Flames

By Dana S Milson

Life brings about many uncertainties when faced with a challenge that may cause you to lose all sense of hope. What do you do? Lie down and give up or do you stand up and find a way to make your life whole again? Dee cruised on auto-pilot for many years enjoying life when all of the sudden, life as she knew it went up in flames. Everything she and her husband worked hard for was gone. No one to turn to for help after the ashes settled, it was only Dee and her husband, Gavin, to pick up the pieces of their lives and find a way to provide for their children. This is a story of how life can change in an instant. Those who are strong in their faith with God are built to endure tragedies, trials, and tribulations; undergoing a lot before getting back on track. Then there are those who are not so strong and succumb to the many misfortunes that life can bring. They blame others for not helping them overcome their trials because they do not know how to pray to God and help themselves. Having faith in God in each step they took made them stronger for whatever came their way. Living life with eyes wide shut, but led by faith in God, helped the family rise out of the flames.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781682897737

Book preview

Flames

By Dana S. Milson

Copyright © 2016 Dana S. Milson

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2016

ISBN 978-1-68289-772-0 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-68289-773-7 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

For starters, let me give praise to God the Almighty for blessing me with life daily and granting me the ability to express myself through writing. Without him, nothing is possible.

Special thanks to my family, the Reeds and Pattersons, for teaching me to never lean on my own understanding but to God who will always guide and comfort me through whatever challenges life may throw my way. Sincere gratitude to Town Park Village #1 Board of Directors/Staff, Kristopher Smith, Leonard and Ann-Sheila Turkel of the Turkel Foundation, Helen O’Connell of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Paul L. Dunbar Elementary Staff, Booker T. Washington Sr. Girl’s Track Team/Coach Maurin, Norland Senior Administration/Staff/Students c/o 2007, especially my friends Sonja, Fernisha, Diane, and countless others I might have missed who assisted and/or rendered support during this life-changing experience.

Prologue

My comfortable lifestyle and cognitive state of mind came to an abrupt end on August 30, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. It all started from a not-so-good gut feeling in the early morning upon waking. I woke up feeling like something was wrong but could not put my finger on it. As usual when I rise from a night’s sleep, I start my morning off with a prayer. Prayer in the morning is my daily ritual because you never know what lies ahead when you step out of your door. I prayed more than usual for the bad feeling I felt when I rose on what seemed to be a peculiar morning as a precautionary measure. Prayer always soothes a worried mind, my grandmother used to say.

I am typically the third person to rise in the morning. My husband and older son are usually out the door by 5:30 a.m., thus leaving me to handle the morning roll call with the kids. After preparing breakfast, walking the dog, and implementing reinforced encouragement to the kids, I attempt to leave for work, but before doing so, my younger daughter stopped me to say she is not feeling well. Since getting her first period a couple of days ago, she had been a little under the weather. The girl acts like she is about to die, even wanting to stop her period forever. I told her all young women felt that way when they got their first period, and some still do after years of menstruating. I politely said to her, You’ll be all right, girl, take this Aleve, and the cramps should subside by the time you get ready to leave for school. She replied that she might stay home because she really did not feel well but that she would walk AJ, her brother, to school and come back home to lie down. I told her that if she felt better, call to let me know what she decides to do. Just make sure to call to let me know her final decision. Getting her first period kind of threw her for a loop, so I understood how she felt and allowed her to make the decision to stay at home if she was not up to going to school. Besides it was Thursday. One day out of school would not hurt, and she likes being there anyway. After walking Ziggy for twenty minutes, I brought the dog back in and yelled for Yuri not to forget to call me with her decision. I gave an I am gonna kick your butt yell to Nya, my oldest daughter, because she is always moving slow in the morning. That girl is scared as hell of a mama beat down; she cries before I get to that posterior, and I use that to my advantage. On the one hand, kids today are rude and will try you, especially if you look intimidated or scared of them. I see this daily at work while passing through the main office. Rude, disrespectful kids using all sought profane of language directed to their parents and adults with no regard for their actions. It’s just a shame at how this generation continue to behave toward the very people that care for them.

What Lies Ahead

On my morning ride to work, I take northwest Seventh Avenue north to Thirty-sixth Street then turn on Tenth Avenue just west of Midtown Miami to enter Interstate-95 northbound express lane entrance because of the height that puts you in the heavens in the morning. The sun is peeking through the clouds, and I can say good morning to my grammy in heaven among the beautiful hues being transmitted as day breaks. The blends of gold, orange, and reds swirled across the sky are like that of the sun peeking up in the horizon across the ocean displayed on an artist’s canvas. You have to see it to believe it. I usually drive the first five miles in silence to get my head right. The last five miles I bob my head to some music before reaching my destination depending on my mood. Today is Thursday of an interesting week so I will bump some Barry White Sweetness to start my day.

Arriving to work, I park on the northwest side of the school because it is much easier to exit out into the afternoon traffic from there and drive up Eleventh Avenue to avoid the afterschool gridlock. This is the first year I am teaching reading to students in the ninth and twelfth grades, wondering how this would pan out seeming that I am a Science person. Anyway, I have learned how to adjust to any situation, plus I will make this an adventurous one for my students. I have to say that my twelfth grade students are great. I guess it is because of their maturity level and knowing that they have to handle their business. This is the last step before they enter the real world: graduate, attend night school or drop out, and become a bum.