CHAPTER 1

THE LONG WAY HOME

Psalms 68:6 God setteth the solitary in families; hebringeth out those which are bound with chains;

I was born on a Wednesday, in hot August at Jackson MemorialHospital. My mother is the only parent that I ever known and fora long time I did not have a father in my life. My mom met a manname Alex in in the 1960s who you could say was our closest relativeand became a part of our life from time to time.

My mother was born in Miami also but she is Bahamian descendant. Mysiblings were: Franklin, Felicia, Lavon, Will and Wilhemena. My mothertold me that she fell with me one day outside of her apartment down aflight of stairs when she was just eight months pregnant with me. "Nodoubt" she said, "that Alex push her because he was upset with her. Shealso shared with me that at six months, I began walking and that wasunusual for a baby to begin walking at that stage because for most babiesthey began walking at nine months or more, but she said she knew thenthat I had a purpose; she just didn't know what.

Alex was a strange man but very handsome. He was with my mother forthe first three years of my life and then disappeared after that I didn'tsee him for a long time. Throughout my life Alex became a mystery anda piece of my puzzle that I had to put together because no one seem tohave the answers that I needed to go forward in life as a woman.

I went to Orchard Villa Elementary until I finished the six-grade. Mymother work from time to time of what I knew on the beaches at theFountain Bleu Hotel and other Hotels that were popular with the richpeople on Miami Beach which is now called "Sin City". My mother workto support us and pay the rent and the many other bills that came induring the end of each month. My mother was so beautiful and she hada style of her own. She wore bellbottoms, and Afros and big earringsthese were the styles of the seventies. She had the most beautiful set ofteeth that you ever wanted to see and I could remember that she alwayskept herself up, regardless if she didn't have a man standing close to herside. I never remember at any time that she didn't cook for us or cleanor even provide for us, she was always active in our lives no matter whattook place.

We would go to school without missing any days and my mother wouldmake sure that we woke up early enough at 4am in the morning to getdress and then go back to sleep and awake again at 7:00am in orderfor us to arrive to school on time. We would go to church because shewould demand it, and since my grandmother was a missionary we hadno choice, but to follow her directions because she lived about a goodtwelve blocks down the street from us.

My grandmother's name was Jerelean and her mother's name was Maude.My grandmother's mother died when my grandmother was nine yearsof age in a car accident and was raised by her sister Winifred. There'slittle that I know about my great grandparents and my grandmother'ssiblings because my grandmother came from Bahamas Nassau whenshe was just a baby. My grandmother was a virgin when she met andmarried my grandfather and had nine children, five boys: Joe, George,Leroy, John, and Anthony and four girls: Irene, Maude, Roxie, andMerriam.

I didn't like going to my grandmother's house that much, because shewould cook food that I didn't like to eat. Like the time we had to eat porkn beans, grits and onions. It was the most horrible combination that Icould ever imagine swallowing; and half of the time the grits wouldn'tbe cooked all the way, but whatever grandmother had in the cabinet foryou to eat, you best to believe that you had no choice, but to eat it. Andif you ever visit grandmother's house she is going to make sure that youget a decent meal and some decent clothing to put on your body nomatter where they came from.

My grandmother had so many clothes, hats and shoes some that needed tobe thrown in the garbage, but that was her style. When my grandmotherwould go to church she would dress in all white for special services at thechurch. From what I could remember and what I've had been told frommy family; my grandmother has been ushering all her life at our homechurch since 1959 when she first join there. My grandmother wouldhang her clothes all on the walls and in the bathrooms of her home; sheoutgrew her apartment long time ago, I just don't think that she knewthat. I just believe that she loved that apartment because it was her veryown place that she could talk to her plants and speak to her neighbors ona daily basis. Throughout the years I've always observe my grandmotherand I had never seen her smoke, drink, use profanity, wear pants or lieshe was the perfect angel in my eyes. Although she may have done somethings in life that I may not be aware of, her lifestyle eventually helpedme to see how I must live when I became a Christian later on in life.

My mother's father name was George N. Burns, he was born toAngelina Duncombe and Samuel Burns in Stanyard Creek,Andros Bahamas. He pastured in many different churchesthroughout his life. He pastured in Canada for twenty-three years in aMethodist Church near his home. He also preached in Miami from timeto time on his visits with the family. I rarely got to see my grandfatherbecause he lived in Detroit after he and my grandmother had separated.My grandparents' oldest daughter had seven children, three of themdied early on in life, but the remaining four has been talented in theirendeavors. I resembled my aunt in a lot of ways as I've been told growingup from a child. Aunt Irene is...