Pamela Kershaw - My Life is Gracefully Broken

My Life is Gracefully Broken

Pamela Kershaw

Copyright 2020

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-913969-91-2

I dedicate this book to my children and grandchildren Rufus and Pamela Kershaw. It was a blessing that God chose me to have yall to nurture and love and raise you up in His light. I would not change a thing about you. And I am so grateful for my three beautiful grandchildren: Lamara Nae Lopes-Kershaw, Maliha Kershaw-Lane, and Amani Jevon Lopes-Kershaw. God has truly blessed us all.

The Holy Spirit inspired me to start writing back in 2005, only for me to be intensely into the church and then walk away from it in 2006. Somehow, I was able to pick both my faith and the book back up from the point that I left it, and I finished this project. God was with me as He always is, but I have to give my family every bit of credit as well for sticking to my side every step of the way.

To my father, Paul W Kershaw Sr., who is in his resting place, and my mother, Zelda V Crawley-Kershaw, who made it all possible by giving birth to me.

Pamela Kershaw is a single mother, a believer, and a woman who fought through many odds for her sons recovery.

My Life Is Gracefully Broken is Pamelas first book and a manifestation of her faith. She has shown the utmost courage and strength in many areas of her life, and her book depicts her belief. God has led her in every aspect of life.

Her life is an inspiration to all women who have yet to experience the power of their faith. Pamela is one of the few believers who have seen her faith come through in the darkest times of her life. Her faith brought her to the other side, alive, well, healthy, and happy.

Written by Rhoda Young

I was honored when my friend chose me to write the foreword to her life story. Pamela and I have known each other for forty years. In those years, I have personally witnessed the Goodness of the Lord in her life. His grace was abundant as devastation, setbacks, and heartbreaks took place in her life.

I was simply amazed at her strength as a single mother after her son's diagnosis. What would have shocked the faith of many kept her heart rising like a phoenix out of the fire. I began to realize it was the precious grace working in her life.

Writing is a solitary profession. At this point, therefore, it would be appropriate for me to give all Honor and Glory to God, the entity that made this book possible as He makes all things possible. Without Him, I am nothing. It is only with God that I am able to accomplish anything at all, for it is He who strengthens me.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.Deuteronomy 31:8

God has the Master Plan of your life, and He knows full well what is best for you. In reading the stories in my book, you will be able to see into the deep waters and dark secrets of my life. And youll also see where God has taken me on my journey through life, and how in surrendering to him, I was able to see the deeper meaning in what He had planned for me. Give your life to Him and totally surrender, for He has a Master Plan for you. Whatever you are going through is a necessary part of your journey. Your Misery is your Ministry.

I hope this book gives you some inspiration to help you overcome the obstacles in your life as you give all honor to God.

Contents

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John 8:12: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said: I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life.

Last night, my girlfriend was in the Dollar Tree with me. It was a long line, and right behind us was a lady with her two kids. One was a big kid, maybe around eight years old, and the other was a toddler. The older child had a pack of glow sticks that the toddler seemed to be screaming for. So the mom opened the pack and gave him one. Immediately, his tears stopped, and he started walking around with the stick in his hand, smiling and playing with it. But as soon as his brother reached out and took it back, the toddler got upset again and began screaming at the top of his lungs.

The mom was about to fuss, but before she could say anything, the older kid bent the glow stick he had taken from his brother and gave it back to him. The stick was glowing now. The toddler was staring at it in wonder. We walked out the doors at the same time as the little family, and I heard the older brother talking. I had to break it so that you could get the full effect from it.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Those words hit me in the chest like a train. It was as if I could hear God saying something similar to me: I had to break you to show you why I created you. You had to go through it so you could fulfill your purpose.

That precious child had been happy even when he had been swinging around the unbroken glow stick in the air because he didnt understand that the glow stick had been for a very specific purpose, which was to glow. Some people will be content just being, but for a select few of us that God has chosen, we must and will be broken. We must get sick. We must lose a job. We must go through a divorce. We must bury a spouse, or our child, or our friend, and our parents. God breaks us in our weakest moments of desperation. When the breaking is done, we will heal, and then we will be able to see the reason for which we were created. So, when you see us glowing, just know that we have been broken but healed by his grace and mercy!

I remember when I was a little girl nearly six decades ago, back in the year 1962, we lived on Webster Avenue, and I went to Vann Elementary Grade School. After school and on weekends, we would usually head over to my Aunt Hadids house; she lived across the street from us. We were close to my dads side of the family and would visit them often my Grandma Mary Huggins Tibbs, my Grandfather Jim Tibbs, and my dads sisters, Aunt Ella Mae, and my Aunt Mary. They all lived on Milwaukee Street. I even had the pleasure of meeting my great-grandmother at my grandmothers house. My grandmas house was the place to be. We always had fun over there and made many happy memories I still fondly remember and cherish.

Mary Huggins Tibbs had worked for the school board up at Herron Hill in the Laundry Room for years. She had one son (my dad), and two daughters. My Aunt Ella Mae moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where she had three daughters. I see the pattern in my family my grandmother had two children by her first husband who lived in South Carolina, and another child by another man when she came to Pittsburgh. My dad was born in Eutawville, South Carolina. His father was a Reverend in his church.

Dad was nine years old when he came to Pittsburgh. He graduated from Westinghouse High School before joining the Army. He also worked construction and a second job over at the old Forbes Fields Baseball Stadium. Those were just his side jobs, though. His main job was a thirty-five-year stint as a Refuse Worker at the City of Pittsburgh. In 1948, my dad became a member of the Central Baptist Church.