In the Shadows of a Giant: A Short Life Story

By Ingrid J. Goddard

Mental health is a subject that most people don't discuss. This book is my journey and struggle with depression, anxiety and death. The poems depict the dark recesses of my mind and how I view my life and place in the world. I suffered a concussion in 2017 which truly altered my being and my future. My battle is not over and harder times are ahead. I hope this book makes you think about your own mental health and how to deal with it, even if you're not the one suffering. My father passed away just as I was beginning to write. I talk about my relationships with my parents and how mental health as affected me my whole life. My journey is not over and there will continue to be battles that I must fight and overcome. We take life for granted and don't plan enough for tomorrow. Life is precious and even our children need to understand the importance of good mental health and a strong family unit. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much I enjoyed writing and sharing my story with you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781777557904

Book preview

Life

In The Shadow of a Giant

Ingrid’s Story

My father was a giant amongst men. He involved himself in everything and anything that involved the Black Community. He was the Family Historian having done some twenty years of research in various archives. He was an author and wrote many books and poems.  His expectation was that his children would choose amongst his accomplishments and carry on his legacy. There was no doubt that I was his favorite.  I could bat my eyes and even after saying no, he would say yes to whatever I wanted.  I knew I had to do it: maintain his legacy. Since I was a child I felt competitive and often challenged my father to a debate. Little did I know how much he knew about everything! This was probably my first lesson in life. Be prepared. Don’t bullshit your way through a conversation by trying to sound intelligent, using big words and turning up one’s nose.  You had to have facts. Hard facts that would give him pause. That shred of doubt was like winning the lottery. The sense of accomplishment you never thought you could achieve. And that feeling of joy and triumph simply coursed through my veins and lit up the parts of brain that said, YES!  However with victory came homework. I practically had to write a thesis on my perspective just to keep his interest and convince him a little more that I was right. But no matter how much work I did or how hard my defense was, he always had a way of squashing my joy. Again, at the time it was most frustrating to have to deal with someone who expects a level of perfection most normal people are unable to achieve. But we are members of the Dagnation Tribe, a Tribe whose history is strong and tells the story of the many strong women who were both born into the Clan or married into it. My father was born in Christchurch, Barbados, a tiny island in the Caribbean whose motto is Pride and Industry. The Dagnation Tribe take’s that motto very seriously. The education level of the population of the island ranks in the top 10 of the world. Most of the Goddards are teachers or in a financial or administrative fields. There are obviously some who did not choose those paths but have excelled within their chosen professions.

Barbados is a matriarchal society. Therefore children born out of wedlock would often carry the mother’s name. My father told me a story of one Goddard woman who was so spiteful (defiant) that even after marrying her husband, the children she bore after the marriage were given the Goddard name and the children born out of wedlock were given their father’s name.  The story is quite complex and deserves a chapter all of its own.  Needless to say, the women of Barbados have a reputation for being