More Than Mama Sees or Daddy Knows: An Autobiography and Creative Expression in Lessons of Wisdom

By Rhonda B. Haugabook

I am still the girl from the neighborhood of people who kept the candle of hope burning brightly inside their hearts and, through love and patience, passed that light on to all of us youths. Elders refused to allow forced segregation to be the determinant for the quality of their life experiences because they knew the true Supplier of all riches. Holding their memories close within me, I joyfully resolve to continue to have pride in my ancestry and allow my life and art to reect their Wisdom. Now the mature, virtuous woman of John Miles and Estella, I appreciate the patience and Wisdom shared by so many during the days of small steps.

I am Nsaa; a living, breathing, bursting-with-love, genuine woman who understands and appreciates the rich, earthen soil of experience that has expanded my heart and authenticated my character. I daily adorn my psyche with my own self-made garment of silk and purplea garment that holds me fast to my spirituality and maintains my uniqueness and originality. My attainment of the ideal is to completely mesh with that virtuous woman prole expressed so expertly by King Lemuels mom and lived so joyfully by my Estella. I am forever indebted to wise King Solomon for introducing me to so much Wisdom, as well as my beloved John Miles, Estella, and a host of others who have helped make Wisdom my friend. With a heart of true gratitude, I stand proud and condent that Wisdom is guiding me to become that awless brightly shining ruby that mirrors the heart of my Creator. A ruby that forever radiates forth its true translucenceno matter what unknown situation life may send my way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Mar 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781452563886

Rhonda B. Haugabook

Rhonda B. Haugabook is a symbolic artist/story-teacher. Since 2003, she has been using her symbolic art forms to teach inspirational lessons via her visual/performing art presentation: A Journey through Life in Symbolic Colors. Rhonda lives with husband Tommy in Manseld, Texas. This autobiography is her rst published work.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 Rhonda Haugabook

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

1-[phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-6388-6 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-6387-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-6389-3 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013901832

Balboa Press rev. date:3/4/2013

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

How This Book Came To Be

Defining the Characters through Symbolism

Adinkras

Symbolism in Colors

Numerology

Chapter One: Origins of My Becoming

My Relations with the Numeral One

Estella in the Early Days

John Miles in the Early Days

A Short Amount of Time

John Miles and Estella

When They Passed Away

Chapter Two: The Strength of My Foundation

The Importance of a Well-Established Foundation in Artistic Creation

My Foundation Is Black

My Foundation Is Brown

John Miles and Estella’s Brown Experiences

Chapter Three: NYANSAPO Wisdom for Life

The Numeral Three Relates to Wisdom

An Introduction to Adinkras

Nyansapo Wisdom

Colors of Nyansapo

Nyansapo Numerology

Chapter Four: Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs,(and King Lemuel’s Incredible Mom!)

Wisdom’s Relations to the Numeral Four

King Lemuel’s Mom- A Visionary for Wisdom

The Way of a Nurturing Mother

Who Can Find A Virtuous Woman…?

Priced Far Above Rubies!

Rubies, Wisdom and a Virtuous Woman

Chapter Five: John Miles, An Agyin for All Times

The Importance of a True Dad and the Numeral Five

John Miles and AGYINDAWURU

He Was a Pink Kind of Guy

Pink Love Is Tough Love

John Miles, My Hero

John Miles: My Example of a Man of God

Chapter Six: Estella- Wise, Wonderful and Oh! So Colorful!

Estella’s and My Relationship with the Numeral 6

Lemuel’s Mom and My Estella

ADINKRAHENE and EBAN

Adinkrahene: Head and Shoulders above the Rest

Passion Colors for Wisdom

Proverbs 31 Manifestations of Red

Virtuous vs. Hormonal Imbalances: Reflections on Negative Red

Yellow and Gold: Adinkrahene Colors Displaying Mental Toughness

Adinkrahene Skills that Saved Big Bucks

Estella, Be a Fence All Around Us!

Meanings within the Color Orange

Estella the Seamstress

Estella the Gardner

Estella’s Guidance with My Integrated Education

Negative Orange Mind Games

Estella’s Experiences with Negative Orange

Estella’s Negative Orange Black Hair Experience

Estella Is Praised In the Gates

Chapter Seven: Purple, the Mortar for Strong Life Ebans

Purple Perfection

Qualities of Purple

Spiritual Depth and Understanding: The Building Blocks of Faith

Visions, Imaginations and School Integration

Estella- My Mortar for Intuition

The Virtuous Woman’s Purple Wardrobe of Perfection

Only the Best for the Best!

Chapter Eight: The Deaths of John Miles and Estella And My New Beginning

Death’s Relationship to New Beginnings

Estella, the Rainbow of Our Family

John Miles and Lung Cancer

The Hospital Stay

John Miles Comes Home

Estella and His Funeral

Thanks John Miles for Everything!

Finding the Color Balance after John Miles’ Passing

Estella Death, Swift and Silent

The Christmas She Planned but…

Estella Lives…then Dies

From Great Sadness to New Beginnings

Thanks Estella for Keeping It Simple

Chapter Nine: Now What? Let Go and Grow!

My Relationship to the Numeral Nine

NSAA: Always the Standard for Originality and Excellence

Recognizing the Genuine from the Copycats

Nsaa as My Burial Cloth

Nsaa: A Standard for Quality of Life

Telling the Authentic from the Knock-Offs

Nsaa: Holding Fast to Ancient Memories

Doing It like John Miles!

Home Births and Breastfeeding

Doing It like Estella!

Judah’s Birth

Rachel’s Birth

Nsaa and the Color White

Look and See the Real Me

Forever, I am…Nsaa

Bibliography

END NOTES

To Veneeda, Walter, and Janice who witnessed the beginning of my life journey.

To Tommy, Judah, and Rachel, who have comforted and kept me laughing along the way.

(The Original Colored Woman)

972-571-0394

http://www.theoriginalcoloredwoman.com

[e-mail]

INTRODUCTION

Since age 14, I have felt a deep awareness that uplifting others would play a major role in the direction of my life. Wisdom’s presence as Friend and spiritual Guide played a huge role in this career determination. During those early years, I was satisfied with simply knowing that spiritual Beings were there for me and cared about whatever was trying to cause me problems. I possessed no idea of upcoming circumstances and events that eventually jumpstarted me towards what I now love and do. However, in the midst of so much uncertainty and moments of total confusion, I did believe that as the time went on, all would become plain, the pieces of the puzzle would fit together and finally, the multitude of unknowns in my life would make sense.

While at the University of Tennessee, inner Guidance led me to the company of others more knowledgeable of Biblical Scriptures. At nineteen, I left UT to attend a Biblical research college to learn more about my relationship with spiritual principles of life. It was here, that the opportunity became available to begin this journey of service to others as an inner city missionary across various cities in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. For a little over twelve years, day in and day out, I worked with and taught people of all ages and ethnicities. Biblical passage, John 3:16, was the primary premise I believed was necessary to obtaining a more abundant life. My focus was never soul salvation; but rather, the encouraging of soul expansion through a more developed understanding of Biblical principles that promoted a happier and more fulfilled life. This important life choice of uplifting others through missionary service, acted as a boomerang for blessings unimagined. As I helped others’ growth, the same was abounding within all dimensions of my own being. Understandings that extended far beyond physical knowledge gradually began expanding my awareness and appreciation for the intellect of my inner Guidance. Opportunities for greater financial accumulations began finding me and my standard of living began to improve.

This ongoing choice to trust and follow Wisdom’s guidance, led me to attend the University of Georgia where I met and married Tommy, truly the man of my dreams and soul mate of thirty-four years and counting. I received my BS degree in Home Economics Education and continued holding in home spiritual fellowships. Our union opened the door to more expansive missionary work, as my focus now expanded toward helping couples and families. This experience of encouraging faith in others continued the boomerang of abundance back to us. Through the years, as we moved to numerous locations to serve others, Tommy developed several successful window-cleaning businesses that provided income on a part time basis. Even today, our family still owns this window-cleaning service that has expanded to the next generation.

Wisdom’s Guidance inspired my decision to home birth, as well as homeschool my two wonderful children- a choice that proved more an education for me than them. Having a college degree in secondary education supplied no assistance when it came to teaching phonics to a four year old- but Wisdom’s guidance did. Beginning with Judah at age four, all the way through Rachel’s middle school years, I spent every summer in mental study and spiritual preparations. I diligently worked to ready them for the next level in subjects I had long since forgotten or never learned. Wisdom’s strength pulled me through those stressful years laden with fears and uncertainties about the future challenges awaiting a homeschooled child in higher education. No matter how often I was ready to give it all up, Wisdom’s encouragement was there to continue moving forward. Years later, at the close of this long-standing commitment to put my children’s futures first, new feelings of self-pride and satisfaction finally replaced the old nagging emotions of uncertainty and ineptness. With true joy in my heart and tears streaming down my face, I watched as Judah and (later) Rachel walked across stage at their college graduations and received accolades of high praise.

Looking in hindsight, it is comforting to realize the thing that made much of this life journey so joyous is still the same thing maintaining my joy today. It was and is the constant fellowship with my spiritual Fountain of Answers. Feelings of intuition, gentle nudges and impulses of inspiration were signposts to knowing and understanding my good friend, Wisdom. This relationship supplied access to knowledge that allowed the doing of all kinds of things; as well as opened the door to form friendships with numerous people with backgrounds different from mine. Although I did not realize it during my youth, this decisive choice to pay attention to my inner Guidance opened doors and opportunities to access a level of life that appeared intangible to my parents, John Miles and Estella. Though much has changed since they transitioned from this earth, spiritual truths they taught me from childhood have stood the test of time.

How This Book Came To Be

I humbly acknowledge that anything worth knowing about me must find its origin in the special bond Wisdom shared with my father John Miles and my mother Estella. Both were spiritual set points throughout childhood and well into my becoming an adult. Now being on the verge of my children having children, much reflective thought has caused a renewed appreciation for these two wonderful lights of spiritual guidance. Heartfelt appreciation to them for establishing my spiritual foundation was what led to the inspiration for the title of this book, MORE THAN MAMA SEES OR DADDY KNOWS: An Autobiography and Creative Expression in Lessons of Wisdom.

This autobiographical story first began as idea for a work of art for my living room. Wanting my home to maintain its feeling of warmth and pride in our African American ethnicity, I felt inspired to paint something personal about myself. After much thought, I decided to create a visual memory of my life for viewing. Painting through the perspective of symbolism provided additional pleasure, because I knew this special design would herald secrets of my early beginnings without audibly voicing a single word. Knowing which specific color choices and cultural symbols worked best to proclaim who I was and from where I had come; I purposed this unique design to speak of my parents’ courage and love for each other, as well as their hopes and dreams for my siblings and me. A work of art created to show forth the Wisdom relationship they desired for each child, alongside an understanding of the importance of serving others. After much contemplation, I decided to paint this story upon a very large bowl whose surface was wide enough to sustain the spiritual weight of all that I wanted to share.

This book is the written version of the bowl’s story. Its primary purpose is to articulate my love and appreciation to my good friend Wisdom, as well as give credit to John Miles and Estella for making our acquaintance. Unlike some who only view the word Wisdom as a mere concept of knowledge- past life situations have taught me otherwise. Frequent moments of dependence upon this intangible energy of constant knowing; has shaped my perspective of Wisdom into more of a personified friend and mentor. So immense is my appreciation for its attentive guidance through endless unknown situations, I replicated its symbol eight times on the bowl and capitalized its spelling throughout the book. Both bowl and story act in simultaneous rhythm from beginning to end, artistically expressing my deep appreciation for this wonderful friendship I have enjoyed