It’S Been a Long Time Comin’

By Leah Taylor Young

This is a book about a journey of a life of loss, hardship,
rejection, addiction, control and domination and its ebbs
and flows through it all.
Hoping and wondering if there was ever going to be a way
out of the turmoil whilst everyday trying to find enough
determination to keep going and convincing myself this
was a normal life.
ITS BEEN A LONG TIME COMIN LEAH TAYLOR YOUNG
COVER ART CREDIT: JOSHUA SMITH

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524631307

Leah Taylor Young

Leah Taylor Young, born in south-west London, has travelled a long way from the atheism of her youth to the life of faith in Jesus Christ she now enjoys. While making this journey, she has found strength in the guidance of mentors and blessings in the gift of family.

Book preview

© 2016 Leah Taylor Young. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/11/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-3129-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-3131-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-3130-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016913317

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.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Contents

Introduction and Appreciations

1. How It All Began

2. Along Came Sis

3. Welcome to the Family

4. Schooldays

5. All the Fun of the Fair

6. It’s All about to Unravel

7. The Long Haul

8. Little Nan

9. Faithful Partners

10. Wonderful World of Work and Play

11. Love and Hurt

12. Abuse and Betrayal

13. The Open Door

14. Stalked

Foreword

It’s Been a Long Time Comin’ charts the path of the author. The book gives insight into her early years growing up in South West London. Unfolding the dysfunctions, which existed within her family, the author shares some of the most intimate and painful aspects of her life, including rejection, betrayal, worthlessness, and the many struggles she endured to feel a sense of acceptance and belonging from her family and those she developed friendships and relationships with.

The author takes you on a roller-coaster ride of her life, through her darkest days, loneliness, domestic abuse and looking for love in all the wrong places – seeking approval and validation. She also shares moments of hope and friendship in the midst of her pain.

For the author, there was light at the end of her traumatic journey. This light could only be found in Christ Jesus, our Lord. The author shares this hope and new-found love, and the battles she faced on the way to receiving and enjoying this perfect love.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity.

Jeremiah 29:13–14a (NKJV)

As you immerse yourself in the pages of this book, you will be drawn into the fragmentations of the author’s early life, upheavals, and emotional journey through her pain.

Many will identify with the author and find their own unhealed wounds surfacing, but I would encourage you to continue reading, as there is hope and light at the end of the book. The author finds this hope and light, and you can experience this too.

My prayer is that this book reaches the multitudes and brings healing, light, and hope to all who read it.

I just want to say thank you to the author for entrusting all if you, her readers, with this great gift – her life story. It’s Been A Long Time Comin’ has come at the right time.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

Ecclesiastes 1:3 (NKJV)

To all of you, dear readers, it is your time to connect with the author. This book will give you a deeper understanding of the many facets of the author’s upbringing, the scars she bore on the way, and the love and support she received in the end, which brought her to a place of safety and helped her find her true identity.

God bless you,

Sister Maxine Lovell

Author, Love’s Healing Power

Introduction and Appreciations

Over ten years ago God spoke to me and said I want you to write a book, your story is going to change lives and you will receive healing and closure.

My journey began when my Mother and Father passed away. I knew it was time to start writing.

The Lord started to give me chapters and it flowed off my fingertips onto the page

I want to give God thanks for saving my soul and making me whole.

I want to thank Maxine a dear friend and sister in the gospel who has continued to encourage and support this work from the beginning, thank you for time, input and reading over the manuscript to help me capture the essence of the story.

Maxine also wrote the foreword and is an author herself.

Thank you for your prayers and patience.

I want to thank Mary who came into my life later in my journey with Christ, for her tireless hours of reading and initial editing and assisting me with timelines and detail.

Thank you for keeping the story as original and as accurate as possible, whilst using your skills in journalism. I know we did not always agree.

Last but by no means least I want to thank my family for supporting me with cups of tea, making dinner and generally enabling me to write alongside our already busy lifestyle.

Thank you for giving me your time and encouragement and love.

Thank you for putting up with my moods and allowing me to fulfil Gods purpose and plan.

1

How It All Began

I was born in South London, on 26 January 1969. It was a Sunday, and Mum always said that the doctor had to come off the golf course to deliver me.

It was the year that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

My World

I lived on the high street in a really large flat above the shops. It was rather cold most of the time, on account of the flat’s large windows which also made it feel like a giant fishbowl, with everyone on the outside peering in, even though it was high up in the air. To a child’s eye, we looked out onto what seemed like a glamorous world of bright lights and shop fronts by day. By night, we looked down on everyone moving around amongst the glare of lights, the noise of passing traffic, and the shops closing down for the night.

The reality was somewhat different. My neighbourhood did feel run down in places. In lots of ways, it was just like any other inner-city neighbourhood. Some