The Gift of Diana – Set Yourself Free
Diana has lived through the types of experiences and risen above the kinds of circumstances that would have left many people broken. She affirms without hesitation that it has not been all bad, because she has chosen to live each day to the fullest, with gratitude and steadfastness that neither her past nor her present defines her. She describes her life today as fully living in her truth, by the revelation of “Who the Son has set free is free indeed”.
She shares her journey as a testament, that despite growing up on a dirt lane off Waltham Park Road in Kingston, Jamaica, enduring molestation from as early as age 8, being called ‘Duppy’ (Jamaican term for ghosts) throughout school, literacy issues, open-heart surgery, a broken marriage and a plethora of other challenging circumstances, she still says with a smile “all my experiences are important to who I am today”. Diana asserts that her story is really not the essence of who she is, but is more so a transcript of perseverance, trust, hope, love, forgiveness, and most importantly faith.
TBWM sat down with Diana to unravel the truths that have made her who she is today, and so she tells her story. (Some names have been either omitted or changed to preserve anonymity).
My journey, my past, my trials, and my victories- more importantly knowing the truth of who I am, has set me free. I share my life without reservation, so you too can be set free from the bondage of shame, guilt, fear, condemnation, and much more. Please do not focus on the story but allow it to ignite your own resolve to arise to the truth about you, and discover the greatness which God has deposited within you.
You are indeed much more than your circumstances, much more than where you come from but most importantly much more than your story.
Early Life – The Gift of Perseverance
I was born in St. Mary, the third of five children for my mother; I lived with my grandmother up to age 6, when I was then reunited with my mother in Kingston. We lived on 77 Lane off Waltham Park Road, and I was quite the contented little girl until age 8, when the sexual abuse started. My mother was a domestic helper who worked during the day, and the abuse occurred while she was away at work. My abuser was a pastor who lived next door.
He was an older man, between 50 and 60 years old, and was someone we all looked up to as children, and looked forward to seeing, especially when he brought us sweets. We lived in a tenement yard (a property that houses many homes and different families) and the molestation was constant until we moved from that house. Later on, when I told my mother about the abuse, I distinctly remember her reply “You are too prime.” (Meaning, in her opinion, what my abuser did to me was my fault).
Both primary school and high school were very traumatic for me, to say the least. I had a very bad skin allergy that would cause me to break out in sores during the summertime. I would then go back to school with sores and spots all over my arms and legs. Try imagining being a teenage girl, filled with sores and spots, and being nicknamed “Duppy” for your entire school life. It was a very awful time for me. I would cry and pray that it would rain enough to prevent me from having to go to school. I left school without being able to read well, however, I was developing a passion for helping others. This passion was actually inspired by Ms. Olga, an older lady who also lived in my lane, and who continually instilled positive values and good character in all the children who lived in the area.
The Gift of Faith
My next job was in 1985 at Monroe’s Printery, and it was my first office job (as an Accounts Clerk) so I was feeling very self-important. I did not have much of a resume when I got the job at Monroe’s Printery, just that I attended Tarrant Secondary School, the job with Mrs G, and Lee’s Shoe Store, but I had faith and a drive to succeed. As I look back, I am still amazed at how confident and articulate I was at that time, because at that point I had not yet gone back to school. I was learning from the world. It did not take long for me to be promoted, and I was soon managing the weekly payroll, which was a huge achievement for me.
I started doing short courses to make myself more marketable and stayed at Monroe’s until 1988 when I suddenly decided that I wanted to work for American Airlines. I had not yet figured out how I would get the job with American Airlines, but I knew being at Monroe’s would not help. I immediately started to pray and exercise my faith. I did what most would have considered crazy; I resigned from my job at Monroe’s Printery and started doing temporary assignments which would allow me to be ready when the opportunity for the job at American Airlines came.
I was about 25 years old at this time, and I had moved out and started sharing a house with a friend in Havendale. Very soon after I was outside chatting with the homeowner (he lived in the main section of the same house), and while talking he told me that he was a manager at American Airlines. What are the odds? Of course, I told him of my interest in American Airlines and he told me to give him my resume. I updated my resume, gave it to him and he organized an interview for me.
After the interview, I was quite confident that I would get a job at the airline, so confident in the fact that I turned down an offer for a six-month temp job. I informed them I was getting a job at American Airlines, which was pre-emptive of me, but that is who I am. I prayed even harder and waited and waited for that call from American Airlines.
One day I took a bus out to the airport, went up to the waving gallery (that was a platform from which family and friends would wave goodbye to loved ones as they were boarding their flights – it’s no longer there) and I prayed and said: “Lord, I thank you for this job, I am going to get this job”. I went back home but still no call came. The following day I went next door, borrowed my neighbor’s phone, and called the person at American Airlines who had interviewed me. When we connected, I explained who I was, and she said with much urgency “Diana Morgan, we have been trying to find you. You need to come to the airport now to collect your package”. I was speechless and overjoyed.
This was a Thursday and I needed to travel on the coming Sunday to attend training in the US. I had a passport but no U.S. visa. I explained this… read the rest of this inspiring story by clicking the link below:
