A Cloud of Witnesses: A Jamerican Journey

By Annette M. Gilzene Ed.D.

A Cloud of Witnesses: A Jamerican Journey is a chronicle of the people who have been instrumental in the spiritual, mental, emotional, and personal growth of the author. These witnesses include her parents, siblings, immediate family members, ministers of religion, former schoolmates, school personnel, and friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781973605560

Annette M. Gilzene Ed.D.

Dr. Annette May Gilzene was born in Jamaica and migrated to the USA in 1992; hence, she qualifies to be a Jamerican. A Cloud of Witnesses: A Jamerican Journey is a chronicle of the people who have been instrumental in the spiritual, mental, emotional, and personal growth of the author. These witnesses include her parents, siblings, immediate family members, ministers of religion, former schoolmates, school personnel, and friends. Annette taught Economics and Mathematics for many years at the Brown’s Town Community College, Jamaica. In addition, she served as economist for both the Central Bank of Belize and the Development Finance Corporation, Belize, Central America. She was employed by Pepperdine University for many years. In 2009, Annette received a doctorate in education from Pepperdine University, California. She is an editor extraordinaire of books, theses, and dissertations. Annette currently resides in California with her husband of 36 years, Earl. They have two grown children, Jody-Ann and Jason and a daughter-in-law, Angela. She is a member of the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California. She enjoys travelling, reading, and connecting with family and friends.

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Copyright © 2017 Annette M. Gilzene, Ed.D..

All photographs are mine or my children’s - Jason E.R. Gilzene and Jody-Ann E. Gilzene.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the King James Bible.

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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.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-0555-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-0556-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017915279

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/06/2017

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgments

The Apostolic Way

Chapter I Nuclear Family

Chapter II Spiritual Life And Values

Chapter III Educational Journey

Chapter IV Work Life And Career

Chapter V Non-Family Relationships

Chapter VI Marriage And Created Family

Chapter VII Death And Dying

Chapter VIII Wrapping It Up

References

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"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Hebrews 12:1 (Italics; the Author’s)

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DEDICATION

M any people have played vital roles in my life. The list of those who have contributed to my success could be as long as this book. The list includes people who have prayed for me, have offered words of encouragement, have told me that I could be all that God intended for me to be, and have touched my life in one way or another. Not being able to include every member of my Cloud of Witnesses , I have attempted to include some of the most influential people in my life without whose mentorship this book might still be an unwritten vision.

However, this book is primarily dedicated to my mother, Gorah Maud Duncan. Thank you for your outpouring of prayers, love, and support over so many years. Thank you for raising me in a home where faith in God was a part of our daily lives. Thank you for the gift of laughter you gave me from my childhood. The ability to laugh made this project far less stressful than it could have been. I will always love and cherish you.

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My Mother, Gorah Maud Duncan

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T his book is the result of the intersection of my life with the lives of my Cloud of Witnesses . Thank you, family, relatives, and friends; from the bottom of my heart.

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Earl and Annette Gilzene

THE APOSTOLIC WAY

B orn again! The Blood of Jesus ransomed me

Filled with the Spirit, the Mark you can see

Am I so different? Not if the outward is all you see

Redeemed! How I long to tell thee

The Precious Blood washed so well

The Water, the Spirit, the Blood, Immersion

Rise up to walk in newness of life, the Baptizer said

Fiery tongues, the indwelling

The Blood of Jesus, ransomed, saved

Sealed for all eternity, daily immersion in purity

Treating others as I would be treated

Flowing from the inner man, how awesome the revelation

Changed from mortal to immortal

Open wide the portal

The Blood of Jesus, how powerful, how pure, how perfect

A saint both now and then

Changed where it matters most

A new creation inside out, a new attitude, new gratitude

Contentment, trust in Jehovah-Jireh

A way of life, a daily renewal, a daily walk

God of the nighttime, God of the daytime

The Water, The Spirit, the Blood, what a combination!

Inheritor of the Promise, no mark of the beast here

And we shall reign with Him forever, that’s eternal!

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Annette Gilzene

CHAPTER

I

NUCLEAR FAMILY

P roverbs 22:6 states: Train up a child in the way he (she) should go, and when he (she) is old he (she) will not turn from it. According to the New International Version (NIV) notes, this is a proverb, not a prophecy or a promise. To train up here means to dedicate, instruct, or discipline. The way he (she) should go means, the right way, the way of wisdom. I believe my training began from the womb. Mama was an old time Apostolic Pentecostal saint. Church attendance was mandatory, not voluntary.

The story of my life began long before I was born to my earthly parents. Way before I came on the scene, God determined that I would be born into this particular nuclear family, with these parents and siblings, and with my parents’ extended families. October 2, 1953, was no different from any other day in the sleepy little village of Tooting in the Dry Harbor Mountains of St. Ann, Jamaica. Of course Gorah Maud Duncan knew it was going to be a day like no other because she had begun to feel the contractions of an impending birth. I, Annette May, entered the world and joined my other five siblings. Eventually there would be more siblings; three more, in fact, for a total of nine children. But wait, there was also another sibling from another woman outside. Two siblings died in infancy; one way before my time and one when I was a child. My father, Rueben James Duncan, had a total of fifteen children, maybe more, who knows? But, who could blame him? His parents had 25 children!

My Parents: Rueben James and Gorah Maud Duncan

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Papa and Mama Duncan circa 1975

My father, Rueben James, aka Uncle Rube or Bins, had five children by a previous relationship. However, he and my mother, Gorah Maud, had five children together before I became number six. Later there were three, actually four, to follow. This nuclear family occupied a two-bedroom home until my father added a third room sometime in my teenage years. But I digress. There were two girls and three boys. There was always room for one more. So I, Annette May made my way into their lives and heart on that rainy October day. By the time I arrived on the scene, my oldest brother Woodrow, Uncle Joe, and my oldest sister, Daphne Rebecca, were no longer at home. Uncle Joe was living and working at the Anglican Rectory in Brown’s Town, and Daphne was living with the Brodericks in Kingston. The reason they were not at home is their story to tell.

My other siblings, when I arrived, were Phyllis Adassa; Everton (Lud); and Cottrel. I later found out that Everton is really my brother’s middle name and his first name is actually Daniel. So my oldest sister, Daphne Rebecca, was named after my paternal grandmother, Rebecca, Aunty Becky, and my older brother, Daniel Everton, was named after my paternal grandfather, Daniel. I guess Annette came from my maternal grandmother, Anita. I recently discovered that her name was sometimes spelled Annetta! I never met my maternal grandfather, Gerald Thomas, Uncle Gerald, or my paternal grandparents, Daniel and Rebecca Duncan.

My Birthplace

Tooting is a strange name for a village that has never seen a railway line. That could not be the source of its name. Not very many cars passed through the village, so tooting, blaring horns could not be the source of its name. To this day the origin of the name remains a mystery to me. I do remember that on one of my first visits to a doctor in the nearby town of Brown’s Town, she suggested that the name Tooting might have come from the call of the owls. Be that as it may, Tooting has produced some very fine people, pillars of the community and of the church. Then there was Skipton. Really? Did people skip about in Skipton? I never learned the origin of that name either but since we lived on the border of Tooting and Skipton, we were either from Tooting or Skipton depending on who was asking and whether or not it was easier to explain where Tooting or Skipton was in relation to Watt Town or Lime Tree Garden. There goes another interesting name. Lime trees? I do not remember seeing any great numbers of those, certainly not enough to justify the name. Maybe in a bygone era? But Lime Tree Garden played an integral role in my early life. More anon.

My Girlhood Days

I was a precocious child. I was as stubborn as they come. I have always had a mind of my own, even from childhood. I was not interested in silly girls’ games like dolls and playing house, I was more interested in the rough and tumble stuff of boys’ games. Cricket, marbles, and hide-and-seek were my games. As a child, I spent hours in the topmost branches of trees reading favorite novels or just daydreaming. I loved to read. I read everything that I could find. As a child,