A Mother's Journey of Faith Hope and Love

By Sylvina V. Ellis

My name is Sylvina Boddie Ellis, am from the Island of St Kitts in the West
Indies. Resideing in the Florida Keys. I love to read and write, And dream of
becoming an Author one day. This is my first book..

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479713899

Sylvina V. Ellis

T A his book is about A Mother’s Journey of Faith Hope and Love. Growing up as a child on the tiny Island of St kitts she felt unlove by her family, but had faith to axcept God’s love,at an early age that fl ow through her like a river, touching everyone she come in contact with. It did not matter where they came from or what they look like, she just give them the Love that was given to her, from the father above. Th is mother has been bless with twenty eight love children from around the world. who call her Mom. And because of that she was bless to travel all the way to India to show her love. She also have faith to believe in, God to meet her need during the hard times in her life.

Book preview

A Mother’s Journey

of Faith Hope and

Love

Sylvina V. Ellis

Copyright © 2012 by Sylvina V. Ellis.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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121097

Contents

Meet My Mama

My Godfather Show Up…

It’s Christmas And Joe Is Back

Meet Roy

In Mama Defense

Prison House Pastor Miller And Sister Judith

God Answer Prayer

Sister Judith Became My Friend

My Friend Elvia

Arriving In America

Listen And Obey The

Holy Spirit

Meet My New Friend Gloria

I Got A Job At Winn Dixie

My Trip To India

My Second Day In India

Day 3, April 25

Day Four, April 26

Day Five, April 27

Day Six, April 28

Day Seven, April 29

Arriving In America

Big Pine Key

Mohit Birthday September 19

Mohit And Akhlesh Go To Miami

Continue On April 29.7 Day

Monday April 30, Wedding Day

Tuesday May 1’St Day 9

Wednesday, May 2, At Mohit Home Town

Thursday May 3. My 11Th Day

Arriving In Milan Italy

Children

Garrett

Love Your Enemies

My Life Was About Change

Miss Understood

Written By Sylvina.

Look What God Has Done

I Want To Acknowledge All The Mothers In My Life

Psalms 9 : 1-2. I will Praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy Marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoyce in thee: I will sing Praise to thy name, O thou most High.

Psalms 23 : 1-6. The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name sake. Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointed my head with oil; my up runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

My name is Sylvina Boddie Ellis, Am from the Island of St Kitts but living in the United State of America. Married to Onel Ellis has three children Dean Veronica and Sonia Boddie. Have five grandchildren.

I want to remember my Grandmother Beatric Thomas who first took me to church. Mother Mary Boddie who work hard for me and raise me the old fashion way. Father Alexander Phipps, my Papa who love me, and would shake your house if you hurt me. Friend Elvia Aventurin who was so proud of me, friend Margret Garvey who am sure is saying, Wena told me so! you know, yes she did. Very special friend Gloria Blacksheer I look at my answering machine sometime and waiting to hear Angel where are you! Thanks you guys am sorry you will not be here to read my book. But I look forward to meet you all up in heaven one day.

Love to write and these are my stories.

Meet My Mama

My name is Sylvina and meet my Mama. My Mother’s name Mary Boddie she was born in 1920. She had nine children two pass away in infancy. I have five brothers and one sister I am number five out of the seven children that is alive and I was born in 1956. Mama was 5.7 inches tall with a medium size built. She was soft spoken and did not get in any fuss with others. Mama was a hard working woman, she had her children and she was going to take care of them. Mama had her first child at thirty years old, Then it seem she had one every year or every other year. We were poor but did not know it, because we never went without. Mama was somewhat a proud woman, she never beg no one for anything, she would say if you don’t have it do without.

We never went to Church because we were poor and did not have church clothers. But we went to Sunday school my brothers would wear their school close to Sunday school. They also would wear hand me down. It was ok until they started to become young men.

I was around ten years old when I ask Mama, if I could go to church with my Grandmother? And she said yes!

So every Sunday I would go meet my Grandmother at her house and go to church with her. It was the best time of my life, I love going to church I love to sing.

I went to church with my Grandmother till I was twelve, I was big enough to go by myself and carry my sister with me, she is five years younger than me, so I have to take care of her. I got confirm in the Methodist Church when I was sixteen years old. And continue going there until, I asked Jesus into my heart as my Personal Lord and Saviour.

Mama work as a House Keeper for the Rich Shop Keepers in the Village. While she had her older children, then went to work in the field later on. Mama was a very hard working woman, I remember Mama weeding Sugar Cane in the morning and in the afternoon she would go to the mountain, to weed her food she had plant. Mama pick cotton and I know she could not make much money from cotton, for it was by the pound. It would take a lot of picking to get a pound of cotton.

My Mama work like a man she dig grass make her own bank plant her own crops weed her own crops and reap them too. Mama cut wood and carry the wood to make coals, yes she made her own coals. Mama did everything I never met a woman that worked so hard like my Mama. Mama plant everything, as long as it going to grow Mama will plant it. We always had food. Cassava to make bread or dumplins and don’t let me forget the starch, to starch the clothers. Cassava is one the hardest thing to prepare, before you could make bread. There are so many things you can do with Cassava, but don’t drink the water. Mama would sell the bread and the starch to make money.

Mama beleieve in sweating, she would say, you get up and go find something to do. Go sweat and come back, but be sure you bring something back. You could go get Mango, Guava almond or even wood. Just do something.

She plant Pegion Peas Potatoes Yarms Dashene Tania scorril carrots tomatoes green onions thyme peanuts and so much more I cannot remember. Peanuts she would take home and dry them, then she would parch them to sell, Mama never complain, she knew what she had to do and she did it with grace. The snacks we had back then is nothing like today, If Mama did not finish cooking and we need something to eat, we would go under the house and take a Soursap and eat it, or some mangoes, maybe orange from the neighbour trees.

Mama also raise pigs, yes pigs! And sell them, and after she stop raise pigs to sell, she raise one every year to send my sister to heigh school. When it time for school to reopen, Mama butcher the pig and sell the meat, to by my sister books and uniform. Mama was one of a kind, I will always love her because even though she did not say I love you, I know she love us. She just work so hard, I don’t know another woman that work like Mama.

When my brothers were younger they help, but as they got older they went away and Mama just kept on going. As I grew older I started to go to the mountain with Mama. Mama was all about business, she would say to me you come up here to work or to play? I know where I get my seriousness in the work place from, Mama. Mama never misses a beat she did what she had to do for her children. If that mean breaking rocks; she did that too. I remember we will go to the Mountain in the morning me and Mama after I had finish school. And in the afternoon we will break rocks to sell, Mama was one of a kind she would say if you standing around doing nothing, the devil will find works for idle hands to do. And she never like to stand up and talk about other people, she would say the time am taking to mind other people business, something going wrong in my house.

On weekend Mama loved to have her drink, she would never go in the street but would buy it and bring it home. Mama also smoke cigaretts it a bad habit she had pick up when she went away to Curacao before she had children. I never like Mama for the drinking, I never taught woman should drink, expecially my mother. She called herself a casual drinker. I promise myself when I was around fourteen that I would not be like Mama smoke and drink. Mama had a drive about her, and that where I got mine from. Mama had a lot of sisters and brothers. But those by her mother side were to England.

Look here Mama catch me talking to Joe

I grew up in a time where you never heard the word love. And there was not much affection, I guest there were too much of us to show affection to. So I never felt love being the first girl I felt like no one love me, But everyone love my sister she was the last one and very bright in school, always get first place. But I know someone who had loved me it was my Papa and I had loved him too. He was a big six feet four inches handsome guy two hundred and some add pounds.

As I was becoming a young woman Mama was very hard on me, I was afraid of her. So I had this miss goody two shoe sindrom. I was afraid to talk to boys and let Mama see me. I just wanted to be twenty one to get married and move out was my plan. But I was fifteen almost sixteen when I started to like Joe;

One evening Mama had a friend visiting her, so I asked Mama I if could go and ask Helen if she was going to Town tomorrow? You see I could not go into Town by myself. And I needed a tooth pull. Helen is Joe sister; and she is older than me. Well what do you know Mama said I could go; so off I go to see Joe sister and Hoping that I will see Joe too. After speaking to Helen, Joe came out and ask me what going on? So I told him I had come to find out when Helen going into town, so I can go with her. We both were happy to see each other, science we were crazy about each other. We were not doing anything wrong, just talking and time were flying away. I did not realize how much time had pass.

When out of know where Mama show up, and asked what you doing here? I said nothing! I said nothing! She said lets go home, so I could find your father and have him kill you. Well she did not find my father at that time, so Mama beat me herself. She beat me till my legs were blue when she had enough, she said never let me see you speaking to him again! But I was head over heels in-love with Joe. So the next day I wrote Joe a letter, saying I know Mama just beat me but I still love you.

This was during the Summer Vacation, and I had decided that I was not going to speak to Joe, because Mama said, don’t let me see you speaking to Joe. I was a very obedient child. One afternoon I run into Joe he was carrying a bag of rice, on his back he said to me, Hi Sylvina! I never answer, then he said it again, and I did not answer. I guest he told himself I did not want anything to do with him again. But it was not true; I was just obeying Mama wishes. When Mama speak; you listen and obey. I was young and crazy about Joe. All I talk about was Joe when I see his friends. He told one his friend to tell me to read a book, he even send a book for me to read.

After summer we return to school, Joe attend the Basseterre High School while I attend the Tabernacle all age School. Joe was a bright kid his father was a School Teacher. I was friendly with one of Joe sister, so I would write messages and give them to her to give to Joe, and he would do likewise. Until one day someone told me Joe had a girlfriend. Boy was I hurt! But it was ok because I could not speak to him.

When my sixteen Birthday came around Mama decided I was not going back to school. That’s the age you finish school if you not in high school. My birthday is in November, so I said Mama I already started the school year, let me continue go to school! She said no! You only going to look boys any way; Oh my God could you believed that? So I was out of school at sixteen with no place to go and no one really care. So I had to work with Mama, and I was not too happy. I remember me and my brother Alphonso used to go to work with Mama weeding cane, and we hated it. So we used to just clean up the border and then drag the hoe behind our back. Mama was perfect at what she did, so if she catch something we did not do, she would call us back to do it, or do it herself.

If I was reading a book and Mama called me and I stay too long to show up, Mama would ask what you doing? And I answer I was reading a book! Mama would say come out here! you done throw away your time with foolish talk and idle play. I will never forget this as long as I live. But will help anyone I can not to throw away their time. With foolish talk and idle play. I forgive Mama for she did not know any better.

One year had passed and it now summer again. Some of my classmate was going to go to college. So I ask Mama if I could go to college, she ask what you going there to learn? I told her Hotel courses; she said let’s ask you father. Well they both decided that I was just going to look boys. So I never went to college and that was it. I was doom! A few summer before Mama send me to learn dress making, But I never like dress making, I always said it a lazy person job. That summer I made my sister uniform for high school and it was good. I had also made some skirt and boluses for three girls to go outing in. So I know how to do a little dress making, but again do not really like it.

My Godfather Show Up…

One afternoon this tall man show up at our house, Mama said he was my godfather. His name was Joseph Francis and he had return to St Kitts after being gone for many years. Mama said she help raise him; sometime she beat him all the way to the school door when he did not want to go to school. That was before she had her own children. Now Mr Francis is a grown man and is also the Deputy Commissioner of Police in St Kitts. Now he is also my godfather and it’s the first time he seeing me, science I was a baby. So he asked me what I was doing and what I would like to do; I told him I was not doing anything, but would like to go typing classes, he asked me if there was someone in the village that give typing classes? And I said yes! Mrs Leevey gives typing classes.

So after he said