From My Eyes: Stories and Reflections for Men

By Novia Reid

Within FROM my EYES are candid, personal, and practical stories and reflections for men. Novia openly writes about interpersonal relationships, loss, healing, faith, and valuable life lessons. At the end of the final chapter, men can write about any inspirations they received, insights they have learned, commitments they are making, and their prayers to God. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664218338

Novia Reid

NOVIA REID is a clinical therapist, transformational speaker, and author of Just You and I: Devotions from the Heart and Woman: this is for you. She lives in Florida.

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Copyright © 2021 Novia Reid.

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.

Note to readers: The contents of this book are not intended for your unique circumstances. The author is not engaged in rendering professional advice of any nature in this book. This book is not a substitute for professional advice from the appropriate institution (s) or person (s). Any use of information in this book is solely the reader’s decision and responsibility. The author is not liable for any errors or omissions in this book. The author or publisher is not liable for any loss, injury, damages, or cost, consequential or inconsequential, in respect to the contents or your use of the contents of this book.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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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.

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.

Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1832-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1831-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1833-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021905293

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/16/2021

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

A Few Weeks to Live

No Reason to Be Ashamed

The Bullying Effect

It Wasn’t Luck

Paid by God

Saved by Delay

God’s Way of Saying, Don’t Go!

The Final Say

The Hebrews 13:5 Promise

A Father’s Desperation

It Took Faith to Leave

Chapter 2

No Easy Way or Perfect Time

Putting Off Saying Goodbye

You Won’t Always Get Closure

Honor What You Had

You Are a Better Man Healed

Chapter 3

Waiting My Turn

Single, Then Loved

We Chose Abstinence

Babe, How Can I Help You?

I am Sorry and Beyond

He’s Probably Going to Die.

Finding Healing and Purpose in Pain

Your Next Chapter

Chapter 4

Hidden Roots

It’s Good to Do These Things

Jerk Chicken and Moscato Wine

Pray for Her Because You Love Her

Scarred, but Beautiful and Worthy

I Hope You Let Her Love You

If You Have Been Betrayed

What’s Holding You Back?

Chapter 5

Dad, Your Presence Matters

Make Room for What’s Worthy

Value Your Temple

Underdogs

Men Have Feelings

The Wrong Way

You’re Not Too Far Gone

The Power of Self-Forgiveness

By a Certain Age

Simple, Specific, and Sincere

This Is My Prayer for You

Inspiration, Insights, Commitments, and Prayers

Acknowledgments

To Willie Pouncy Jr., whose words "we need

encouragement too" sparked the idea to create

something I had never envisioned. Thank you

for your inspiration and belief in me!

CHAPTER 1

I weighed nine and a

quarter pounds …

A FEW WEEKS TO LIVE

I WEIGHED NINE AND a quarter pounds and was almost bald when my mother welcomed me—her third and last child—into this world. We were both deemed healthy, so we were discharged from Hargreaves Hospital in Mandeville, Jamaica, within the usual time. For the first couple of weeks of my life, I was doing well at home. Then, one day, during bath time, my mom noticed the palms of my tiny hands and the soles of my little feet were turning blue.

At about six weeks old, the local doctor diagnosed me with a heart murmur. He assured my mother my condition would eventually go away. It seemed as if he were correct! For a while, I had no major health issues. However, when I came of age and began walking and playing, I tired easily. Shortness of breath and blackouts followed. The heart murmur had not gone away after all.

I was taken and admitted to the University of West Indies Hospital, where a kind doctor treated me. A battery of tests showed I had a rare heart condition called tetralogy of Fallot. I had four defects; one of them was I did not have enough oxygen flowing from my heart to the rest of my ever-growing body. The doctor told my parents I needed to have open-heart surgery, and that without it, I would have only a few weeks to live.

Two significant issues arose immediately. Back in 1987, open-heart surgery was not an option at any hospital in Jamaica, and although both my parents were gainfully employed—my father as a bus driver and my mother as a teacher—they could not afford the surgery.

The doctor started her search to get help for me. My eldest sister, Arlene, and others worked hard to find a solution as well. Soon, their prayers were answered.

Variety Club International in the United States agreed to aid my family. The charity worked with the doctor to coordinate and pay for my operation at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. The hospital accepted $3,500 as payment for the surgery from the charity. The surgeons donated their services for an operation that cost nearly $18,000. That amount may not seem like much in today’s economy, but it was significant in the 1980s.

The charitable donations did not stop there! The most well-known airline in our country at the time, Air Jamaica,