Black Clouds

By Linda Haynes and Pritchard Leonard

In her memoir, Black Clouds, author Linda Leigh Haynes Pritchard Leonard tells the story of the life challenges she has faced. More than anything, it is a journey into Gods care, revealing how He works in the lives of innocent children and people who put their trust in Him.

During the early years of Leighs abuse and abandonment, God sheltered her from the fiery darts of those who would harm her. He prevented her from realizing that her life was any different from those of her schoolmates. From being abandoned as a child to dealing with her adult life as she faced life-or-death situations, God has always been with her. She has dealt with alcohol abuse, the destruction of her home through fire, and a tortuous relationship with her biological mother. Through all of her personal challenges, God has surrounded her with His love and with angels to carry her through it all.

In the end, Leigh and her husband sought Gods grace and the love He holds for all of His children. They overcame many trials, much tribulation, abuse, rejection, and abandonment and have survived through Gods unconditional love. Leighs resilience and the ever-present hand of God is evident as she bravely recounts in vivid, inspiring language the traumas and tragedies she experienced throughout her life. Ultimately, Black Clouds is the story of one womans survival through her strong faith in God and supportive family and friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inspiring Voices
• Release date: Nov 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781462408047

Linda Haynes

Linda Haynes is a schoolteacher, avid gardener, and practicing artist. She lives in New Hampshire, where she loves to experiment with vegetarian cooking for her family.

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Copyright © 2013 Linda Leigh Haynes Pritchard Leonard.

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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®.NIV®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0805-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0804-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013919697

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 11/18/2013

Contents

Acknowledgements

Who’s Who in the Family?

1.   Child Growing Up

2.   Finally Being Adopted

3.   Fire and Alcohol

4.   Another Black Cloud

5.   How Can a Mother Give Up Her Two Small Children

6.   Alcohol Destroying Another Family

7.   Alcohol and Fire Again

8.   Aftermath of the Fire

9.   How Many Trials Must This Family Go through?

10.   Rejected Again

11.   Life Spared Third Time

12.   Another Bump in the Road

13.   Prayers and Epilogue

Don’t Ever Quit!

Foster/Adoption Journey

Acknowledgements

T hank you to all my friends and family who supported me while I was writing our book. May it inspire you to make necessary or needed changes in your life.

This book was not written to step on any toes; it is just to express how God can work in lives to save and change people. No Family is perfect. We argue. We fight. We even stop talking to each other at times but in the end, family is family. Have you not heard that Blood is thicker than water? The love should always be there.

Thanks to Kathy Mallonee, for telling me to write a book about the fire.

Very big thank you to all who helped me research the Bible verses and poems. I have learned so much while writing this book. I have heard God’s words that I needed to hear.

A special thanks to the people who read this over and helped with changes:

Rita Hile, Kathy Mallonee, Richard Reed, Mary Sisseck, and Rena Tyne. I will be forever indebted to you.

Thanks to our daughter for allowing us to share the story of the two blessings to our family.

Also thank GOD for bringing a new family into our life. Thanks for sharing your great grandchildren with our family. This is very special to me, Leigh, having been adopted. It is GOOD and not BAD.

Cindy McDaniel, we want to thank you for your drawing of our house and of Jesus.

I know I have forgotten some acknowledgements, and I am truly sorry.

Curtis Flaval Pritchard               Sept 3, 1906 to Oct 16, 1993

I want to thank you for taking me into your house when I was three years old and no one wanted me. We were always close and you always protected me. I am sorry that it was three days before I remembered your death after the fire. I was totally in shock.

I want to thank you for seeing we were safe that Oct 16, 2005 at 3:08 a.m. when a drunk driver drove into our house and burned it to the ground. You saw to it that God provided the light for Robert to find his glasses. God also gave us a light to lead us out of the basement, even when we had no electricity. We are also thankful that God raised the corner of the garage door to allow the young girl to escape from our burning house. I will always remember your death in the future. The drunk girl may have taken away all of our possessions, but she can’t take away our memories.

Your daughter

Linda

We want to thank another family that has now become a part of our family. You have been there in good and bad times. Diana, you have been like a mom and best friend to me. You have listen to me and not judged me, given your advice, and have been there when no one else has been there. You are not a person to run away when things go wrong. You have adopted daughters, so you know the emotions. We feel blessed that you allowed those precious great grandbabies to come into our family. Our lives have been forever changed. I have so many wonderful memories like on my birthday when we got your great grandson. You were as excited as us when we brought him by your house for you to see the first time. Another time was the day when we cut up my wedding dress up and made your great granddaughter a dress to wear to her adoption. Thanks for allowing me to scrapbook on the photo album of your great granddaughter’s first year. You and Gary have invited us to many places with you. We treasure you sharing our Thanksgiving traditions with us. They say Good come out of Bad and this has definitely happened. Words can never express how thankful we are now that you are now a part of our family.

Robert and Linda

Who’s Who in the Family?

Chapter 1

Child Growing Up

Y ou probably don’t know me, Leigh, especially if you are female. Why? I am a bit difficult to get to know, a very complex person. Why? Females in my life have mostly caused me a lot of emotional pain. If we do become true friends, it will be a lifetime relationship. My biological mother, Lena, abandon me when I was young. Lena will tell me a different version of this story later in my life. I finally found her when I was thirty seven years old. A few months later my daughter and I get to meet her face to face for the first time since I was three years old.

This story begins many years ago when I, Leigh was three years old and my little brother Jake was only one year old. The story I had been told was that our biological mother had abandoned us and our biological father, Bob, was taking us back to Missouri so his family could help him care for us. He wanted to keep the two little ones together. That didn’t work out as planned.

The two youngsters first went to live with Bob’s brother Joe and sister-in-law Jenny and their eight year old daughter, Dawn. After several weeks, a decision was made that my little brother, Jake would stay with them, but I must go somewhere else. They had just had a baby boy that died from the cord being wrapped around his neck. Aunt Maxine and Uncle Michael couldn’t take the children as they already had four children living in their home. At this time they were raising Maxine’s half-brother Paul Baker, who was an orphan. Paul’s mom had died young and his father was tragically killed. His father didn’t hear the on coming train as he crossed the tracks. His vehicle was hit and pushed down the tracks for quite a distance. Aunt Maxine and Uncle Michael had another child on the way, and her doctor had told Aunt Maxine that she shouldn’t take in anymore children.

Bob’s Aunt Janet Cooper said that she could take me but others in the family didn’t want me to go there. No one family wanted two small children. Alan, Bob’s brother-in-law, finally said, We will take Leigh; that’s how the two little ones got separated. Since this was to a temporary arrangement until Bob found himself another wife, everyone seemed okay with this.

When I went to visit my little brother, Jake, we would have to go to beer tavern to ask permission to go anywhere. My aunt Jenny and Uncle Joe threatened that