, “Lordy, Lordy, protect them. Protect them, from that child in there!” Having grown up in a family of midwives, Ester heard the eerie stories of babies born with a veil. Though she had been a midwife for nearly thirty years now, she herself had not birthed one. That is, until now. Ester was born twenty-five years after Silence’s grandmother. She had long heard the rumors of her birth. Born in the heat of summer, she had no hair at all. One small whimper is all she gave to let the world know she was here. The midwife stood in position, with arms ready to receive. Quick as lightening, out she came. Like Silence, she to, was born with a veil covering her face. She was bright as the sun; her skin glowed, and was hot. Hot as hells flames. Her skin was hot to the touch. So hot, the midwife struggled not to drop her. Sally is what master called her, but Sunshine was her name. Ester remembered the stories her family told her of Sunshine. They’d say, “Sunshine was as sweet as could be. Cross her though, and you’d see; her revenge was ruthless indeed!” Ester’s family told her the stories of how Silence’s grandmother, Sunshine got rid of two ruthless masters before her death. First there was Master, John. Master John was known for his brutality. Some say, he took pride

A Parent's Plight

How happy we were when we discovered we were going to be parents. Whether conception was easy or complicated, the day comes when we get the good news. How joy, love and pride floods our heart and soul. The wonderful dreams and plans we have for our child is second to none. Finally, the day comes and our bundle of joy arrives. One look at our baby and we know it’s over. We are hopelessly and helplessly in love! Before we even leave the hospital with our precious gem, like a neatly tied bow around our baby’s finger we are wrapped. As was my case, it was probably only a few days into the life of your baby that you realized “this child has ideas of its own.” It was probably the first time you knew the diaper was dry, the belly was full and as far as you knew, there was nothing they needed but to sleep. However, they had other plans. Their relentless cry was the evidence of this. Perhaps it was the first time you tried to get him/her to eat something they didn’t want and they clinched their teeth together forbidding you entry. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t part their teeth. Having been reduced to an entertainer, you tried in vain to trick them into opening their mouth. You smiled and you cooed, still their teeth they would not part. Maybe it was a little later for some, like the first time your precious three-year old flat out refused to wear the outfit you picked out, insisting on wearing the one she had picked out. It didn’t matter that it consisted of every color of the rainbow…was inappropriate for the weather…and two sizes too big! She was quite adamant about the matter and to save time and yourself from yet another hassle, you simply gave in. Oh, the memories of the T’s; the Terrible Two’s, and the Trying Threes. There is yet another T, which we tend to ignore. I call it the Tormenting Teens. When it hits, it’s as if overnight we have become our child’s worst enemy. Convinced that we, their beloved parents are out to ruin their life, keep them from having fun, and control their thinking, nothing we say makes any sense to them. Everything we do is wrong. Our words of wisdom and concern seem to be wasted as they obviously file them in file 13,(which like floor 13 doesn’t exist). The understanding is not there. Nothing we do can convince them that we are simply trying to Hide them from Harm, Protect them from Pain, and Free them to Fly. We simply want them to Discover their Dreams; Embrace their Energy so they can Pursue their Purpose. They pull on our heart strings as they must do things their way. Their turbulent journey to adulthood begins. As in any good drama, there is always a hero. In comes the mighty hero of our story; Super Stranger. Using our very words, as if they themselves had recorded them, they are able to penetrate the conscience of our teen and reach places they have long forbid us entry to. As parents, we want to scream. “I just said those exact words to you!” Instead, we once again swallow our pride, bite our tongue and allow our teen to feel empowered. We continue to sow the seeds of wisdom and knowledge along with discipline and love. We remain a shoulder for them to lean on; an ear for them to bend. We love them with a heart that big and open enough to see them through their darkest pain. As a parent that’s our plight; unconditional love.