Her Chronicles: Stories of Survival, Sacrifice, and Spiritual Awakening, Volume 2

By Jai Stone

Emotional Nudity (TM) is a way of living that starts with one simple act, telling the truth! In the second installment of the Her Chronicles series, another eleven women courageously come together, open up, and share their honest and raw stories of survival, sacrifice, and spiritual awakening.

This collection of tales once again t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Game ChangHER Media
• Release date: Nov 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9780996694254

Jai Stone

Jai Stone is a Master Brand Coach based in Atlanta who is known as much for her "in your face" commentary as for her marketing prowess. Most frequently referred to as the Emotional Nudist, Jai helps women business owners to build profitable businesses without compromising their quality of life. Jai's raw and authentic approach to business and life is a magnet to other like-minded women who find healing and relief in removing their masks and living out loud without fear or apologies. Learn more at JaiStone.com

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HER CHRONICLES

Stories of Survival, Sacrifice and Spiritual Awakening, Volume 2

Copyright © 2016 Jai Stone

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part with the out express written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. This book may not be stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted by any means including (but not limited to) electronic, photocopying, recording, etc. without specific written permission from the publisher.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Published By: Stone Angel Press – Atlanta, GA

Book Cover and Interior Layout: Purposely Created Publishing

ISBN-13: 978-0-9966942-3-0 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-0-9966942-4-7 (hardback)

ISBN-13: 978-0-9966942-5-4 (e-book)

Special discounts are available on bulk quantity purchases by book clubs, associations and special interest groups.

For details email: [e-mail]

Dedication

Everyone has a story, but most of us are not brave enough to share our deepest thoughts and feelings. We are far too worried about the painful judgments and too afraid of the emotions that we have hidden for many years.

This anthology is dedicated to all the women like Maya Angelou and Brene Brown who have found the courage to share, and to the ladies who will discover their courage while reading this book.

Lastly, I want to dedicate this collaboration to the women who came before us who never had the opportunity to share their stories. To all these women, I applaud you and I am humbled by your presence.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. The Promise: My Daddy, My Sisters, and ME!

Jai Stone

2. High Hopes, Down-Low Dreams, and My Nightmare Romance

Didi Binns

3. FIGHTER: We Aren’t Born, We’re Made

Carla Jenkins

4. The Womb Whisperer: My Path to Health, Hope, and Healing

Latanya Tibbs

5. Survival in South America: My Hostage Experience

Delisha Easley

6. The Silent Cry of a Strong Black Woman

S.W. Cannon

7. Mommy Dearest, Mother Nearest: A Tug-of-War of Love

Lynda A. Carmouche

8. Phoenix Resurrection: Reclaiming My Greatness

Brittany Knight

9. Just Sane Enough to Survive the Crazy

C. Nicole Henderson

10. Girl Interrupted: Forced to Grow Up Too Fast

Dr. Cortesha Cowen

11. Family First: A Walk of Forgiveness

Jayne Jotter

Meet the Authors

Acknowledgements

I am eternally grateful to the Almighty God for giving me the message, talents, voice, and courage to carry out my calling according to His will. It is my calling to be an obedient vessel in His service.

To my parents, Daisy Beckham Wright (deceased 2002) and Russell L. Wright, Sr. (deceased 2015) who made it their life’s mission to ensure I had every opportunity to succeed; and at the very least, I was strong enough to survive any storm. Any courage that I may exude is a result of my Mom’s tireless dedication to making me live a life without fear or regrets, and my Dad’s insistence that I NEVER give up!

Thanks to my siblings who accept me, and all my crap with very little complaining (most days), and a whole lot of love (always). Jocelyn, R. L., Zita, and Rhonda thanks for being the consummate support system that just happens to share my DNA. And to my nieces, Alyssa and Sauyer, who bring me the purest form of joy! Aunt Mag, Uncle James, Uncle Marshall, Aunt Ann, and Aunt Laura (RIP), Cousins Laverne, Alvatine, Kim and Marion (RIP) with love I say thank you for everything you have poured in to me.

Thanks to my friends who INSISTED that I move forward and write this second book! Thanks for cheering me on, telling me the terrible truth, supporting me through the touch sh*t mentioned in this book, and kicking my ass all the way to the finish line. Talisha Shine, Aprille Franks Hunt, Mairo Akpose Simpson, Joy Warren, Ronnie & Lamar Tyler, Jack A. Daniels, Tretta Bush, Leida Speller, Tana Gilmore, Patrice Hector and Dr. Drai Burch.

Thanks to my co-authors who invested tireless resources into this project without complaints or gripes. I am so humbled by the faith they had in me. Thank you: Didi, Carla, Tanya, Delisha, S. W., Lynda, Brittany, C. Nicole, Cortesha and Jayne.

Special thanks to the team who pulled this whole thing together: Tieshena Davis of Purposely Created Publishing, Necie Black and Twanna Gill. And the entire Team Jai crew: Maleeka, Stephanie, Shineka and Dannella - thank you for all of your hard work and dedication.

To my readers, fans and followers, I am grateful that you find value in my message. I am honored that you have embraced me, and humbled each time you support me. Please know that you are greatly appreciated.

Introduction

There is something wonderfully spectacular that happens when a group of amazing women come together for a cause, and this anthology is no exception. I have been an entrepreneur for nearly 16 years, and I have had the honor and privilege to have many clients share their deepest, most painful, and most triumphant stories with me, and I thought that it was time for me again to encourage some of those women to share these stories with the world.

As you read each co-author’s story, you will find yourself experiencing a full range of emotions moving from joy, to sadness, to fear, then anger, and even triumph. You will find similarities in the stories of some women and others will resemble your own tale.

When I sat with these women and heard their stories, I learned that they often had to experience deep levels of SACRIFICE, whether in dealing with trials with loved ones or submitting to others’ control. But what struck me was how many women have gone forward to accomplish considerable personal and professional success, despite previous circumstances. Through these hardships, they showed the remarkable ability to SURVIVE. I am a firm believer that we must believe in something bigger than ourselves in order to walk in our divine purpose, and this resilience comes from SPIRITUAL AWAKENINGS.

It is my honor to collaborate with 10 amazing women, who were courageous enough to share their stories of survival, sacrifice and spiritual awakening.

I humbly salute these Ambassadors of Emotional Nudity.

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1

The Promise: My Daddy, My Sisters, and ME!

JAI STONE

I come from what is considered a large family nowadays. My sister Jocelyn (Joce) is the oldest, followed by my brother Russell Jr. (R. L.), Zita (Zee) my middle sister, Rhonda (old folks call her the knee baby because she was knee high when I was born), and me (the lap baby). I was born and raised in Macon, Georgia, during the seventies and eighties, and it’s safe to say that I came from a middle class family. My mother was a licensed practical nurse (LPN), and my father was a diesel mechanic. Macon is a sleepy town, smack dab in the center of Georgia, with a population of about 90,000, and with a few bragging rights to its name: home of Otis Redding, Little Richard, and Jason Aldean…oh, and it’s the cherry blossom capital of the world!

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When I graduated from high school at age seventeen, I left home. However, my parents lived in Macon until November 23, 2000, a day that changed my life forever.

I was sitting at my desk in the marketing department at Delta Air Lines when the phone rang. I could see on the caller ID that it was my sister Zita. Usually, I ignored personal calls while at work (I had too many eyes on me to be perceived as slacking off). But my gut told me to answer this time. I picked up the phone, fully prepared to cut the conversation short.

Delta Air Lines—This is Jai Stone, I said in my most professional voice.

Zita’s voice was blunt and harsh: Aunt Mag [my dad’s baby sister] just called and said Daddy can’t move his legs and he’s being rushed to the hospital.

I said, What do you mean he can’t move his legs?

My mouth became a machine gun, firing off questions.

Zita responded just as nervously, I don’t know, I don’t know. He was at physical therapy yesterday walking fine, and now he’s not! I don’t know anything else!

We both fell silent as my mind raced to try and grasp what she was saying and what this could mean.

Well, Joce and I are headed to Macon now, Zita said.

Okay. Call me when you get there and let me know what’s going on.

I sat at my desk dumbfounded for a few minutes. I had a heavy, dark feeling coming over me. I decided in that moment that I needed to go to Macon. I debated whether or not it was a good idea to leave. This was a fairly new job (less than a year), but it wasn’t the first Fortune 500 Company I had worked for, and one thing that I knew is that when you start taking too much personal time off, they start looking to replace you. I worked with a department of seasoned veterans, so not only was I the new kid, I was also the maverick who seemed to get a lot of favoritism and perks. So the last thing I needed was to have more reasons for people to snub me.

Like I said, it only took me about two minutes to work through things in my head and then I thought Fuck it! It’s only a job. I was looking for one when I found this one, and if they trip now, I’ll just look for another one. I jumped up from my desk and walked smartly to my boss’s cubicle.

Sharon, I need to go, I said. Something is wrong with my dad. He can’t move his legs. Without any further explanation or waiting for a response, I just walked back to my cubicle, grabbed my purse, and walked toward the door.

My boss, trotting quickly behind me, said, Oh my Lord Jai, call me when you get to the hospital and keep me posted. Please drive safely!

I’m sure she said more, but I was zoned out, focused on getting to my car and to my dad.

I drove to Macon like a bat out of hell and what should have been a ninety-minute ride turned into a sixty-minute one. To this day, I can’t tell you exactly how fast I was driving. I drove straight to the hospital in Macon and made my way to the emergency room. I started running frantically around, looking for my family.

I found my sister Rhonda first, and she said, Dad is here. He’s in the room over there.

I walked in and glanced around the room to see my mom, Joce, and Zita standing around my dad’s bed with worried expressions on their faces. Then my eyes rested on Dad. I was shocked to see the dark circles under his eyes. His fair skin had a dusty gray hue. How the hell did he end up here?

Maybe I should rewind this story a little.

Three months earlier, my father had had what was considered a routine back surgery. I brought my parents to my apartment in Atlanta after the procedure, so I could help Mom take care of him. But from the first day, there had been a litany of complications. His surgical wound had leaked clear fluid, which, we found out later, was spinal fluid. But after a couple of days, he started walking pretty normal again so he and Mom went back home. It was right after they returned that he started to have pain when he walked. The doctor never seemed to be able to get to the bottom of it, so after about three months of his declining mobility, he was referred to an inpatient physical rehabilitation center to help him get back to walking better. They were also tasked with managing his pain. At first, it seemed to be working.

My mother had been visiting him in the rehab center one morning when she realized that he could not urinate or walk under his own power. He had been moving and walking just the night before! The rehab center called an ambulance to transport Dad to the hospital emergency room while my mother called Aunt Mag, who proceeded to call us. Which brings us back to the current moment in the story.

As I looked critically at him, assessing him head to toe in my mind, I tried to process what we might be dealing with. You would think that I’d be in a panic, but oddly, I was calm. When my eyes met his face, I realized he was looking back at me. I quickly softened my countenance and perked up.

Hey Daddy, what’s going on? I said in my most upbeat voice.

When he spoke, he could barely move his mouth— his voice was distorted, and he was almost foaming at the mouth. He seemed to recognize everyone and even tried to joke with his two-year-old granddaughter. But something about him just wasn’t right. His eyes were slightly glazed like he wasn’t quite there. He told us later that he doesn’t remember much about what happened during that time.

It seemed like we were there all day waiting, but it was really only a couple of hours when the doctors finally came and told my family what was going on: They had performed an MRI and realized that Dad had an abscess on his spine. The pressure from the abscess was what was causing the paralysis, and their focus was to relieve the pressure from the abscess. Daddy needed emergency surgery! We all stood around stunned looking at each other trying to grasp what the doctors were saying. After that, things happened quickly. The staff came in to prep Dad for surgery.

My mother asked us all to go in the waiting room so that she could wait with my dad before they took him away. For some reason, Rhonda stayed behind with Mom. I think I was so devastated at the time, it didn’t even dawn on me that she was missing as we all filed out of the room.

As it turns out, my mother had to sign some papers, giving the doctors permission to do the surgery.