A Single Road: My Untold Story

A Single Road

My Untold Story

Lisa Shubert

Copyright © 2018 by Lisa Shubert.

ISBN:          Softcover                    978-1-5434-6687-4

                   eBook                          978-1-5434-6688-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Rev. date: 04/09/2018

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Contents

CHAPTER 1 The beginning

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3 The path once chosen

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

This book is

dedicated to:

My daughters and granddaughters who love exciting stories.

This story entails a single parent, not by choice; who in their right mind would make such an endeavor.

I took the bitter with the sweet and made the most of the cards I was dealt. After many continuous perils in my life, I woke up one day and emerged from the rubble as a massive human force. I triumphantly succeeded after a lifetime of uncertainties. During the trials of my life, I metamorphosed into an unrecognizable magnificent born again creature. A person that only time itself and great wisdom could reproduce.

CHAPTER 1

The beginning

T H E SAGA BEGINS in the city of brotherly love. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a city, in which you either lived or merely existed.

The beauty that exist in writing your own story is having the ability to tell the story in your own words, exactly like you lived it. Sure there are those that might not agree with what I am about to reiterate. Nonetheless, it is my story, my life and I lived it accordingly. During the course of my life, I guess I can say I experienced a happy childhood. If you want to call it that, it was certainly full of mystery, magic, good, evil, happy and sad days. I will get to the explanation later of why I said that. My mother had second sight. She inherited the gift of knowing future events before or during the time, they were actually taking place. This gift was passed down from generation to generation in our family. I assume that I might possess the ability myself to somehow see and feel the paranormal.

While living in the big city it was my choice on how I wanted the outcome of my life to be. I took control of my destiny at an early age. I acquired from life, much more than I was required to have because I made the most of every situation. Big City living is not easy to say the least. We lived in a huge mini mansion of a house.

There were three stories in our row house in North Philadelphia in the mid 1960’s. For those of you that can picture north Philadelphia in the 60’s it was quit fascinating. North Philadelphia was located north of the City, which includes everything north of Vine and Spring Garden Street.

During this particular era, our neighborhood was what was considered the upper-middle class, ethnic-multi-cultural area of the city. The reason it was ethnic is that there were numerous cultural ethnic people residing on our block. There were the Jewish, the Afro-Americans, the Caucasians, the Spanish, the Chinese, the Muslims, and too many ethnicities to name. Our neighborhood was very attractive from the huge row houses to the spruce trees in the front.

I remember the milkman that delivered the milk in those days. Oh, and do not forget the street cars that rode up and down day and all through the night. The City was much alive with screaming people, sirens and firetrucks wailing all night long. Yes, the City is much alive so to speak. You could hear people balling and gun shots going off in the wee hours of the morning. God forbid if you lived near the subway stations, you would hear the rumbles, hussle and bussle all night long. Not to mention the street vendors that would be on every corners selling their wares. I still remember our house was somewhere on North 29th Street. Our address had significant meaning because we were known as the house of prayer for all people. I am sure my parents had many church services here and gatherings. My mother loved to entertain.

North Philadelphia was at that time a beautiful area of the City where much was happening. I remember various race riots directly in front of our house. There was liberal protests, political sound offs on mega-phones. The fun part was when the community would provide what is known as the yearly block parties. Everyone would participate and be a part of the festivities. These events included eating tons of cultural foods. It also included many festivities from horseback riding, to clowns and circus rides, to music and entertainment, playing sports to the ice cream trucks and more. These block parties would continue almost all night. The police would block off the streets, I guess this is where the name block party derived.

If anyone knows about the architecture in Philadelphia, the blocks are miles long. So when I speak of the block I lived on, it was humongous. At a very early age, I could remember my neighbors being extremely close nit. My mother would often send to the corner store to purchase things. Russ was our neighbor. He was a Jewish person that owned a huge neighborhood supermarket name kesko’s. My mother would often send us to the corner store to retrieve items on credit from Russ. He was a great guy, his family was very close with ours. It seems she was always getting credit on a daily basis. He did not mind because he knew my parents were very honest. I think he and his family lived above the grocery store, they were a very important additional to the community.

Mrs. Sage lived at the house to the right of us. I’m not sure if she was married or not. I never saw a Mr. Sage, although I was so young I just assume she was retired, because she was at home all of the time.

Then there was Mr. Anderson he was a veteran known to burn feces & urine in a huge metal container out in his backyard. Some of the neighbors believed he was shell-shocked but the sad part is he was an extremely educated and intelligent person before he joined the armed forces.

When he came home, things were never the same. You know the story! So burning urine and feces became his daily ritual.

I could vaguely remember some of the neighborhood kids that were in and out on a daily basis. There was one person that stood out in my mind since childhood. The reason he stool out as if a sore thumb is that he was narcissistic psycho that we did not realize was this way at first. I do remember that every time the neighbor kids would get around him, there would always be an animal found dead. I actually believe that one day he threw a little kitten off a building. He always wanted to have funerals.

I’m not calling any names, but I truly hope he obtained psychiatric help because he truly needed it.

My parents did not allow us to associate with many people. They would often tell us to pick your friend. Everyone does not deserve to be in your circle, pick them very carefully. I had one brother and two sisters. We were reared to be very creative; we made up our own games.

We mostly played among ourselves until we got much older. This is probably the reason I am so create today, I can draw and paint anything I see almost perfectly. This is a God given talent, among many others that I possess. In our household we were required do music, art, read, sew, knit, crochet. In fact, my mother kept us constantly learning.

The neighbors were always interchanging necessities among each other. Those were to good ole days people of today no longer have a Good Samaritan mindset. During the 1960’s society was more frugal and receptive. My mind often ref lect on the days of my life when there was not a care in the world.

Getting back to my story, I realized that I could easily be swept away in the storms of life if I did not keep a sound mine. In Philadelphia, there were exclusive clubs, parties, social events and happy hours.

There was always an opportunity available to get into whatever deception you desired. I later observed after the experimental phase of my live was over that philly as we call it, is a city in which dreams very seldom come true.

Not unless you are willing to sell your soul, so to speak. I ventured to social events, political parties, parties in general and what have you. I guess you can say I was trying to find my niche. I was definitely set on meeting the right people to help elevate my career.

At this time of my life, I was venturing into the entertainment business. I had written a couple of songs and I needed them to be heard. I was a beautiful light skinned green eyed sister with natural blonde hair. My race would often treat me differently because they said I didn’t f it in with the other blacks and that true minorities don’t have blue eyes and blonde hair. Well I was born this way as Lady Gaga have stated and there was nothing I could do about it but enjoy my life and use my looks to my advantage. Others would often compliment me on my f lawless skin the irony of it all was that when I looked in the mirror I could not see what they saw.

I was always conservative and inwardly shy at that particular time of my life. In later years, I completely grew out of my shyness. I loved the illumination of the entertainment business. All I could see was dollars signs and helping my mother obtain the fabulous life she deserved before she passed on to the other life. I wanted to buy her a house, the whole nine yards. I felt she deserved it for raising five children on her own with barely any help at all. This is the deception that is feed to people that do not study and do their homework before venturing out in life. You know by now I was unprepared, inexperienced, and unknowledgeable to say the least. I was venerable and that is usually how the enemy can overshadow the poor innocent sheep. I ventured out in a world full of wolves waiting, watching, studying and waiting to pounce on the sheep.

My entire mindset consisted of me prospering and prospering big. Not knowing the overwhelming price that I would have to pay in the end. I was not even aware that making it was a false illusion that the people 2% running the world wanted those that are less fortunate to believe. To get to a certain plateau in this life I would have to compromise with my beliefs and see others point of view. I was never willing to do that. I am 56 years of age and I am still not willing to compromise. I am rooted and grounded in what I believe and no entity can change that. At that time, I only saw dollar signs, yet I always had my boundaries and limitations and I would not cross them for anyone. Those boundaries somehow saved my life. I made an immediate discovery during my quest for success. Or what I thought was going to be a way out of the unpleasant environment.

My parents were ultra-religious and I had an uncanny suspicion that I was running from God at this time in my life. I actually thought I could get away. Yet most folks were only interested in furthering their own agendas. When I first arrived in the City, I felt as if I could literally seize the world. I encountered the hostile people and environmental surroundings, which was oftentimes overpowering. The winters were also a factor that became unbearable to me; the weather was often bitter and harsh. There was rarely any sun shining. On most days, it was like living on the dark side of the moon. I often felt an onset of depression, which left me in a state of constant confusion. During my 12 years in the City, my dreams were slowly diminishing on a yearly basis. I discovered that if I were not careful I would eventually stop dreaming. I couldn’t let this happen. I realized that if I was brave enough to wake up and face my dreams; I might as well make the most of it.

I began to see a ray of hope and I realized that there was definitely a reason to fight. I could either conquer the horrible surroundings around me or I could simply wake up and fail to exist. I had a choice to make and I chose to fight. I was always a fighter, even from the time I was born. I refused to acknowledge defeat; I was just determined to win. Failing was rarely in my vocabulary. My determination was so strong I was often exhausted from fighting. I would try to sleep at the end of my days, but my mind refused to shut down leaving me having horrible dreams and nightmares. My strong will is what often got me in a whirlwind of trouble growing up. I was a true rebel from birth.

Later on in life, I learn to channel this rebellion into something positive. I realized I did not always have to respond or give my opinion. Even when my point was valid, I learned that sometimes it is best to just walk away. Twenty- eight years later, I am still fighting the fight of faith. I am getting stronger every day; and I now possess a will of iron, that surpasses all understanding.

A single road – my untold story is a about my life and struggles during my long hard road to recovery; from being tossed into an unexpected life of uncertainty. You might ask, What did you recover from?" And the answer is I escaped hell and an eternity of damnation.

The truth be told I was sweetly saved and God wanted me back. It was prophesied many years before my birth that I was one of god’s chosen ones. I could feel god’s grace even before I knew what it was, it was overpowering I could not get away, believe me I tried again and again.

Every time he looked, I was going in a different direction than the path that I was placed on. I knew with every fiber within me that the powers to be had a calling on my life and I had to fulfill it or take the ladder.

The main focus of this story is how I managed to overcome the challenging of life on my single road. I had to raise my two young toddlers all alone, which was not easy to say the least. I overcame this task that I never thought I could master. Yet I overcame every obstacle and adversary. My story in one in which if, you are not careful the loneliness can be exceedingly overwhelming. My single road is for the strong and well equipped, I heard them say! This statement is very farfetched to say the least. As time went by I gradually gained a momentum and strength and eventually I became an unstoppable force. I became a wheel that the world itself could not keep from turning. I was surprised at what I could accomplish after enduring the test. The hard knocks I received in life tested my patience and perseverance. Life has a way of making the weak man strong and the strong man weak simultaneously.

Finally, I came to realize that a person will either grow or slowly began to fade away and transpire.

Life will either improve you or devour you. I ran and did not get weary; I walked and did not faint. This daunting task, of mastering the single road was amazingly done by a single parent. After waiting what seemed an eternity, and after the struggle subsided, I began to triumph over life’s perils. I found myself wandering through life effortlessly; while wondering when the road was going to bend and get easier; it never did. Because of this, I acquired a tremendous amount of inner peace and strength, which allowed the storm to subside.

I often prayed for God to hold back the night; and give me strength to fight. I felt that God heard my unspoken prayers; because he would often renew my strength daily. This renewing of the spirit enabled me to prepare for the next storm and tremendous others that would afterwards follow. While I ran the race that was set before me, I kept the faith.

Knowing I was chosen to walk this single path; before the foundation of the world began. I realized how blessed I was. Not only to get the victory over life, but also to share my story with the world of how I made it over. Realizing somewhere out there, there is someone just like me just beginning the race and needing a tremendous amount of guidance to get started. Hopefully this book will provide the stamina and fortitude it takes to be strong and vigilant because your adversary the devil is walking to and from like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8, KJV.

Hopefully after reading this book, my legacy to the world and my kids, will encourage others to keep on running consistently and to never look back; until you cross the finish line. My rendition of a single road is a pilgrimage allowing the reader to be drawn to the point of no return. This novel which is true story, will have unexpected twists and turns. The reader will wonder if the writer of this book was infatuated with truth or merely living a dream. No, I didn’t hit the lottery and there was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for me. In fact, I’m still searching for that rainbow and that knight in shining armor; wherever he may be after almost twenty-three years. One thing for sure, I will never submit or be overcome by life or give up hope. I must say after many years of searching I’ve stumbled upon the greatest gift in life imaginable, this gift is salvation. God is my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Sure, I tried to escape quit often, not even knowing what I was running from; I was afraid of my calling at first. That’s how it is when life gives you an unexpected turn. Today I’m his; I’ve made an everlasting covenant with the father and I’m grasping eternal life. The undeniable promise that Christ uttered to his church is only of surety; I’m never going to let go. He has promised that who-so-ever endured until the end should be saved. The story of a single road explains the life and times of a very determined bi-racial sister, who refused to take no for an answer. You see I’m not wealthy yet I have the attitude of a queen, because I am the child of the most—high God. He owns the heavens, earths, stars, oceans, seas, worlds and the planets; I am his forevermore.

I was purchased with a price and I refused to think any other way accept like royalty. Negativity will never penetrate this body. I’ve traveled a hard road. I have lived and breathed this life. Sometimes, I didn’t know rather I would survive or be eaten up by the sharks, so to speak. Yet I’ve been faithful with a few things while attempting to finish my course; getting ready to go on to perfection.

When I started out, I had an unholy agenda. I was attempting to make it without God. I had my wicked and perverse plan and God had his exceptional plan of salvation. After traveling in a maze for what seemed like an eternity, I