The Pathway, The Journey, The Change, My August 5th

By Ifedayo Greenway

The Pathway, The Journey, The Change, My August 5th

Everyone has a turning point. It's that moment when we discover the core of our strength, learn to survive hurt, and allow transformation to take place. For me, my life was full of agony and the culmination of annu

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spirit Filled Creations LLC
• Release date: Sep 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087883427

Book preview

Foreword

Born on a September evening, the author of this book would become the youngest of my three daughters. We named her lfedayo Aderonke; Yoruba for Love turns to joy; this child has come to be petted and spoiled. But, for more than one reason, we would soon begin to call her Dayo; and to confirm what’s in a name, she continues to live up to her name until this day. As a baby, she smiled more than she cried and played more than she fretted. Growing up, she was active in her school and community. She kept busy with track and field, JROTC, and community outreach events. Like most teenagers, she had her crew she would spend time with. It was a joy to see her graduate from high school. We talked about her future often. But then, those relationships started. The ones that kept us up late at night and woke us up early in the morning.

We spent a lot of time talking and walking through situations that would change her life forever. Raised in a single-parent home with two older sisters and a younger brother, she remained consistent in her work ethic and determination to succeed. We would often resolve that something good will come out of all of her not-so-good life experiences. So, here we are. The Pathway, The Journey, The Change, My August 5th, is only a segment of many writings about her journey. Her desire not only to write but, to share her story has changed our lives forever. It is a privilege and an honor to invite you to encounter life through the lens that we know as Dayo Greenway.

Jackie Togun

Mother of Dayo Greenway

Introduction

I want to set the expectation for what you are about to read. The chapters to come will detail some difficult moments of my life; however, my intent is that the pages within are more than a memoir. I don’t write as a victim or offer juicy details of untold chronicles. My goal is not to blemish anyone’s character or expose that which was intended to be protected. This book is my power of expression as a co-creator with God. It responds to the mandate on my life to be transparent, share my story and real-life experiences. It is a part of my commission to empower and strengthen others on their journey to heal, evolve and transform through their truth. It is an opportunity for you to walk through a pathway of moments in my life that all came to a head as I embarked on the first encounter with my August 5th.

August 5th, why is it significant? It’s not just a date on the calendar. Instead, it became a standing date with agony. It was a culmination of annual occurrences that tried to persuade me that my life was confined to a cycle of suffering despite my efforts to heal. For three years, this date became fuel to the fire of thoughts that wanted to convince me the bane of my existence was to be tormented by my past. That no matter what I did or where I went, I could not escape the affliction that seemed to track me down year after year. My August 5th ultimately became a crossroads where I had to decide to do something different or watch my destiny die. It became a monumental moment where I had to be determined that regardless of the narrated turmoil spoken over my life, I had the transformational power to turn painful events into a powerful ending.

I wrote this while I was in pain, growing through discomfort, loving the adversary, lying next to agony, coming out of hurt, but most importantly, learning from it. Determined not to be paralyzed by that which could have been debilitating, I had to change my perspective and allow every challenging step of my journey to become a stepping stool towards my destiny.

If all we look at is the negative side of the narrative, we will never get the lesson that the flip side was designed to teach.

If you don’t walk away with anything else, please know that your pain is tied to your purpose, your purpose depends on your progress, your progress is driven by your perspective, and your attitude (if you allow it) will keep creating a productive passageway leading to your prepared place of full potential.

The ultimate goal is to help you learn to leverage your place of pain as a pathway and momentum for forward movement. This means that the August 5th’s of your life will always be teaching tools rather than successful opponents.

Acknowledgments

Writing this book was one of the hardest and most rewarding things that I’ve ever done. Although thank you never seems to be a strong enough expression, I must acknowledge the people who significantly impacted my life and compelled me to commit to telling my story.

To my children, Rodney, Ahkei, and Damiya, thank you for your patience, your forgiveness, and your unconditional love. Technically, you didn’t sign up for this journey, but it has been nothing short of an honor to travel the respective pathways with each of you. Although I’m a writer, I will never be able to find the words that will express the depth of my love for you.

To my mom, you have been behind the scenes of my life watching it all play out. Your unfailing love and prayers pushed me to greater. Thank you for always being there and cheering me on as I embraced life beyond the little red box.

To my dad, you are the dream, that as a little girl, I thought could never come true. Thank you for softening the abandonment blows and taking me in as your own. You have been the one, true and constant man in my life that has taught me how to stand in faith and fight for my healing.

To my godmother, there were so many times when I wanted to walk away, and then I would randomly get the write the book text from you. Thank you for empowering me to become more.

To a very special person in my life, through all of the tears, truth moments, trauma and triumphs, you were there. Thank you for being the sunshine that made sunny days brighter and cloudy days better.

To my editor, publisher, and book coach, our breakthrough moments were everything! You would not let me give up on this project. I remember you saying to me, Even babies are born in a storm. So, thank you for being my midwife and helping me to give birth.

And finally, thank you, God! Having a father like you gave me confidence in the strategic moments that you orchestrated as my pathway to change.

Hannah’s Story

Shortly after I accepted my call into the ministry, the women at my church extended an invitation to preach at our Women’s Day service. To say I was honored would trivialize the feeling of enthusiasm I had about being asked to serve. I was excited because, as a novice, I had not received many invitations to preach on a