I AM,WHO I AM

By Ronnie D. Riser

The title I Am Who I Am depicts the evolution and transformation in reaching manhood. "I am" refers to Ronnie Dewayne Riser and "Who I am" refers to who he became through the actual accounts of people, events, and occurrences in his life. The true nature of his story teaches that he has nothing to hide. His genuine attitude and demeanor make him a person. Some may question his identity, but he does not change to satisfy the mass or to fit in. That is who he is. In simplest form, he was the same yesterday, is the same today, and will be the same tomorrow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685266578

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

I Am Who I Am

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

About the Author

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I AM,WHO I AM

Ronnie D. Riser

ISBN 978-1-68526-656-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68526-657-8 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Ronnie D. Riser

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

I wholeheartedly dedicate this book, foremost, to the Almighty God who has always been there, from beginning to completion; to my beloved parents and family for instilling the values, strength, guidance, and mental toughness from adolescence to adulthood; to my friends for enhancing loyalty, togetherness, teamwork, and fair play in sports and life; and finally, to my various acquaintances for adding different, spicy experiences that aided in formatting ideas, content, and memories. Therefore, these individuals deemed worthy of this honor and for molding and shaping my life and this book.

A body could be shaped by a program, diet, and vigorous exercise; however, an individual could be shaped by lively surroundings and a committed environment. These factors make up who you have become and who you are.

Your true self!

—Ronnie Dewayne Riser

I Am Who I Am

God created the Heavens and the Earth.

Subsequently, on the sixth day, He formulated a conclusion.

People then determined various levels of their worth.

Without understanding, they tried to develop a resolution.

Confused actions started happening when one is young.

That is why parents interceded.

Eventually, the shaping and molding had begun.

That is when grown-ups gave children what they needed.

Parents graduated their loved one to those they trust.

Like teachers and coaches, whose jobs were to educate.

Most certainly, many considered this a must.

In order to signal your mind and body to cultivate.

Friends and acquaintances were significant others.

They verified events from the past.

Becoming close like sisters and brothers.

They boosted your self-esteem by encouraging one in class.

As these lessons commenced to blend.

Just remember, Don't you blink!

These exercises would come to an end.

Leaving one in a state to think.

Be careful what you find.

It's not as easy as going to an eatery.

The masses could influence and shape your mind.

As if your life was like pottery.

Introduction

Who are you? What type of person did you become? Every individual comes into this world innocent and pure with a clean slate. Throughout one's life, a person develops like a work of art. He or she is molded by society and surrounding people. Such as a big lump of clay, a potter molds and shapes, subtracts and adds, cleans and finishes, and paints and kilns his piece into a finished product worth admiring.

The same is performed during the duration of one's life span. We commence life as untouched infants. During our upbringing, we are instructed, influenced, shaped, and molded by shape-shifters. Compared to a potter, these shape-shifters consist of parents, siblings, grandparents, and other members of the family. Nonfamily sculptors are pastors, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, teammates, and coworkers.

Many young people are forced into certain kinds of lifestyle due to their environment. The environment is a major contributor in molding the innocent. For example, if a person resided in a gang-infested neighborhood, most likely he or she would be forced into a gang.

This book expresses how a young lad from a small East Texas town was transformed into the special person he has become today. Just like pottery!

Chapter 1

The Early Risers

Knowing the makeup of yourself from ancestors can be of huge importance to who you may become. History does repeat itself. Genetics brings specific characteristics to the table. It can give a person his or her eye color, physique, skin color, hair, facial features, and more. James Baldwin, an African American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic, once wrote, Know from whence you came. If you know whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.

The surname Riser goes all the way back to the kingdom of Bohemia, which was part of the Czech Republic. Bohemians were linked to the Holy Roman Empire. The name traced back to the medieval German ris or risle, meaning branch or twig respectively. This surname was associated with the occupational name for a wood-carver. Throughout history, the name underwent various transformations; such as Reis, Reisle, Reiss, Reisse, Ries, Reisz, Reiser, Reysse, Reys, Rice, Ris, Rise, Risle, Rioser, and finally to Riser in Heidelberg, Germany.

In the early 1700s, a young German, Johan Georg Riser, journeyed from Heidelberg and sailed to the New World for a new life. He landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 and at that time, declared himself John George Riser. Later, he met a young German female, Francina F. Counts, formerly Francesa F. Kuntz. They married and were gifted with children. The two emigrates packed up their family and moved to New London, Newberry County, South Carolina. They traveled southward and landed in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Upon arrival, John changed his name again to George Michael Riser. It was common for immigrants to change their names to a more realistic American name.

While in Spartanburg, one of their sons, John Adams Riser, met a young lady, Ann Margaret Preacher, and were married. They commenced a westward movement and settled in the new and uncharted territory of Mississippi. Because of the move, the family was honored with the distinction of being one of the First Families of Mississippi. John and his brother, Jacob, fought in the War of 1812 as part of the Mississippi militia in the Battle of New Orleans.

Before the war, the Risers frequently visited Fayette County, Kentucky. On one occasion in 1810, Ann Margaret gave birth to a son named David. David Riser, who was a farmer, met Nancy Hollingsworth and married in 1831. David and Nancy called Newton, Mississippi, their home since 1850.

Twelve years later, in 1862, Nancy gave birth to a daughter named Emma. Emma Riser, a Caucasian, met Elmer Blue Rand, a Black American, and fell in love. She gave birth to children out of wedlock. They did not marry because of a law against interracial marriages derived from a book by Madeline Baars titled Marriage in Black and White: Women's Support for Law against Interracial Marriages, 1872–1900.

Emma and Elmer's two eldest children were a son named Albert and a daughter named Della. Albert was of dark complexion and Della was mulatta. Even though they were siblings, they married. To continue the family's westward migration, Albert and Della gathered their things and eventually settled in a small East Texas town called Smithland. Smithland was a farming region. The Risers were looking for more industrious surroundings; therefore, they traveled approximately thirty miles southward to Marshall, Texas, in Harrison County. There they started their family with a son named Harold, my father.

Chapter 2

Strong Family Values

The people that are with a person during the adolescent years would have a major impact on an individual's development. Those would be parents and siblings. Parents taught the lessons of how to survive in life. They provided the basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. In respect to siblings, they taught togetherness, loyalty, and trust. From a family of eight children, one always had someone to play with but also to get in trouble with. The most recognizable trait was that they always had your back.

In 1958, the third child, Ronnie Dewayne Riser, born February 14 to the late Mrs. and Mr. Sammie Lee and Harold Riser Sr. in Marshall, learned early the importance of family. His family was considered old-fashioned and traditional in a sense that the mother remained at home with the children but the father worked to earn all the house income. In the late '50s and early '60s, it was common to have large families. The Riser family consisted of ten people: mother, father, four girls, and four boys.

During the