Life Changes

By Jason D. Minors

Jason woke up that Sunday morning with a smile on his face. The sun was up, and the clear-blue skies beckoned him. In no time, he had showered, dressed, and begged his mother for the use of the family car to attend church. But his mother had to go to work, and so he had no other choice but to ride his motorcycle. The worship service moved Jason to go forward to confess his sins. Relief washed over him, knowing that he had the courage to repent. What healthy, young, fit, twenty-three-year-old could boast that he was an angel? Jason became a little complacent on the beautiful daya little too relaxed, a little too carefree, and just a little too daring as he neared that treacherous bend; little did he know that his young life would be changed forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543426533

Jason D. Minors

Jason Dion Minors is now 34 years of age, and currently lives on the Island of Bermuda. “Life Changes,” is Jason’s first non fiction Novel. He loves to read all types of books, and enjoys taking the time to reflect on Gods beautiful earth and His words in the Bible. Jason resides with his mother Cynthia Minors and also enjoys spending time with his three siblings and their families. He has a passion for soccer and his favorite teams are Manchester City and Barcelona. Jason loves to connect with his friends on Face Book, and his e-mail address is [e-mail]

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 by Jason D. Minors.

Written: by Jason Dion Minors.

Cover Photo: by Kovan Smith.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2017908368

ISBN:      Hardcover            978-1-5434-2655-7

                Softcover             978-1-5434-2654-0

                eBook                  978-1-5434-2653-3

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.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 05/30/2017

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7 My Life Changed

Chapter 8 My Thinking Changed

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

Author’s Appreciation

My Tribute To My Dad

About The Author

About The Book

I dedicate this novel, LIFE CHANGES, to my loving parents, Cynthia and Frederick Minors. My dad is now deceased. I dedicate this novel to my loving grandmother Myrna Bean; to my three sisters—Janika, Janae, and Jaquasha—and their families; to my many relatives; to my friends; to my church, the Church of Christ; to my special boo; and to my many supporters in Bermuda and around the world. I dedicate this novel to God Almighty, the author of my life, who has and continues to bless me every day and in every way. No book is complete without me thanking all who have helped me during the writing of this book, which was a labor of love. You know who you are, and again I humbly thank you.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. To them who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Chapter 1

(Friday, January 16, 2015)

Hello and good day to you. My name is Jason Dion Minors, and I have a story to tell—a story about how my life changed in a flash before my eyes and how it is today. The reason I recorded that date at the beginning of my story is because it is the day I decided to write about my life. God had a plan in store that would change me and my family dramatically forever. I want to share this story with you and everyone.

Since my tragic accident in 2006, my life has changed—not in a bad way but in a way for me to understand life and all its blessings. I’m still trying to figure out what my purpose in life is and what God has in store for me and what I am supposed to do. I know there are many things that I can do, and I have had so many ideas brought to my attention that I didn’t know about before that tragic day. I have the drive, the enthusiasm, and the determination to do and act. My constant prayer is this: Lord, I need your help in finding myself and my purpose on this earth. I know that I am truly blessed after surviving a tragic road accident.

I never expected that, at the young age of twenty-three years old, I would be paralyzed for life. Yes, in much pain and sometimes in great fear, I had to face weeks, months, and now, years of surgeries, setbacks, and other medical events. I had no choice but to adapt and take everything in stride. I did, and I give You the praise, Lord, for giving me the strength, the courage, and the will I needed, and most of all, thank You for Your love and saving grace, especially for letting me be able to wake up and face another day. If it wasn’t for my Heavenly Father, my family, my church family, and even the strangers who wished me well and became my extended family, I know I would not have made it this far. You all have brought me through so much in my life, and I am forever grateful, thankful, and appreciative. For the support, I humble myself to all of you, and I love you all very much.

I considered myself to be a normal, happy child who became a good young adult before my accident. I don’t really remember a lot about my early childhood, but I know I had a lot of thick, curly hair. My mom often told me stories about how whenever we were on outings, many people, both males and females, would presume that I was a girl because of my curls or long plaits. They would approach me and say Hello, and at the same time, I would be mistaken for a girl because of the thick, long hair on my head. My mom would remain calm, smile, and politely say "He’s a boy!" With sheepish smiles and sometimes apologies, they would look surprised and say they were sorry. I smile whenever we reminisce about the times I had long hair in plaits.

All my siblings are girls. I have three sisters, Janika, Janae, and Jaquasha. I am the oldest and pretty much the big brother. Oh, I’m their only brother! I am also an uncle. I have one niece and three nephews who are crazy, but what child isn’t? They remind me of my childhood. Of course, I got in trouble and did things I shouldn’t have been doing from my childhood to my teenage years. I never got into serious trouble, like get in hot water with the law or get sent to prison, but it was nevertheless still trouble.

I was always joking and playing around and didn’t worry or think about a lot of things. I guess you can say I was a dreamer, which was, by the way, also my nickname. My friends started calling me Dreamer because I wouldn’t catch on or pay attention at times, and they would say, Hey, Dreamer. They would also call me Mophead, which I did not really have to explain or really mind because my hair was crazy and I had a lot of it. I loved my hair because it was nice and curly and protected my face from the sun, and I loved it when the ladies would braid it. Who wouldn’t? My mom and sisters urged me to cut it, but I didn’t want to, and that was the end of that, but they still remind me of those days.

1.jpg

Photo of Jason Dion that was taken just

before his first birthday

Chapter 2

My schools days were spent at the Prospect Primary, St. George’s Preparatory, Clearwater Middle School, and at Cedarbridge Academy. My three sisters and I attended the same schools. My favorite classes throughout my school years were English and gym. My least favorite subjects were math and science. I would say that my education journey was fair and I was an average student, meaning I did what I had to do—no more and no less. My grades ranged from a C to a D average. I admit that I know it sounds bad, but it’s the truth. I never really applied myself or took my education seriously; I would always play around and skipped a lot of my classes. Many times the interest was just not there, and I just didn’t want to learn or set any goals like other teenagers. I just wanted to have fun and be a kid. Like the commercial says, I don’t want to grow up. I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us kid. I know that sounds crazy, but that’s the truth, and I was enjoying life. I admit that I never really had a favorite teacher. I had crushes on some young teachers, and I was guilty of trying to charm my way through so I wouldn’t have to do homework assignments, but that never worked because they knew what I was all about.

I was a dreamer in school as well; my teachers and even my peers mentioned that if I did not get my act together, I wouldn’t graduate. I would smile and say, Of course I’m graduating. See, I was a real, dreamer. I honestly really didn’t face reality; my low grades alone would have indicated that I was not going to make it—no question about that.

In school, I had many good friends; they were doing well academically, and I would often reflect on my life during quiet moments. Perhaps what I really needed back then was to take stock of my life; I was certainly capable of doing better, and I regret not taking the time to put some real effort into learning for my future. I wasn’t quiet or shy when it came to the girls. I noticed them, and I certainly was not dreaming when I was in their presence. I was definitely scheming—that’s for sure. Honestly, with my teenage hormones raging, most of my focus went to the girls instead of on my books and academic subjects.

However, I now realize that applying myself wasn’t that bad. If only I had just put in a bit more effort when it came to getting good grades. I was always talking in class instead of concentrating on what the teacher was saying. I was wasting my time, the teacher’s time, and yes, my peers’ precious time with my corny jokes or anything crazy that would make them smile or laugh and make them think I was cute. Crazy but true. Some of them did, and some of them didn’t. I also would have those awkward moments; whenever I talked to a girl at school and I made no sense, she would just walk away or pay me no mind. I know many of the girls were probably thinking, Seriously? Why is this dude wasting my time? I really didn’t let it bother me; I just dusted my shoulders off and stayed crazy in a good way. A lot of times I couldn’t wait to finish school because I really didn’t want to do or learn anything. I just wanted to chill with my friends and check out the pretty girls and just pretty much be a regular guy. I had tough love in school as well. Some of the teachers would let me know the good and the bad when it came to my grades, and some really didn’t care. I’m not saying that the ones who didn’t seem to care didn’t because they did. They were just frustrated with having to deal with someone who really wasn’t applying himself. All I wanted to do was have fun, and I didn’t care about school or take school or my future seriously.

Many times when I looked at my report card and saw my grades, I would regret my lackadaisical behavior and start to reflect on having a better attitude and think positively on how I wanted my life to be, and I would say, "I need to do better and stop playing and do what I got to do and make a change." When I actually started to apply myself and focused, I could see a difference. There was a little light at the end of the tunnel—a change in my mind-set, attitude, and grades. I was getting more focused and serious about finishing school. It was during my last year at Cedarbridge Academy when I started really focusing on my studies, but I was still a little playful here and there. I also attended Bermuda College after my accident, but due to my recurring medical challenges, I had to leave. It’s just my situation, and honestly, I wasn’t ready at the time, but I am still thankful and appreciative to Vaughn Burrows and his family for that blessing and their love and support.

It was kind of funny and crazy because throughout my education, I would always wait till the last minute before getting things done. It’s a bad habit, and I don’t know why I would always do that. I guess it was the only way to get any attention, and I needed to not take things so lightly and be serious about my life and make responsible choices that would make me a better person. I started to love school and wanted to be successful and be able to provide for my family. Tough love, in my opinion, is the best love, and I started to learn that as my life pathway changed, and changes are still going on. It helps you reflect on how your life is going and know what you need to improve. I was always getting