AFTER THE STORM I SURVIVED!

Copyright 2008
by Burnette Parker
All rights reserved.

Edited by Mrs. Wanda Burnside

& Min. Mary D. Edwards of
The Called and Ready Writers

Printed in the USA

by InstantPublisher.com

Page Layout and Cover Design

by Shannon Crowley
of Treasure Image & Publishing

Burnette Parker
P.O. Box 10375
Detroit MI, 48210
burnetteparker@sbcglobal.net
 Endorsements
As I edited Burnette Parkers book, I couldnt help but
see the similarities in our lives. The adversary wanted to
shut her mouth and keep it shut but God said, No.
Because she obeyed, and choose to tell, she can now
rejoice. Her story has gone from Mums the Word, to
Moms the Word. And the buck stops here. Her faith
has broken generational patterns. Not only is she free,
but so is her seed.
Minister Mary Edwards, Founder, The Called and
Ready Writers. Author, Born Grown

Burnette Parker is a dynamic woman of God. She is a

rare but precious jewel, and great mother and loving
grandmother. Burnette has conquered life's many pitfalls.
Her book speaks about ongoing episodes of abuse from
child abuse to drug abuse, and from physical to mental
abuse, which led to self abuse. Through it all, she gained
what most people have never obtained, which is an inner
peace from within.
Carolyn McMurrian, A close friend
 Dedications
I SURVIVED is dedicated to my five children:
Latisha, Terrance, Dayleisha, David and Brian.

To my sisters and brothers.

Most of all, this book is dedicated to Jesus Christ who

is the head of my life. Thank you Jesus for giving me the
wisdom to write this book for Your glory. Lord, I ask
You to teach us how to forgive the ones who caused the
scars in our lives. Lord, You have truly revealed Yourself
to me in my life. I Love You!
 Acknowledgements
Aunt Deborah, I sincerely appreciate and love you for
all of your love and encouraging words. Thanks for
taking care of my mother (your sister) in her passing to
be with the Lord. You made sure that she accepted Christ
in her life. Although you lived in New Jersey, you left
your home and came to Detroit to take care of my
mother. Your strength for family has been noticed and
deeply appreciated. May God continue to bless you.

To a dear friend Joel Bullock. You have been like the

father I never had. You gave me good advice. You shared
your wisdom. You talked to me about life challenges and
how to handle them. You taught me and guided me. I
love you for depositing positive force into my life. Thank
you very much.

To my spiritual friend, Detric Polk, a true blessing. I

thank God for you. You came into my life for such a
time as this. Youre uplifting, fun to be around, and easy
to talk to. You have sowed into my life in many ways. I
thank you from my heart.

Sherrie Jones, you are a special kind of friend. You

are very motivating. Thank you for all your smiles and
wise words of wisdom.

My life-long friend, Carolyn McMurrian. You are one

of a kind. Thank you for your spiritual guidance. I love
you. We have many, many years of friendship, but
youre not just a friend, you are my God-sent sister.
We have been through ups and downs in this life and we
are still holding hands. You inspire me. You can make
me laugh, cry and smile, all at the same time. Youre a
wonderful woman of God. May the Lord bless you.
Thank you for your listening ears, your kind heart, but
most of all, for keeping it real.

I found an article in The Michigan Chronicle about

The Called and Ready Writers of Detroit, Michigan. Mrs.
Wanda Burnside is the president of the guild. Minister
Mary D. Edwards is the founder and the editor of this
book. Mrs. Burnside is truly a blessing from God.
Thanks for bridging the gap between my nightmares and
my dreams. I appreciate the time well spent walking me
through my book. Thank you for enlightening,
encouraging, and for helping me. You are my mentor. I
love you.

To my biological father, Roy Eaddy, whom I had the

opportunity to meet when I was 27.Thank you for not
forgetting about me. Thank you for continuing our long
distance relationship by your phone calls. This means a
lot to me. I love you.

Mrs. Helen, my next-door neighbor, thank you for all

your advice. I appreciate our conversations when my
mother went to be with the Lord. I thought I would
never experience motherly love again. You surrounded
me with truth, love and wisdom, like my mother did. I
love you. You are a very strong woman with a sense of
humor. May the Lord bless you.
Trust in the Lord with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge

him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
 In Loving Memory of My Mother
Sarah Lee Parker
Thank you for all of the wonderful light that you gave
me in my life. I love you so much. For all the times that
you made me laugh and for all the lessons you taught me.
The hardest thing for me in letting you go is that there is
no one else who could truly love me like you did. I
appreciate everything you did for me.

As an adult, I had no idea I would still need you so much.

I miss you! You are one of the reasons I keep pushing,
trying to keep the peace within the family, and staying
strong for my children.

I watched you sew throughout the summer and make

quilts for all of us for the winter. I watched you plant,
grow food and can it in jars. You stored up for the
winter. You clipped coupons to save money at the
market. I learned how in one season to prepare for the
next. You gathered and gathered for the household. I
dont remember going without.
You were that example of a Virtuous Woman!
This book is one of exposure telling about the things
you dont talk about. I decided to share with the
world how God delivered me from the traps of the
enemy. As you read this book, walk through the
valley with me see how Gods hands are in the midst
of the mess. You must know that God has the first
and last word for your life.
 Table of Contents
Mums the Word 17
Chapter One 18
Whats Inside 20
Chapter Two 22
Streets of Hell: Its Me, but Its Not Me 25
Chapter Three 29
Door Mat 32
Chapter Four 35
Seeds of Generation 38
Chapter Five 40
Un-equally Yoked 43
Chapter Six 46
Freedom from the Rain of Tears 48
Chapter Seven 50
My Savior and I 53
Chapter Eight
To the Reader 56
 Mums the Word
Hush, hush, little girl
What will you say?
Shamed, afraid, unsure!
Who will you tell anyway?
Hiding, crying, dying all inside
Does momma know
What daddy does to you?
Just eight years old
A lot to view
But, dont understand what to do!
Running, ducking and scared
Here he comes
To touch my body!
Now Im numb.
Cant say a word!
Feel so dumb.
Mums the word.
Oh God, help me!
Nowhere to run.
Momma depends on him,
To take care of us.
So, I have to stay
In all this mess and stuff.
Now my mess is my message
For all little girls.
You have a voice
So open your mouth!
Let out a shout!
Tell someone to save you,
And bring you out!

I S u r v i v e d ! 17
 C h a p t e r O n e
Mums the Word
When I was about seven or eight years old, I was
sexually molested by my father. Thats also when I found
out he was not my real father. He told me what he was
doing was okay because he was my stepfather. His abuse
consisted of touching me, exposing himself to me, and
talking about sexual things.
My stepfather was very manipulative. He knew when
to make his moves. The right time for him was when my
mother was passed out asleep from drinking. I believe he
started her to drinking. He was a very tall man, about six-
feet-five. I thought he was a giant. His sexual acts started
with my older sister. More than once I heard him
bothering her at night. Nothing was done about that. So,
at a young age, I had to protect my own body.
When my mother went shopping or left home, I
knew it was time to hide. However, most of the fondling
was done right under her nose. When she was in the
kitchen cooking, he pretended he had lost something. He
called me to come and find things. When I got there, he
was exposed and would pull me close to him. He put his
tongue in my mouth and squeezed me tightly. I would
push him away and run or be numb and cry. Another
incident was when he would have me scratch his head
while he ran his hands up and down my legs.
There were other tricks he had. He would come
home from work after midnight, wake me up, and ask,
Who did the dishes? When I told him I did, he would
say Come downstairs and look at these dirty dishes.

18 A f t e r t h e S t o r m . . .
Finding something wrong with the dishes was his way of
getting me downstairs and putting fear in me by yelling.
Then he would touch me the wrong way and I would be
too scared to scream or move. Barely able to speak, I
managed to utter, Im going to tell momma. He
responded by saying, What can she do? Ill kill her. She
cant do nothing. Since nothing was done about my
older sister, I believed him. I think my mother knew but
choose not to face it. I tried to think of ways to hurt him.
But I was too little.
As I began to get older, my body started developing
into a young woman. I was uncomfortable with myself. I
felt my body was violated so it made me feel ashamed.
He often grabbed metouching and squeezing. I hated
him for that.
My mother never worked much so he took care of us.
She depended on him. I was not physically raped, but he
stole my childhood and filled it with fear and distrust.
I was raised in Detroit, but born in South Carolina.
So, I didnt have many relatives nearby. I felt there was
nowhere to run. My mother never left him, so I had to
survive the abuse.
I never told anyone, because I was ashamed and
afraid. I wanted my mother to leave him, but she handle
it the best why she knew how. I was not mad at her for
what he had done to me. Jesus teaches us to forgive.

I S u r v i v e d ! 19