It's A New Day

 

 

 

 

My Dearest Class of '82,

First of all, let me say, "I love you all so much!" And ,"Thanks for loving me back."

I hope these words find you in good spirits with open hearts. Like you, my heart is aching at the recent loss of our classmate, Ernestine. This loss is on the heels of the loss of our dear classmates, Neecha and Perry. So, certainly my pain is your pain.

I am encouraged by a post by our sister, Ernestine, when she posted “When things don’t make sense, Praise!” Each time I hear my heart breaking louder and the tears start to flow again, I think about that post. It has helped me and I pray it helps you. By praising in the moment, your thoughts aren’t focused on the circumstance or the situation. Your thoughts become focused on the One who can soothe your pain and wipe your tears.

So, often when we aren’t discipline enough to take on a mighty task, the Lord does it for us. In addition to being a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, the Lord assigned a mission to Ernestine. That was to be an Ambassador for the Class of 1982. She was to help bring the class together in order to embrace where we have come from and to forge new memories. She worked tirelessly in that capacity. She did what was required of her. Now we must do what is required of us. That is to get this right.

I think about the roads that connected us…..Washington Ave, Adkin Street, Tiffany Ave, Hardee Road, Carey Road, Vernon Ave, Girl Scout Road, Lincoln St., Heritage Street, Queen St, JP Harrison, Old Snow Hill Road, Cunningham Rd just to name a few. We will always be connected. Our paths crossed and our lives are intertwined. Therefore, our experiences, past and present, affect one another. With that being said, there are some among us who are hurting. We don’t have to understand the pain. But as a class we have acknowledge and move past the pain. This is greater than telling someone “to just move on or to just get over it.” How do I know?…It’s obvious that directive hasn’t worked. So, the Lord placed on my heart to share some steps to healing.

1. Forgive your classmates, as the Lord has forgiven you.

• The person who harmed you may NEVER say, “I’m sorry.” The forgiveness is for you, so that you can make room in your heart for the good things in life.

• If you continue to focus on the pain, the pain will grow, impeding your ability to grow spiritually into the person the Lord desires you to be.

• 31 years, 21 years, 11 years, is a long time to hold onto anything that’s not good. Let go..Let God.



2. Bless your classmates.

• Ask the Lord to bless them.

• Bless their families.

• Anything we sow we shall reap. Therefore, sow good seeds because whatever we focus on will multiply.

• If we bless others, we will be rewarded. Matthew 5:43-46



3. Don’t try to hold the class hostage to your pain.

• It’s not fair to you and it’s not fair to the class.

• Make a decision that will help all of us.

• Make it a point to come to the next reunion


4. Express love and extend love

• Someone sitting on the pew with you, may need to hear a word from you.
• Someone on our facebook page may need you to pray.
• Someone needs to be reminded they mattered.

I understand pain and hurt. I was molested, falsely accused, forced into physical fights, and treated differently for numerous meaningless reasons, by- passed for selection to certain activities or groups. My story isn’t unlike many of yours. But I chose to forgive. That was the only way the Lord could use me. The men who violated me, the girls who tried to beat me up for GP, the school official who crossed the line, the elder who tried to remove my bathing suit, the kids who stoned my house, the boy who lied on me, are all deserving of my forgiveness.

It was a long and very difficult road to get to this point. I pray my testimony helps you to heal. The devil would have me to live in shame and condemnation. But I serve a mighty God and He healed my heart. Now my life is filled with love and it holds no boundaries in the Lord. I am blessed and live to bless and serve others.

Ernestine had a real desire that we forgive and love one another. We deserve that. Our kids deserve that. Our grandkids deserve that.

I pray that you receive my words in love. I love the Class of 1982. I enjoy looking at pictures of us as a witness of how life has grown us up! I look forward to chance meeting when I go home. And I am excited about the next reunion, cookout, or gathering.

I pray that we make a collective decision to move forward. We can’t undo the past. We can’t rewind some of our decisions. But in this moment, we can chose to work toward forgiveness and not concentrate on the old debts, old pains, and old issues.

This is a new day.

R.I.P. Ernestine

Bless you, KHS Class of 1982