The Journey of One Tortoise

By Michael E. Black

About the Book
On March 19th, 2020 the world is locking down to deal with the Covid 19 pandemic, and Joe The Journey of One Tortoise is an autobiography. Let me take you on Journey from my days as a young man in Florida to my time in the Marines living in Japan to now residing in Eastern North Carolina. With great humility and awareness, I realize how blessed my life has been, and like just about everyone, it has not been without many struggles along the way. The purpose of this book is simple; I thought my Journey was worth sharing, and I know it will resonate with many, inspire, and maybe even motivate you to share your life’s Journey. I started thinking about writing this book around late 2018 and put words on paper in late 2020. As we all know, COVID-19 wreaked havoc in our world; too many passed away, so take a pause and give thanks that you are still among the living. I reflected greatly on this time in our world and how it’s changed many things. A little bit about me, I am originally from Tamp, Florida, and I will always be a Floridian at heart. I am a Christian, Husband, father, and Marine veteran. I live in New Bern, North Carolina, with my lovely wife Camille and our brown pit bull (Sheba). I enjoy reading, church, friends, and on occasion playing chess. In our fast-paced world, so many seem focused on titles. Let me tell you, you are so much more than the few titles you are fortunate to hold. I challenge you to be inspiring, an encourager, loving, and please, just be yourself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: Oct 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798891270718

Book preview

Black_Title_Page.eps

The contents of this work, including, but not limited to, the accuracy of events, people, and places depicted; opinions expressed; permission to use previously published materials included; and any advice given or actions advocated are solely the responsibility of the author, who assumes all liability for said work and indemnifies the publisher against any claims stemming from publication of the work.

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 by Michael E. Black

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted, downloaded, distributed, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without permission in writing from the publisher.

Dorrance Publishing Co

585 Alpha Drive

Suite 103

Pittsburgh, PA 15238

Visit our website at www.dorrancebookstore.com 

ISBN: 979-8-89127-573-7

eISBN: 979-8-89127-071-8

Preface

images_75_Copy75.png

Writing this book is something I honestly thought I would never do. It was not even on my radar as something I wanted to accomplish. Who am I to write a book? Who would take the time to read what I had to say? As I have grown emotionally and spiritually, I have come to realize that parts of my life journey are worth sharing. Over the past forty-four years, despite my many struggles, I have been blessed immensely, whereas many others in this life may not have been so fortunate. I hope that you will be uplifted and encouraged by my sharing my life journey and stories. You may laugh, cry, be inspired, and reflect on your life as you enjoy this book. You may even find the inspiration to take the journey of writing a book.

Dedication

images_78_Copy78.png

I want to give special thanks to all those who have made an impact on my life. Of course, my parents, my mother Patrice and Papa-Tim, my dad Mark and Mama-Anita, my grandparents Patricia, Bernice, Edward, and Warren, my Uncles Mark, Barry, Dennis, my Aunt Debbie, my cousins Cynthia and Catrina, and my siblings Joshua, Wesley, Marie, and Amanda.

Church Family: Patrick, Ronnie, Chuck, Kathy, Frank, Lea, Todd, Donna, Chris, Marty, Partick, Kevin, Sherri, John, Christina, Chuck, Kathy, Cliff, Barry, Jud, Roger, and Tanio.

School friends; Daniel, Jason, Ryan, Jeremey, Marine Corps friends and teammates Adam, Clarence, Ronald, Robert, Albert, Christine, Diane, Kesia, Joe, Bryan, Heather, Keith, and Thomas.

Saving the best for last: my loving wife Camille, my daughter Olivia, and my son-in-law Seth. Also, my brothers-in-law Timothy, Jim, Christopher, Charity, Michael, Joann, and Greg.

Chapter One

images_81_Copy81.png

The Younger Years

I remember staying with my dear grandparents when I was five. My grandparents significantly impacted my life, and I always felt I was unique to them; after all, I was the first grandchild, and any grandparent will tell you that the first is amazing. Of course, every grandchild is precious, and my grandparents made all the grandchildren feel special and loved. My grandmother picked me up from nursery school, which was literally just a hop, skip, and jump three houses down from her house. My memories of this time in life are enjoyable, and I especially remember that my grandparents were great cooks. I would stay the night a few days a week, and I remember that my granddad made the best breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Like the average young person, and perhaps most boys, I struggled to wake up. But my dear, sweet Grandmother, being the angel she was, knew I had this aversion, so she implemented a technique she no doubt learned somewhere in her life. She would come into the bedroom and so sweetly say,

Michael, wake up, sweetie, drink the orange juice I put by your nightstand.

As a grandmother, she had to know that the sugar and acidity from freshly squeezed orange juice — probably from the orange tree in the yard — would wake me up. After drinking the orange juice, I tried on many occasions to go back to sleep, but my eyes would fly open almost violently. Finally, my grandmother would reemerge and say,

Michael, get up, honey; it’s time to get ready for school.   

Another fond memory is my first crush. She was a cute, little black girl named Jamie. She was pretty, and I liked playing with her at my daycare. She was from my neighborhood, which included the apartments near my mom’s house.

My mother and father divorced when I was two years old. Afterward my mother and I lived in a one-bedroom apartment for about five years. When I was seven, my mother met Papa-Tim, and we moved a few miles down the road to an actual house. 

Black_001.png

Looking back I remember this house fondly. Many great memories were produced there. Some may think this is odd, but I have intentionally visited the old house’s site over the years. Although this house was torn down and replaced by a bank, I gravitate to the area. I am humbled and reminded of how truly blessed I am, and I will never forget my roots.

These early memories took place in Tampa, Florida, which was hot year-round, and I wore shorts a lot and no shirt whenever possible. Growing up, I can vividly remember the smell of citrus in the air, mixed with the ocean breeze. The cyprus trees and palm trees always made it calm and tropical. My mother met Papa-Tim and shortly thereafter we moved down the street to our new house. You guessed it, we had better air conditioning, and I had more living space.

Age seven was a massive year for me, as my baby brother Joshua was born. How cool being a big brother was! My mother had a weak stomach and would gag at the sight of poopy diapers. If I could have logically processed things, I would have