My Journey to Success, Motherless and Fatherless: (I Did It, and You Can Too)

By Gloria Ward, RN

This book is based on a true story about an infant who grew up without any parents (no mother or father); struggled throughout life; endured hardships, ups and downs, highs and lows; dealt with racism, discrimination, mental, verbal, and psychological abuse; functioned independently; graduated from college with a professional degree without owing a cent for financial aid; built a house from the ground up without owing a single cent; bought timeshare property; gave birth to two amazing children who both attended college.

That orphan, that person, happens to be no other than myself! I did it because of persistence, perseverance, resilience, and a strong will to survive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890439291

Book preview

cover.jpg

My Journey to Success, Motherless and Fatherless

(I Did It, and You Can Too)

Gloria Ward, RN

ISBN 979-8-89043-931-4 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-89043-929-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Gloria Ward, RN

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.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

To my two wonderful children, Khaadean and Kadeem; my gorgeous granddaughters, Alayna and Aria; my son-in-law, Mark, whom I consider as my other son; my one-and-only sister, Joy; and to my dearest grandmother and aunts (now deceased)—Lillian Robinson, Hazel Rose Ashman, and Primrose Goode. These people have an indelible place in my heart that is sealed and cannot be broken. My reasons and purpose to never give up regardless of any circumstances in life. I love them all to pieces!

To my crazy family in Rose Hill, South Manchester, and Kingston, Jamaica West Indies, and all over the globe—you guys are the best. You make me laugh so much at times I feel like I am as crazy as you are. Thanks for being my family. Love you all dearly.

To the few friends that I handpicked—Barry, Norman, Glenford, Dez, Cummings, Nadine, Cherry, Paulette, June, Sharon, McKay, and Mattina (a dozen roses)—I love you all!

A special thank you to CFP for publishing my first book, making my dream come to life. Another example that we should never give up on what we believe in because dreams do come through.

About the Author

To my two wonderful children, Khaadean and Kadeem; my gorgeous granddaughters, Alayna and Aria; my son-in-law, Mark, whom I consider as my other son; my one-and-only sister, Joy; and to my dearest grandmother and aunts (now deceased)—Lillian Robinson, Hazel Rose Ashman, and Primrose Goode. These people have an indelible place in my heart that is sealed and cannot be broken. My reasons and purpose to never give up regardless of any circumstances in life. I love them all to pieces!

To my crazy family in Rose Hill, South Manchester, and Kingston, Jamaica West Indies, and all over the globe—you guys are the best. You make me laugh so much at times I feel like I am as crazy as you are. Thanks for being my family. Love you all dearly.

To the few friends that I handpicked—Barry, Norman, Glenford, Dez, Cummings, Nadine, Cherry, Paulette, June, Sharon, McKay, and Mattina (a dozen roses)—I love you all!

A special thank you to CFP for publishing my first book, making my dream come to life. Another example that we should never give up on what we believe in because dreams do come through.

I'm the daughter of a domestic laborer who lost her mother at a tender age, having no father to guide or protect her. Ask yourself, how on earth was I able to survive? Life seemed hopeless and uncertain. Should you give up, or fight for survival? Well, giving up was definitely not an option, so there you go. The only thing left to do was certainly fight for survival. Live, love, and pray; but always think positive.

At only five years of age—and in the blink of an eye—my protector, the only person that could rock and cradle me, was taken away from me with bullet wounds. You see, my mother died when I was only five years old. Shot in the stomach by a maniac who had no purpose in life. A man that I have not known and whom I would not be interested in knowing. Why the hell would you want to know someone who took your mother away with bullet wounds? He was considered dead to me, not worth mentioning.

The youngest of two children, my sister, Joy—a year older than I was at the time—had also lost her protector. We were practically babies with no sense of direction. What do you do at such a tender age? How do you move forward without knowing what the future would hold? As children we rely on our parents to take care of us, feed us, and clothe us. No mother, no father, and life was uncertain. At only five years old. So sad! Sad indeed.

I had no father at the time my mother passed away. I never knew who he was. Those days in the '60s in my little district, there were mostly deadbeat fathers. You were lucky if a man would stand up to their responsibility. Anyway, looking back now, I guess it makes complete sense. A deadbeat father should always stay in their own lane. As far as I am concerned, I was a gift from God, so all I needed to survive was his presence and his grace. Always think positively; no negativity: one of my two mottos.

I do not have much recollection of the fatal incident with my mother, as I was so young, but I knew I had a mother who was very jovial, full of life, and would light up any room with her presence. I know this because I was told by my older sister who remembered our mother and had vivid recollections of her, though she was also very young when she died. Friends and other family members also informed me of how much of a beautiful soul our mother was.

She died at an early age in the year 1965 (twenty-five years old at the time of her murder), the prime of her life. She was very young when she gave birth to my sister and me. She was only twenty years old when she gave birth to me. In the blink of an eye, her life had been cut short by this maniac, madman, murderer, demon. No words can describe him. Just diabolic! What I will not do is mention his name, as it is not worth mentioning. Yes, I do know his name, but I refuse to even mention it, as I feel it would be doing myself a disservice. So, as I said, his name is dead to me too.

My sister (Joy) told me she remembered our mother and that she always remembered, while she was alive, how she would just watch her dancing in the middle of the room with a broad hat on her head, and she would just keep turning around with a broad smile on her face. She was just a breath of fresh air (as she described her). Honestly, I rely solely on what I was told. I don't remember much about her—or better yet, I didn't know her at all. As sad and heartbreaking as it is, I wish I had known or remembered just a little about her, even a small hug or kiss—anything, just anything.