3 out of 4 stars
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The Events of My Life are My Proof of God’s Existence is a memoir written by Brenda Elizabeth Henry. As a retired widow and mother of four children, she has found meaning in all that happened in the past and has dedicated her life to Jesus Christ.
This book is the first part of the author’s story. She describes herself as a cry baby nicknamed “Siren.” Her encounter with the Lord while looking at a crucifix in a Catholic church has remained impressed on her heart. Brenda’s childhood was filled with trauma as an African-American who experienced discrimination in school. Her father abandoned the family as soon as he discovered that his wife had a brain tumor. Although the girl’s grandparents came to the rescue, her mother had to quit her job to take care of three little children. Brenda found a father figure in their neighbor, Mr. Walden, but he suddenly died. Thereafter, she received inner healing through a camp organized by the church during which catechetics helped her to understand the meaning of “life and death, heaven and hell.”
Even as all seemed to be well, I was surprised to read that in 1977, at fourteen, Brenda landed into trouble and got pregnant and delivered a baby girl. I wondered why she did not learn a lesson from this experience and how she began drinking and doping with weed and other drugs. As expected, soon, she was selling bags of weed for a drug dealer. I found a major shift in the story when her maternal uncle, George, moved into the family house to take charge of their needs. However, it was intriguing how he could encourage her in her wrongdoings and her tom-boy activities. This is an aspect of the story which I most disliked. He seemed to be a man with extremely positive and negative personality traits. His niece too seemed to swing between virtues and vices because of drug abuse.
In spite of this, I could see grace working in Brenda as she developed the courage to go against her uncle’s wishes with the help of the Holy Spirit. I admired how the young girl tried to give up her vices and continued her education, which included training in diesel service and repair. Even as a woman, she took up the challenge and got a job in this field. I was sad when the writer described how she finally got married to Henry, who smoked weed. She had three more children through him. Her Uncle George died of AIDS because of IV drug abuse. There were disputes between the couple, and they separated. Three years later, she received the news that Henry was dying of AIDS too. I admire her for forgiving him on his deathbed.
What I liked most about the story is the author’s attitude towards the events in her past and how she sees herself survive through them with the help of God’s grace. She does not nurture any grudge towards those who hurt her but has forgiven them all. The Events of My Life are My Proof of God’s Existence is the first part of her life and has prepared her for a purpose revealed to her by the Holy Spirit through a dream.
This book has 93 pages. It will benefit from a round of professional editing. I found a few errors, although they were not distracting. For all the above reasons, I am happy to rate this memoir 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it for teenagers and adults of all age groups. Social workers, counselors, teachers, and pastors may also like to read it.
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The Events Of My Life Are My Proof Of God's Existence
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