Charlie Tree

By Gianna Recio

No matter what horrific things may have occurred to you in life, you can decide to become a victor and not remain a victim. 

 

Growing up, life was ordinary. This is a story about a young boy who used nature as an anchor in life. From the age of five he would sit and have beautiful conversations with a cypress tree he calle

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Sep 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885909921

Gianna Recio

Health and wellness are Gianna's passion. She has worked as a nurse for over 20 years, and also serves as a Director of Health for a local charter school district in San Antonio, along with practicing as a Master Certified Health and Wellness Coach. Gianna believes one of her major accomplishments has been in becoming a survivor and thriver in life. Her love for God is what has pulled her through the many storms of life. Gianna was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, where she currently resides and is engaged to a wonderful man. She loves dogs and is the proud owner of a Boston terrier and a pug mix.

Book preview

Introduction

Stop! This book is not intended for the fainthearted. What happened in my life was not pretty; therefore, I wrote this in its rawest form to reflect what I went through. If you embark on this journey with me, you should know ahead of time that what I went through has made me feel intense emotions on all levels: anger, hate, confusion, sadness, and grief. However, if you stick with me, you will also share my experience through grace, peace, forgiveness, release, gratitude, joy, and bliss. Also, as a disclaimer, I hope your traumas and emotions will not be exacerbated in any way by reading my book. That is not my intention whatsoever.

The purpose of writing this book is selfish. It's not for monetary gain but rather for healing. I believe we’re all connected in some way. As the physics instructors say, we are all energy connected to one another in more ways than we can understand. When I help others heal in one capacity, I find that I also experience healing. So I decided to put this theory to the test and release this book into the universe in hopes that it reaches you and, in some way, helps you in your healing journey.

Perhaps it will even inspire you to share your story so you can heal yourself. God knows how many attempts I’ve made to bring my story to light. I deleted it so many times because I was ashamed. I didn’t want anyone to know the terrible demons and dark secrets that nearly killed me. I didn’t want to hurt my parents or my family. They honestly had no clue what was going on—at least not the extent of what I will share in this book. I know publishing this book is the right thing. How? Because with each attempt at writing, I find my ego blocks me. Once this is released, my ego will have finally surrendered. My brain protects me through procrastination. It tricks me and makes me believe that I will be protected somehow by not writing my story.

I also know this is what I must do because the words spew out as I write. It's as if I’m on speed (yes, I know what it's like to be on speed). I can hardly keep up with my thoughts as I type. Even as I type these words, I feel a release from the chains that have bound me for years.

Most importantly, I know I’m supposed to be doing this because I asked God. I asked God to show me his plan for me and not the one I have for myself. I have asked every day for the last twenty-plus years for him to show me his way. Finally, when I took the writing seriously, God showed me the plan, and I committed this book to him. I trust and know it will all succeed for the greater good of helping others. May the healing begin for us all.

It's a Boy!

No…It's a Girl!

I was born on September 27, 1973. My mom and dad decided to name me after their grandfathers Benito and Juan and nicknamed me B. J. During the Vietnam era, under the Nixon administration and the Watergate scandal, the hippie movement was peaking, and the horror film The Exorcist had been released. My father, Benito Davis Recio, grew up in Eagle Pass, Texas. Tragically, he lost his father when he was twelve years old in an eighteen-wheeler accident. He had five other siblings to care for and watch over and a mother who didn’t speak English. My father became a husband like figure to his mother and a fatherlike figure to the rest of the family. He broke his back working every day to put food on his family's table and made sure they each received an excellent education at a local Catholic school in San Antonio.

Momma was born and raised in Long Beach, California. She and her two sisters had a traditional upbringing. By the 1960s the gang activity was getting dangerous, and my grandfather decided it would be best to relocate them to San Antonio, Texas. Grandpa Garcia was a master plumber, and Grandma was a waitress until she graduated from college and became an administrative secretary for a high school. My mother was fortunate to have both parents raise her until my grandfather passed away from a heart attack when he was sixty-five years young.

I currently reside in San Antonio, Texas, and have two beautiful sisters, Elizabeth Ann and Aramari.

They say our subconscious records everything from the time we are born until we transition back to God. Sounds scary, but hold on—it gets trickier. My life from the beginning was a fight. I was born a blue baby, as they referred to it back in the day. Perhaps it was caused by the fear my mom experienced while watching that damn movie The Exorcist! Remember how writing my story gave me a sense of release from the grip that had me by my throat? Well, I was born with the umbilical cord tight around my neck. I was blue and as cold as a snow cone.

After the doctor dangled me upside down and gave me a few hard spankings, I finally came through. The doctor told my parents, Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Recio. You have a baby boy! Then, after a moment's pause, he looked toward my genital region and said, Oh, wait. It's a girl! After the nurses cleaned off the excess vernix caseosa and cleared me medically, the doctor added, No, wait. It is indeed a boy. Talk about mixed messages.

My father had my whole life planned in a matter of five minutes. I would be the son he always wanted: we would play sports together, hunt deer, and fish. He was