Innocence to Entrepreneur

By Debra Jackson Pope-Lewis

Most humble people go through life not expecting to be placed on center stage. Yet my daddy was a big star in my life--my influencer and inspiration. He taught me more than he ever realized. This book shares my adolescent innocence raised in a junkyard and spiritually nurtured in the family church--Church of God. I discuss the challenges of readjusting my life as a single mother and finding the spiritual stamina to become a successful entrepreneur.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685267704

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Innocence to Entrepreneur

Debra Jackson Pope-Lewis

ISBN 978-1-68526-769-8 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-68526-770-4 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Debra Jackson Pope-Lewis

All rights reserved

First Edition

Front cover image by niece, Christy Jackson

Back cover art painted by Gail O’Neil

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

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

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

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

About the Author

This book was written in order to share my many life experiences with my family, my friends, and my clients through Christ. I was especially inspired by my beloved husband, Bill Lewis, and my prayer partner with much creativity, as then being assisted by my high school English teacher Barbara Price; also an English teacher to my son, Susan Ellis; Sylvia Moore, a special school counselor; and my son's preschool teacher, Carolyn Allen. I chose as my artist Beverly Sessoms because she could design and paint the story of my life. All these special people have been a major part of my life.

Since I was not able to observe the growth of my only precious grandson, Robert Ellwood Pope, except through Facetime, holiday visits, and the assistance of my loving niece, Skyeler Jackson, who helped me scrapbook Rob's growing years, with all that in mine, I would like to lovingly dedicate this book to Rob.

Rob, please hold tight these precious memories, even after such time God calls me to the promised land…eternal life. Always remember that Grandma dearly loves you forever.

Also remember, To thine own self be true (William Shakespeare).

Lovingly,

Grandma

Preface

From the innocence of my childhood, God has led me through love, marriage, motherhood, trials, and the disappointments of life, which gave me the courage to be a successful entrepreneur. It was an amazing journey.

Today, I realized that reading of God's Word and growing up in a devout Christian family, along with the eternal, lasting love of the troops of my many friends, are blessings that I wish to share with the readers of my book.

I feel my life has been centered on the Word of God whether I attended the Church of God, Pentecostal Holiness, Methodist, Baptist, and now even beyond denominational ties. My central focus had to be my faith to get me through the many challenges of life.

God brought me through the innocence of a young girl to the accomplishment of a successful, viable business, as then, not only into retirement, but a peaceful transition into life until my next assignment—service to others.

Praise be to God!

Acknowledgments

I find it somewhat difficult to acknowledge someone who does not want to be acknowledged. God blessed me with a very special person for two years to help me work through my grief and pain that I had experienced throughout my life and to put in words. I am very grateful for that experience and will hold it dear to my heart forever.

Without that experience, I would not have been able to publish this book.

Love through Christ,

Debra Jackson Pope-Lewis

Chapter 1

In the Beginning

Waking up to the sound of a horn honking outside my window, I would lift myself up to the window to see what was passing by. The car passing by would make me smile. I was very young…but I can still remember.

My life as a child began on a farm in Edgecombe County, Pinetops, North Carolina. Born to Martha Anne and Marvin Earl Jackson, we lived in a small framed farmhouse behind my Grandma Anna Jackson's house—with no bathroom! Okay, I'll just go on and say it, with a little framed Johnny house out back, but typical for its day. By now you know my secrets and probably how old I am.

My daddy was a hardworking man, a custom painter at Long's Manufacturing Company in Tarboro, North Carolina. My mama worked days and some weekends at a toy factory, about half of a mile down the road, a factory called Carolina Enterprises. Even though we had very little money, I would have to say our family had enough love to share with the whole of the county, if not the world.

There would come a day, when I was only four years old, I came down suddenly with scarlet fever, having a temperature of 106. I remember my mother bathing me in a washtub with ice cold water, trying to bring my fever down. However, I was soon to be hospitalized at Edgecombe Memorial Hospital, which no longer exists. For five days it was I lay with fever, my mama always by my side. Day and night she stayed with me. I can still hear her comforting voice.

Honey, she would say, let me hold you tight, when you're afraid, as they came every day to give me shots, three times daily.

I'll squeeze you, she would say, so it won't hurt so bad. And it didn't. Mother was my comfort, but as for Daddy, I always thought him to be the smartest man, as he had to try to save Grandma Jackson's farm, he would say.

So there will be no wasted food, not in my house, Dad would say. One day when he caught me throwing out my leftovers to the dogs—that's when I got my first spanking—I well remember! And there was one more household rule better not to forget—proper manners at the table when you come to eat your food.

No sitting on your feet at the table, he would say, and mealtimes will be quiet for the children. I guess that's where the saying comes from, Children should be seen, and not heard.

At the tender age of six, with horns a honking, bumper's rattling, God himself was coming in loud and clear—and I was getting the message! Even at the age of six.

He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.

—Proverbs 13:24 (NKJV)

Chapter 2

Growing Up

During the late '50s, my dad being the youngest son in his family, the last to leave home, he would have to help Grandma Jackson keep the family farm. So he took it upon himself to buy twenty-eight acres from her to pay off the debt. His dream for the acreage was to build an empire of Junk cars, he would say. And he did! So Grandma gave him an extra acre just to build us a house right in the middle by the side of the road. It's still in the family today.

Since I was in the first grade, I was very aware that they were both working very hard to care for us. Even with just an eighth-grade education, Dad was smart enough to hold down two jobs at the same time. After working all day at Long's Manufacturing, he would hurry home to a second job, painting used cars. Mama would tape them up with newspaper before she went to work at four o'clock. All the while, Dad worked to build his great empire of "Junk cars!" he would say.

One of my favorite memories was waking up to the sound of honking of horns especially on Saturday morning, as that was the day when the yard was full of customers coming to buy parts for their old cars and jalopies. I can still see the yard full of men. Dad would always say, when the horns came a honking, That's money talking.

All the while my mother worked a second shift, so she could tape the cars brought in for painting to help my daddy out, and then so she would be free to take me on to school. She would pick me up from school, meet Dad at work when he was finished for the day, so she could be at work by four o'clock.

They were such a team I think, my mother and my dad, as they both worked together to meet the needs of the family. A team until at last, at the end of the day, work was done. I learned the value of working together from them.

Mom was