My Life: By the Grace of God

By Della Tyler

Author Della Tyler’s story began with a rushed and perilous entry into the world. Even so, God has walked with her every step of the way, through life’s challenges, blessings, strife, and joy.

In My Life, Tyler shares her memories of how God helped her endure the extraordinary struggles she has faced over the years. After an early birth that nearly killed her and a childhood full of gaining wisdom through experience, Tyler found herself homeless as an adult. She lived through subzero temperatures in Alaska in an old pickup camper with no insulation and only two propane burners for heat. Later, she took on the monumental task of rebuilding her life once more when her husband passed away, leaving behind an excruciatingly painful hole in her heart. But through it all, she found it possible to move forward thanks to her faith that God was always at her side.

This memoir tells one woman’s life story of dealing with difficult and grueling challenges by relying on her faith in God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973670056

Della Tyler

This is a unique story about how God has been helping a woman endure all the extraordinary struggles in life from a hurried birth that she almost didn’t survive, ending up homeless and enduring sub zero temperatures in an old pickup camper with no insulation and only two propane burners for heat to the monumental undertaking of rebuilding her shattered life after her husband passed away leaving a huge excruciatingly painful hole in her heart and life and all the trials and blessings in between. I the, author, know this story intimately because I am the woman who lived it and continue to by the grace of God.

Book preview

Copyright © 2020 Della Tyler.

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.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

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.

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

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-7004-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-7005-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019910224

WestBow Press rev. date: 2/4/2020

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1     In the Beginning, I Almost Wasn’t

Chapter 2     The Journey from Injury and Illness Island to Well Town

Chapter 3     Growing Wiser through Living 101, Part 1

Chapter 4     Growing Wiser through Living 101, Part 2

Conclusion: God, Jesus, My Life, and Me

About The Author

INTRODUCTION

T his story is not about me but about God and how He has helped me since the day I was born. When I have walked the last step of my journey on earth and have been taken on the wings of God’s angel to meet Jesus in heaven, I won’t have to ask Him where He was during all the difficult and painful times in my life. I know Jesus has been with me every moment, carrying me during the trying times when I did not have the strength to walk on my own. He is still carrying me and reminding me that My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber (Ps. 121:2–3 KJV).

GettyImages155285715.jpg

CHAPTER 1

In the Beginning, I

Almost Wasn’t

O n February 16, 1960, the silence in the delivery room was suddenly shattered by the anguished cries of my mother in labor with me. The only other people in the room were a nurse and a kind orderly. The nurse was a relatively young white woman. She appeared very anxious, as if she felt inadequate in this situation. The nurse told my mom to hold on while she went out to get the doctor, and my mom tried to do as the nurse said. The orderly, a somewhat older African American woman, remained by my mom’s side. They were waiting for the doctor to arrive, but I was in a hurry to enter the world. Seeing I insisted on being born, and worrying about Mom and me, the orderly tried to comfort and help my mother. The orderly told my mom if she wanted this baby she had better relax and let the child be born. Once I was born, the doctor immediately put me in an incubator where I remained for three days. Due to a lack of oxygen, I came out blue. However, by the grace of God, I was normal and healthy despite my dramatic birth.

GettyImages155285715.jpg

CHAPTER 2

The Journey from Injury and

Illness Island to Well Town

O ne day in 1961 I was at home bouncing in the Jolly Jumper that hung from the top of my brother’s bedroom doorway. I was giggling and having a good time when one of the big springs my dad put on the Jolly Jumper frame suddenly broke free, flew up, and rammed into my forehead, causing extensive bleeding but thankfully missing both eyes and the rest of my face. My mom raced in when she heard my hysterical crying. Horrified by my injury, my parents rushed me to Dr. Steffy’s office. He quickly and skillfully sewed up my forehead. I was left with a virtually unnoticeable scar. God saved me once again!

When I was a small child of preschool age, we had a parakeet named Woody. I loved to stroke his soft green feathers. One day when he was out of his cage he suddenly flew out the bathroom window and off into the great unknown never to be seen again. We were sad to lose him. Sometime later we acquired another parakeet we named Sugar. He was the same color as Woody and just as pretty. He was flying loose in the house and somehow managed to slip out the kitchen door to freedom. That was the last we saw of him. A short time later we brought home yet another parakeet with soft green feathers. We named him Cocoa. I liked to hold him, to pet his head, and to stroke his beautiful feathers. One day we discovered Cocoa was not moving. He had died. My mom told me I had loved him to death. I believe as I was holding him, I unknowingly put my finger over the holes in his beak—preventing him from breathing—and suffocated him.

Around the same time we had a white cat named Frosty. He had sores behind both of his ears, but I don’t know what caused them. Though he was a good-natured kitty, he would urinate around the house every so often. One day he went into the washroom and urinated on a pile of laundry on the floor. Upon discovering his smelly deed, my mom became very angry, grabbed Frosty, spanked him, and threw him out the door. Sadly, he never came back.

I was about six to ten years old while my sister was in high school. She played French horn in the high school band. One year the band traveled to Florida for a competition, and my parents went with my sister, leaving me home with my aunt and uncle for a few days. We had a sweet, lovable dog named Clem. I always enjoyed playing with him in our backyard. He was a happy dog and loved to be petted. He would jump up and give me kisses every time I got within his reach. Clem was a big spoiled baby. He got too heavy and became very bloated. He died while my parents and my sister were away. This tragic loss made for a bittersweet homecoming. A family friend buried Clem in our backyard. It was a sad goodbye as we loved Clem very much. He was a sweet, loving puppy dog. I have one picture of him I will always treasure.

When I was in first grade the teacher gave us an assignment to work on during class. I looked wearily at my work and after a little while got bored with it. The assignment seemed so easy and offered no challenge to keep my interest. I finally laid down my pencil and stared dreamily at the clock for a while. I searched for something to keep my mind occupied so I wouldn’t be bored out of my gourd. That year I had all my childhood diseases and missed so much school I had to repeat first grade.

One summer day I was straddling my bicycle on the driveway and thinking about all the attempts I had made to learn how to ride a bike. I yearned to ride with skill. I prodded myself, and suddenly I pushed off and started pedaling. I was riding on my own! I was so happy I had finally overcome all doubts, fears, and obstacles and had won the victory. I could not have done it without the help and