Enchanting Reviews

BRINGING UP MOTHER

by Beverley Johnson

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GENRE: Religious Memoir

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BLURB:

Beverley learns about God in Kindergarten and invites Him to come to Jamaica and give her her own Bible story. She goes home each day and waits at her gate for Him to show up. Will He show up, and will she be ready for her story if and when He does?

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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

My experiences—frightful, terrifying, confusing, and, ultimately, joyous and wonderful—brought me along the road to the Truth. All the pieces of my life were coming together to reveal a most beautiful picture. The Holy Spirit was the glue that connected all the pieces.

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26; 16:13 NLT). Bit by bit, pieces of memory started coming back to me and began to knit together. The puzzle that was my life began to make sense to me. Knowing for sure that God was involved in the burnings, or the “fire shut up in my bones,” as Ezekiel so aptly described his burnings, answered many questions but also raised a few unanswered ones.

I used to say that if I ever truly had God’s attention, I would ask Him a whole lot of questions about why my life and the world in general were so messed up. Yet, when I stood in His presence, I could only savour the peace and beauty of His world. I asked myself, why, of all the questions God could’ve asked me, did He ask how I liked His world? Then I recalled myself as a little girl constantly complaining, sometimes stomping my feet and yelling, “God, I hate this stinking world.”

A smile spread across my face as I remembered sitting on the verandah at Top Yard one night, literally crying, “God, I hate this stinking world. I don’t care if I sound like a weakling, but I’ve just about had enough with the people down here. The adults are always yelling at me, and the children call me all kinds of names because I’m so skinny.”

I looked up to Heaven with tears running down my face. My tears seemed to cause a moonbeam to connect to me. I held on to the moonbeam for as long as I could, saying, “God, I know it’s hard for you to spot me in this crowd of people on Earth, so please follow this moonbeam and find me, because I don’t like it here. I don’t like this world.”

I was thinking that just as the Jamaica Public Service company went around changing the light bulbs on the streetlights, God must also, from time to time, check on the moon to see if its bulb had gone out and needed to be replaced with a new one. I hoped, with all my heart, that He was checking on the moon that night. “See my moonbeam, and follow it to me,” I prayed. That’s why I used the tears in my eyes to hold on to the moonbeam for as long as I could, asking God to please, please, follow the moonbeam and come help me.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Beverley was born and raised in the rural parish of Clarendon, Jamaica, where she attended the Content United Brethren Church and its Basic (Kindergarten) school, better known as Sister Betty's school. Growing up, she attended York Town Primary and Denbigh Junior Secondary school, now Denbigh High School. She migrated to Toronto, Canada, as a young adult. A graduate of the University of Toronto and OISE, she is an Elementary teacher by profession, and also a Sunday school teacher. She enjoys reading, writing, travelling and working with children.

CONNECT WITH Beverley Johnson

WEBSITE - Beverley Johnson – Author

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/Beverley-Johnson-Author-112083488170185

GOODREADS - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22483917.Beverley_Johnson

PURCHASE LINKS Bringing Up Mother

AMAZON.COM - https://amazon.com/dp/022886853X

AMAZON.CA - https://amazon.ca/dp/022886853X

AMAZON KINDLE - https://amazon.com/dp/B09XZ6S1RF

INDIGO CHAPTERS - https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/bringing-up-mother/9780228868514-item.html

BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bringing-up-mother-beverley-johnson/1141360581

BOOK DEPOSITORY - https://www.bookdepository.com/Bringing-up-Mother-Beverley-Johnson/9780228868538

APPLE IBOOKS - https://books.apple.com/us/book/bringing-up-mother/id1619561366