Make it with Peace: A Spiritual Guide to Discover Inner Peace

By Christine Graham

Make it With Peace is a book about finding inner peace in a world bombarded with so much chaos. This book reflects on life lessons learned along the way. It shows the reader how to quiet the inner noise and seek the presence of God. The book, ‘Make it with Peace’, was written as a journey of seeking to understand the world around and find the voice within. It takes you on a path of childhood days and confronting the issues faced as a teenager and into adulthood. Finding purpose and meaning to life. A thought-provoking experience, which allows the reader to know that through faith, peace is attainable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798369403631

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Copyright © 2023 by Christine Graham.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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.

Rev. date: 07/24/2023

Xlibris

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www.Xlibris.com

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgment

Preface

PART 1

The Path

The Early Years

Surviving the Growing Pains

The Inner Child

Life’s Greatest Moments

When Life Gives You Lemons

Love Conquers All

The Moment Life Changes

Worry Less & Plan More

Finding the Path to Peace

PART 2

The Purpose

Healed And Not Broken

Surrendering Throughout the Storm

Journey to Purpose

Look for the Good

While Waiting

A Hidden Treasure

Faith Moves Mountains

Determined to Learn

Forming New Habits

A Heart to Give

PART 3

The Discovery

Becoming a Masterpiece

Finding Freedom

The ‘Why’ Generation

Paving the way to a Clear Vision

The Road to Forgiveness

Getting Real and Letting Go

This book is dedicated to my son Daniel.

For all the challenges we endured, God was with us through it all.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

There were people who came alongside me to encourage, uplift and inspire me.

I want to thank my faithful mentors, Sylvia Small, Sis. Ivelyn Goffee and Marlene Ashman, for your guidance and for being a spiritual mother to me.

Pastor Frank Corbin and Brother Neville Hutchinson, great leaders and mentors.`

My son, who is my heartbeat.

My sister Grace for being a great sister and friend.

I also want to thank George Gumbs, Sam Tita and Aisha Nixon for your inspiration and ministry, and everyone who was there to help me along the way.

It is also dedicated to all those that seek peace within a noisy world.

Proverbs 29:25

The fear of man brings a snare. But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.

PREFACE

In a world bombarded with so much to do and so little time, we wonder how we can possibly find peace. We have become creatures of multitasking, making the unimaginable possible and at the same time worn us out so that we don’t even have time for what matters the most in our lives. There is so much going on inside our minds that the thought of peace sounds unattainable. I wrote this book to let you know, yes, you can have peace in your life.

The lessons I’ve learned, I share with a listening ear while staying humble. I fill my cup with joy, love, peace, fulfillment and contentment, knowing that there is a greater force holding it all together. I let my light shine so bright that it radiates to those around me. I learned not to expect but to give beyond the expectations of others. When you leave this earth, you will take nothing with you but only leave behind what you gave. Each day I learn and grow. I choose not to take up residence where I was yesterday. What really matters is not what happens to us but what happens through us.

Life is a series of peaks and valleys. There are difficult moments and unpleasant situations, but there are also moments of joy and peace. Some people come to stay, and others leave. What is most important is what you learned along the way. Did you carry a lot of baggage along the journey? Or did you leave it behind and brought with you the experience to share?

Growing up, I wanted to win over my family’s affection and continuously tried to get noticed enough to get the attention I desperately wanted. I was the youngest of six children. I allowed my brothers and sisters to win the fight and retreated for most of my young adult life. Wanting to be heard, but my voice got drowned out by the others in my family. Their voices played in my head over and over again until I did not know my voice. I grew up seeking validation, love and always seeking.

During the most challenging times, I was facing fear, depression and anxiety. In my quest to find inner peace, I searched for love, becoming pregnant at the age of 25 - which is the same age my mother was when she gave birth to me. She was the strength of our family, and losing her to Alzheimer’s made us more aware of our dependence on her. A few years later, I lost my brother – he suffered from mental illness and lived a life in the shadows.

Being a single mother came with its challenges as I searched for answers to life’s puzzling questions. This desire led me on a journey to find love, joy, and peace. Sure, life has its ups and downs and chaotic moments, but God is in the center of it. He speaks with a soft nudge and other times with a loud thump. Not promising us roses, but He can take away the thorns. The moment that I am in right now is the moment that I need to be. Nothing gets wasted. It all gets used up some way or the other. I heard somewhere that life is a great teacher, and ‘boy’ it taught me.

I often stop to smell the flowers in the springtime. Waking up at 5:00 am before everyone else to listen to the stillness of the world. It may be part of my DNA to strive for a deeper meaning, fulfillment and purpose. As I continue to grow and learn, I ask for God’s guidance along the way.

PART 1

The Path

THE EARLY YEARS

My parents were visionaries. They must have been to leave a land of the familiar to come to a place of unfamiliarity. Both my parents worked at the same hospital. I remember seeing my mom come home tired, closing her door to sleep, getting up the next day only to do it all over again.

My parents were from what they would call small parishes in Jamaica. My mother was the true visionary because she never wanted to go back. She saw her future in Canada. Her mission was to travel the world, and that she did. She travelled to Africa, went on cruises and often went to England where she visited her sister Mavis who is now deceased and a couple of brothers who have passed on. One of which I never met. I only saw a picture of him once. He had the most beautiful green eyes that I ever saw. I remember this because they were piercing. I heard he was very good at art. This trait runs in the family because my mother was pretty good at painting, and my niece is an artist.

In Junior High, an artist came to our school to teach us how to paint landscapes. I was excited. I painted a picture of a mountain with many trees surrounding it. I used the most vivid colours that I could find. My painting came alive. I was amazed that I could paint that well. Although I never really painted after that, I did a few sketches here and there. I drew a picture of Obama with the words underneath ‘Yes We Can", which I included in my portfolio. The slogan he used during his campaign. I know that true artistry lives in me somewhere.

Out of six siblings, five of us grew up together. Although we grew up together, we grew apart. My sister would be out and about with her friends. My oldest brother played the piano in church, and he would frequently travel with the group. Most days, I would go to the playground with my youngest brother Cecil.

When I wasn’t playing outside, I’d watch TV with my second older brother. He loved watching hockey games. Although I had no interest in Hockey, I watched the games along with him. If I expressed how I felt, I would be teased and called ‘stupid.’ I couldn’t understand the game. Even though we went skating as children, I was never a fan of Hockey. At the time, I don’t think he cared much for the game – only to annoy me.

I was not too fond of the sight of food, especially meat. My mother was at her wit’s end with me. Being an uncommonly skinny teenager, I often threw up at the thought of eating food. My family would finish their meals, and I would be the last one still sitting at the table. It’s interesting now, looking back, that my son chose to be a vegetarian.

She decided to take me to the doctor. The doctor said to my mother, Don’t worry, when she turns sixteen, she will begin to gain weight. That did not stop the endless teasing from the kids in grade school. The pain lasted for years because I internalized it but did not realize its impact on my life. I took on a victim mentality, and those that I genuinely cared about, I shut out - not trusting anyone.

Most times, people compared me to my sister. She had a considerable number of friends, and I felt as though I was her younger sister who tagged along - her shadow but not myself.

In-Home Economics – also known as Home EC class, I was thrilled to sew my first jumper in grade school. It was pink and gray and cut short at the bottom, like the girls’ carpi pants they wear today. We had an end of year fashion gala, which gave us a chance to showcase our designs. I was excited as I stepped on the stage to ‘Show-off’ what I made. I heard someone call out with a loud bellowing voice, ‘That’s Grace’s sister’ – I was dismayed. Although it was my dream– the song Put it on the Ritz became It doesn’t fit’ in my mind because it no longer felt like it was my show.

Although my sister and I looked very much alike, we had completely different personalities - I was quiet, but they say ‘still waters run deep,’ waiting to rise above the shore. I love my hair natural and curly, and my sister kept hers straight.

When I was younger, I would cut my hair, and at times it would fall out on its own from too much perm and colouring. I would create short styles. Back in the 1980s, I wore Jheri curls. It was this thing to wear at that time for black hair. I still believe that I looked my best with short curly hair. It was a fad that was short-lived. There were many fads back then.

As I continued my natural hair journey, I braided my hair and wore wigs at times. Society has placed conviction on how we are to look, that some of us have become clones of one another – not having our own uniqueness. There are countless amounts of people who gave in to society’s views and thought they were not