In the Shadows of a Giant

By Ingrid Goddard

Mental Health is something rarely discussed in the Black Community. My father's death brought about a desire for me to tell my story of our relationship. People assumed that because they knew him in his surroundings that they knew what kind of man he was to his family. Our relationship was strained for many years and in order to pay homage to his legacy of writing, I've chosen to write this short story. I suffered a concussion that turned my life upside down and changed my future forever. My father played an important role in my life in the later years post concussion. He was the friend that I needed and most importantly, my dad. Growing up in the shadow of a man who exceeded expectations that you weren't even aware of was a difficult tasks for all of us. I will never reach the heights that he did, but I'm definitely going to try. I've been writing since elementary school and continue to write poems and short stories for my personal enjoyment. This book includes poems that provide a perspective into my mind. All written post-concussion, they are very different from anything else I've written. As a spiritual person, I am well versed in the important aspects of many religions and cultures. My view of the world is based on my connection to it. I hope that you can submerge yourself into the poems like, or in a warm bath. Each one depicts my perspective of my connection to my ancestors and other spiritual beings. It's important to be open minded while reading this book. Like a good video game, it has hidden treasures of information to draw you in deeper. My father always challenged my mind and abilities. Whether he knew it or not, I respected him. He didn't always make the right choices but he never ignored his responsibilities. Family conflicts can be long lasting or short lived all depending on who is stoking the fire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781777557928

Book preview

This is a story of a life and family broken.  Mental Health. Poems. Death and the importance of Spirituality in one’s life.

© 2021 Ingrid Goddard

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 9781777557928

Contents

In The Shadow of a Giant Ingrid’s Story

From Within

Music of the Ages

In the Shadow of a Giant Chapter II –Family Life

The Family Prayer

The Prodigy Child

Captured

To The Prodigal Son

Towards the Multiverse

In the Shadow of a Giant Chapter 3 – My New 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