A boy set free

A Boy Set Free

Introduction

On thinking about what to write I had a few ideas. With all the ‘back-end’ work of the book in place i.e., publishing, printing, distribution networks and bookstore on-line placement, I thought I’d give another crack on focusing my efforts on various marketing strategies and thus the blogging.

When it came to topics I thought about the war in Ukraine or rather the invasion of Russian forces in Ukraine. The stories and images that appear on the news each day show civilians and children being bombarded and I wonder, how could this be happening or allowed to happen in this twenty first century? But while my heart goes out for this nation and I give what little I can to charities to help, I am no expert or had experience in conflict so my opinions would do very little there.

Another image that hit the news this week was the famous slap Will Smith gave Chris Rock at the Oscars. Truth be told I didn’t even know the Oscars were going on. But here again, I don’t know the men involved except from an entertainment image view. Maybe they had an on-going conflict that culminated in that moment in history but then, it’s not my story to tell.

Then I thought, why not share your thoughts about something you actually know about, like the bible-based stories but especially the inspiration behind them. I do hope readers will get the book and give my work a chance. That way you can better understand what I’m talking about.

‘Cryano’

Recently a cousin of mine who is like a big sister to me, met me to see the movie Cryano staring Peter Dinklage. I was pleasantly surprised. The dialogue, scenes and musical numbers made me want to clap at the end. I think it was a movie for someone who has had some experience with life and love lost. To my surprise again, one of the most compelling numbers was around the middle of the movie where three soldiers sang of giving their letters to loved ones before going off to a battle, they knew they were going to die in. One of the men spoke of his father and that immediately seemed to speak to my very core.

My Father

My father died last year a few days after my birthday. He lived a long life but he was a rough cursing man. He cursed my mother and my older brother who took care of him. He even cursed the doctors and nurses. To be fair, in the years he went to church, his fellowship people didn’t see that side of him, but my brothers and sisters who grew up in the family knew him well.

The thing is, despite how he was I think I still loved him and wanted him to see a change in the next generation. He lived in the era of 50’s and 60’s, leaving the countryside of Jamaica to the promise of a better life in England. Like so many others on ships in that time, he found racism and hatred while working on a job that took most of his money to pay for the shipping fare and room and board.

It seemed his dreams of a better life and the reality of the experience were two very different things. Now add to that, marriage, and children, it was too much for so many to bear. And remember, this was not the generation that had people like T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen or guides who knew how to navigate their way and lead others.

I remember when I was preparing to leave Jamaica back in the late 2000, I decided to have a talk with my dad to try and get an answer as I knew (maybe like that soldier in the movie on some level) I may not see him again.

We were standing at the front gate of our home and I mustered up the courage to ask him, “Dad, did you ever love us?”. Without looking at me he said “D, I know I was hard on you all, but it was because I had to work and I couldn’t work to provide for my family and spend time with you at the same time. So, I had to make my presence felt when I was home. I did the best I could.”

That was a conversation I will never forget and something I thought about when I raised my boys, ‘try and do the best you can.’ Like my dad, my boys thought I had it all figured out since I was the parent. They didn’t know like me growing up, that parents are still trying to understand themselves and control their own weaknesses and foolish desires while being held accountable for their children. A cycle we hope will get better with each generation.

The Story

‘A Boy Set Free’ was my first story. There were a few sub-conscious thoughts going on before the writing began. The main theme of the book is the relationship between fathers and sons and for some reason, I was able to see pieces of myself in the different biblical stories as I read them. In no way am I saying this is how the stories went but rather, as a human-being and having gone through experiences in my life, here is a possibility that if I was in that position, I may have felt like this.

The good thing with the scriptures is it’s based on people who went through their experiences so we are able to see from beginning to end. And when you have a story like that, if you put yourself in the picture, you may get a possibility of how that individual might have felt but even more so, if you are in a similar experience, the way they came out maybe how you will come out of your experience too. At least, that is my thought process.

The Story of David and Ziglag and having found all the women and children taken by an enemy always struck me on certain levels. It made me think about my own wife and children and gave me this urge to read about marriage and family so I could better understand what was happening and the ‘unseen’ forces that were in play trying to break us apart.

The story made me put myself in Daniel’s shoes (fun-fact: David did have a son named Daniel). The whole question of why dad had to go to ‘work’ instead of staying around and spending time with us. A young boy trying to understand the actions of love.

Then there was a more spiritual aspect in that the boy was a picture of the child of God, the mother was the church and David was the Lord. Despite our complaining and doubts and the church preaching to ‘have faith and believe the Lord’, we still have trouble accepting God’s Word. Then you realize God was on your side all the time fighting the battle for your freedom and all he asked was for you to remain strong and confident.

I have known times I felt ashamed when I saw the Lord delivery me out of situations. I sometimes say to myself “when will I ever learn to trust the Lord, especially when the way seems hopeless and dire”.

Final Thoughts

Not only for this story but I do hope you will get your hands on a copy of this book. I’ve been told by the editors that it is a good read, “although it would be good for those 14- to 17-years-old”, yeah, that one still hurts a bit. Well at least there is one promise I can leave with you; you won’t need to reach for a dictionary to ready it. I believe the term “a light read” has been used more than once. Unfortunately, with all my reading, studying and papers, I was never able to grasp the articulation of a university graduate. I think that is why, even though I had the ability, I could never fully qualify for supervisory roles.

Until next week, stay well and safe.