The Eagle Stays on Top

By Janice Brown-Roberts

Faced with losing her mother at the tender age of twelve, being subjected to interminable abuse from an unloving stepmother and migrating between homes, Janices mother knew too well what suffering was.
Despite the severe lack, deprivation and desolation that Janices mom was experiencing in later yearsand not having a stable home in which to leave her childrenshe preferred to stay in Jamaica and struggle to personally care for them than to take up an offer to join her cousin Olivianna in England.
Janice knew the decision that her mom had made could not have been easy but was made out of pure love. From that day, young Janice purposed in her heart that she would use all the physical and mental energy she could muster to pull her mother out of a life of poverty. After leaving high school, she knew it was time for a strong action, so she ventured into unfamiliar territory to accomplish her goal.
The Eagle Stays on Top illustrates the bitter and heartrending challenges faced by Janice and her family. By the time her mom was taken away from her life in 2008, she had gotten the wish she had asked God forto make her Mama proud.
This book will show you:
How you can triumph over difficult odds and brush yourself off after you have been tossed about by lifes challenges, and
How you can fight to re-grow your wings and soar like an eagle

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477295960

Book preview

© 2013 by Janice Brown-Roberts. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse   12/23/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-9597-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-9596-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012922882

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.

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.

Contents

Preface

Foreword

Acknowledgements

A Note to the Reader

Introduction

Chapter One:   Mama’s Struggles

Distressing Relocation

Shipped Away from Home

She Became Their Slave

Mama Fled

Not Welcomed Back

Seeking Acceptance

Shipped Off Again

At the Clarke’s House

A Special Christmas Eve

Planning to Escape

Working for the Principal

Chapter Two:   She got Another Job and Much More

Mama Returns Home

She Becomes a Mother

Some Disheartened News

A Friend Comes Through

Another Friend to Her Rescue

Her Second Child Arrives

Trying to Make it in The Big City

Another Return ‘Home’

Her New Friend

Mother and Son Are Bitten

She Loses Her Second Love

Chapter Three:   An Invitation to England

Getting Help to Raise Her Family

Chapter Four:   The Construction Begins

Helping to Deliver my Baby Sister

Moving Into the New House

Confinement

My Favourite Spot

Did Luck Run Out

The Abuse Starts—Downhill Effects

A Difficult Birth

Waiting

A Major Surgery Requires

Mama’s Depression Intensifies

Her Health Collapsed

It Got Worse

The Fright of My Life

Mama Comes Home

My Request

Desmond Returns with Gifts

Progress Continues for a While

Mama Rescues Me from Agony

The Caregiver

Reality Begs for Action

Chapter Five:   The Journey Forward

Another Step Forward

My First Job

A Mysterious Journey

Linstead Market Here We Come

The Month-End After

My First Visit Home

Off to the Next Job

Cousin Rosie to the Rescue

Roller Coaster

Turning to a Stranger

More ‘Potholes’

Life at My First Apartment

Brenda’s Visit

After Graduation, Some Undesirable News

Chapter Six:   Losing Brenda

One of My Darkest Nights Unfolds

The Morning After

The Most Heartbreaking Journey Home

Grieving at Home

Saying Goodbye at the Church

Family Changes

My Worst Christmas

Chapter Seven:   The Rebirth of the ‘Eagle’

Searching for a Stable Job

Surviving Severe Lack

Looking for a Second Job and ‘Beating the Odds’

Needs—Disappointment—God’s Favour

Chapter Eight:   Mama’s Final Years

Her Final Hours

Bitter-Sweet Memories

My Hero Indeed

Regrets

He Gives Me ‘Beauty for Ashes’

Delightful Pets

Chapter Nine:   The Journey Continues

Chapter Ten:   From My Heart to Hers

Chapter Eleven:   From my Heart to Yours:

Develop a Plan

Make Your Wishes Known to God

Finish What You Start

Chapter Twelve:   How the Eagle Gains Strength

Chapter Thirteen:   Food for Thought

Prepare Your Soil for Harvest

Be Reminded of these Things

Do Yourself These Favours

Find time to Treat Yourself

Fight for Inner Peace

Think on These Things

Trust the Lord with All Your Heart

Appendix A:    I Remember Her

A Poem by Peta-Gaye Williams

Appendix B:    Glossary

Index of Words and Phrases

Commentaries in Patois (Native Language)

Bibliography

About The Author

I dedicate this book to

Mama and Brenda

Contact Information

Twitter:    http://twitter.com/eaglestaysontop

Facebook:    http://www.facebook.com/theeaglestaysontop

Email:    [e-mail]

From My Heart to HIS (God)

How can I say thanks, for the things You have done for me? Things so undeserved, yet You gave to prove Your love to me, the voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude, all that I am, and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee (Crouch, YouTube).

Review

T he Eagle Stays on Top is a dynamic and empowering motivational book which tells the story of continuous prevailing fortitude, hope and, most of all, perseverance. It provides an honest and extraordinary account, detailing the journey of someone who was determined to make a positive change for herself and her family.

The author’s style of writing is unfailingly stimulating and engaging. It is both powerful and evocative and is unquestionably a great read. No doubt, you will be so awe-struck by this warm, inspirational and compelling memoir that you will have no choice but to move ahead in spite of the challenges you face, and soar like an eagle.

Jody-Kay Jackson

Preface

T he Eagle Stays On Top was born out of many pieces of information that I had documented over the years. A series of emotional disturbances clouded my mind to the point where sleep became my enemy. The cure for relaxation of my mind turned out to be writing down my thoughts nightly. It was God’s way of helping me to find peace.

Recently, while I was taking a shower, I recalled Mama telling me that her life was a story and she should write a book about it. Oddly enough, I did not remember her saying this before I completed my manuscript.

My first set of notes for the book was thrown away in the trash shortly after Mama passed away. Since Mama was gone, I did not think it was necessary anymore to put the volume of information that I had gathered over the years into a book. To support Mama, I left the rural life. To support Mama, I worked very hard, both academically and otherwise. After Mama left, my energy was depleted, along with the idea of writing a book.

One Saturday in early 2010, I was alone at home doing house chores. I had just loaded the washing machine with the last of four loads of clothing items and returned to the kitchen to add spices to the pot of soup I was making. I was washing the rosemary and celery to add to the soup when I felt an unexplainable urge. This urge came in the form of a question that held my mind captive for several minutes, When are you going to start writing? My response to the unknown voice was, Don’t you see that it has been only two years since Mama has been gone and I am still hurting. Soon after, the urge dissipated and my focus returned to my chores.

It was the beginning of 2011, yet another Saturday, when I was meditating while fixing dinner. My husband Milverton, affectionately called Rob and my niece Peta-Gaye were at work and so the home was extremely quiet, except for Liz, who kept barking at passers-by at the gate. The urge returned and so did the question, When are you going to start writing? This time I did not respond negatively. The pulsating urge was way too overwhelming for me to do so. My response was, Where do I start?

What happened next was uncanny. I heard the toot of a horn at the gate. It was my niece who got dropped home by one of her co-workers. Thereafter, I heard her voice singing one of the songs she wrote. Then I heard the sound of the locks on the grill gate of the veranda as she opened and then secured them back into their respective places. The next thing I know, Peta-Gaye was demanding an answer from me before even greeting me, Auntie, when are you going to start writing the book, you need to get serious about this thing and set a deadline for yourself? I knew what just happened minutes before so all I could do was laugh. She did not take kindly to the laughter, which she thought was sarcastic, so she came at me with a provocative question, You take this thing for a joke? She then headed to her room and returned minutes after to continue the discussion.

The following Monday, I was sharing an experience with Doreen Mallet, one of the managers at my office who shared my office space for several months while her office was being completed. Sometime during the conversation, Doreen interjected with a question, Janice, why don’t you write a book, you have so many things to share, I strongly believe you should put them in a book? Oh Lord, I whispered to myself, This cannot be real. It took a while for me to respond to her and to inform her that I had documented notes for a book.

Hours later, I called the salon closest to my office and asked if they could squeeze me in to have a pedicure and foot massage during my lunch break. As I sat in the foot massage chair, I saw a familiar face sitting in another chair close by. It was Dr Marinna Scarlett, a senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, who also practiced in the area of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. After we greeted each other, she handed me a book that she was reading and offered me a read while she got her hair washed. I was delighted and eagerly took the book. I scanned the Author’s Preface and scrolled down to meet the paragraph which undoubtedly pushed me to continue making notes for the book that very evening. It read, He inspired me to write about His goodness so many years ago, but I resisted embarking on the project. When I was told by the Lord to write in 1998, I was very timid… . (Benjamin, 2011, p.11).

My head was still hanging down over the open book, but I was not reading. I was asking God to prepare me for the project that I, like Benjamin (unknown to me) started documenting in 1998. Minutes later, I asked Dr. Scarlett if I could get a copy of the book, after learning from her that the author was her friend who had published the book in February 2011, and was in the process of marketing it. A few days after, Dr. Scarlett called me to say she was on her way to drop off my copy of the book. What was surprising is that she did not drive but walked to my home, which was about ten to fifteen minutes away from her office, to hand me the book as promised (March 11, 2011). From there, Dr. Scarlett called randomly to check on the status of my writing.

After adding a volume of notes to those I found in other notebooks, in November 2011, I used a week of vacation time to start typing my manuscript. The work began in our guest room, which I sometimes use as my study. There I made an altar to invite the Lord’s presence in the commencement of the project, and to ask Him to provide the necessary guidance to accomplish this goal. I did not know exactly what to read for my devotion and so I opened the bible and started reading the first chapter that caught my eyes. The chapter was Psalm 45:1, My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. I read no other verse but bowed my head in worship and adoration to my God, my Lord and my King.

This book was written over a nine-month period and is indeed purpose driven. To God be the glory.

Foreword

H ow privileged I was to be given the formidable task of being a part of the pre-editing of this stimulating motivational book. During the process, I was able to see the author document firsthand the steps she took to bravely overcome the obstacles that threatened to clip her wings.

Beating the formidable odds, she was able to soar above the earthly strictures, much like an eagle in a truly awe-inspiring fashion. Never has a story of triumph resonated with me as much as this one has. From cover to cover, the author grabs hold of you and engages your mind and heart alike. Indeed, there are places in the narrative that are so captivating that I became impatient, wanting to find out what fate would next befall our unlikely heroine.

There are no victims in this narrative. This is not a homiletic of the meek inheriting much after long and arduous suffering. These pages offer up a factual account of a life riddled with tragic circumstances; yet there is no pity present in the author’s writing, as she understands that life is a series of ever-changing fortunes.

Indeed, much of the events in this book are tied to the relationship which existed between mother and daughter. Unlike most relationships, theirs was a curious one, as Janice became not only a confidante and a friend, but also her mother’s protector. This role reversal allowed Janice to develop an innate sense of drive and purpose that would later culminate in her being able to rise above the callousness of her generation, which was like a plague that was out to consume her reality.

The author offers up a stellar example of the spirit of perseverance. She has demonstrated strength in situations where most of us would show weakness, for example, by assuming the role of the family breadwinner and by being a pillar of strength after a tragic death.

This book, being the first publication by the author, is undoubtedly well-constructed and connects with the reader in a moving and inspiring way. The author jumps right into the role of a seasoned writer by being able to expertly weave an engaging tale with the enduring theme of never give up, but soar above the odds.

An important purpose of this book is the promotion of responsible decisive actions that allow for personal growth, even in the grips of great difficulties. The author begins her story in a disadvantaged place but steadily progresses to higher grounds.

This book recounts the lives of women and men who have done what was required of them in moments of adversity, and those who have abandoned their duties as lovers and caregivers and the way their actions or inactions have shaped the lives of those around them. Janice has employed simple language that clearly chronicles the experiences of the characters in this book. There are also delightful bits of poetic expressions that poignantly speak to the human condition. The accounts which, at various times, are unbelievably heartbreaking or wonderfully amusing, make this narrative one of the best motivational books I have ever read.

This book will prove to be thought-provoking for those who have struggled with issues of forgiveness and faith and bolstering for those who refuse to accept the cards they have been dealt.

The most pervasive theme of this book is the idea that, no matter how dismal the situation might seem, once you can generate the strength and courage necessary to propel your will to break loose of the chains that hold you captive, there is nowhere left to go but up.

Christine Moxam

Acknowledgements

I am exceedingly grateful for the kindness and support I have received from these very special people who have played their part directly and indirectly in the completion of this very special project.

*   First, I give honour to God who urged me, in 1998, to start making notes in my journals during those nights when I was unable to sleep. The series of nightly writings, which brought some unexpected amount of healing to my numerous emotional wounds, consequently gave rise to the ‘seed’ which germinated into this book.

*   I give accolades to my adorable mom for her incredible skill of charting her life story, like the script of a movie, which she repeated over and over. The mental record of her life experiences was the roadmap for this book.

*   To my darling husband Rob, who was frequently deprived of home-cooked meals when he came home from his late afternoon and nightly work shifts, especially during the nine months when I was not able to balance work and writing with my home chores. Also, I very much appreciate him for not complaining when I sneaked out of the bed at midnight to document pieces of information that were hopping and skipping around in my head.

*   Special thanks to my niece Peta-Gaye, who took on the role of supervising me and forced me to set a completion date for the book.

*   Sincere thanks to the reviewers of the book, Jody-Kay Jackson and Christine Moxam, who exercised great patience during the long hours we stayed at the office at night to comb through the manuscript in order to ensure that it was ready to be assessed by the chief editor.

*   To Donna Marks my chief editor and communications specialist who, armed with many years of experience editing