Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go by Lucille O'Neal

This is THE life story of Lucille O'Neal, a mother of four, grandmother of 14, of her life from the day she was born into the O'Neal family to this point of being the mother of NBA Star. Not only that, this book tells of her struggles in life, being a wife to a husband who barely communicated with her inner needs and desires, being a mother at the age of 17, being a woman who was grounded in faith and yet committed a sin with a heavy outcome. Looking at these situations, she could have just given up hope and stopped struggling to survive, rather than what Lucille chose to do - to keep on living, even when she was against all odds.

One thing which struck me was what Lucille remembered of her pastor, Rev. Hartsfield. "Lucille, walk like you have somewhere to go." This is something which we can learn from. I'm also born with the tall genes which cause me to be taller than many of my peers, here in Asia. It's no fun being a tall lady, where generally, men are shorter in this region. I had my share of inability to accept and love who I am, though not to the extend of Lucille, still, I could imagine how it felt to be "out of place" during our teenage years. I'm very much encouraged by her light-hearted way of sharing her life to all, with the hope of encouraging others. I also noticed that Lucille took note of the social ills occurring in the States especially, and how she is hoping for a change in the culture of young adults and younger parents, and their attitude towards their children.

I may not have experienced, and probably will not experience half the things Lucille had gone through in her 56 years on earth at the moment, but I'm truly inspired by her will of never giving up, and being a good mother to her children, silently enduring the non-communicative lifestyle as a wife to a military husband. As much as I'm inspired by her life and her want of being free again, I still have the firm stand that once married, should try to work out the marriage. Perhaps 10 years ago, it may not be so possible. Now, with the increasing awareness of the high divorce rate around the world, there is also an increase of marriage counselor, both in church and outside church, to assist married couple with domestic issues which may lead to divorce.

The 40 bible verses in the epilogue of the book are a plus point to this book. They serve as comforter, for the Word is always our Comforter. I'd definitely recommend this book to all women, and men too!

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed as my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising."