Dear Little Sister, ...: My Answers to Your Questions

By Keisha A. Mitchell, PhD.

‘D.L.S – the light shining at the end of the seemingly dark tunnel.’
‘Dear Little Sister’ (D.L.S) contains pages of insightful, inspirational and uplifting thoughts for young girls. It is highly recommended for young girls as it gives realistic answers to very pertinent questions. Dr. Keisha A. Mitchell has successfully attempted a different method that epitomizes creativity. D.L.S is a highly confidential journal that reveals the mind of a teenage girl seeking answers to her questions. It is an on-going conversation between a little sister and her older sister as both parties share their thoughts, feelings and advice for different situations.
Parents, teachers, counsellors and youth pastors can take full advantage of this literary work as it discusses life changes, relationships between God, family, and friends, along with the ever intriguing topic of love, sex and dating.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781387546749

Book preview

Dear Little Sister, ...: My Answers to Your Questions

Dear Little Sister …: My Answers to Your Questions.

Keisha A. Mitchell, Ph.D.

© 2018

Lulu Press

i.                    Dedication

To all my Big Sisters who still carry the little girl inside them.  Here’s a round of cheers to our unity in #MeToo!  This one is for our daughters.

To all my Little Sisters at the Immaculate Conception High School.

It is at your request that I have written this book.  My monthly visits with you have reminded me of the 12 years of foundation that I received at the Immaculate Conception Preparatory and High Schools.  They were not always easy.  Some days were quite painful, but through it all, I discovered the power of perseverance.  I pray that the answers that I share with you will give you the encouragement that you need to make it through, the wisdom that you seek to make the right choices, and the grace that you will need to live this journey called life. 

To the daughters of my heart, Brenda and Emma, your presence reminds me that God still deposits miracles on earth.  This book has grown up with you.

Thank you for your Inspiration,

Your Big Sister.

ii.                  Acknowledgements

I have so much to be grateful for in seeing this book finally finished.  It has been a true labour of love like Nehemiah’s rebuilding the walls of Israel’s city that had been left in ruin and the people in disgrace.  As I have worked to write this book and to answer the call for help from my Little Sisters, I have received the help of many who never said no when I made a request for help.

Thanks to Sister Angella Harris, O.S.F., Principal of the Immaculate Conception High School, who granted permission for this undertaking.

Shorna-Kaye Edwards, how do I even acknowledge such a powerful spirit that resides in a beautiful young lady?  Thank you for seeing in this book everything that I could not see when I was writing it.  Thank you for causing my tears to flow as I read through the Foreword, and felt that my Little Sister understood.

Tazhmoye Crawford, I can only acknowledge that you were a gift that God sent to me after a long season of discouragement.  Thank you for carving out the time in the middle of a demanding career to edit an earlier draft of this book.  You have become an honorary member of my Immaculate Family, and the first indication that this book has a place beyond the Immaculate Conception High School community.

Thank you, Alexandra Daley, for using your gift of creativity in an earlier draft to show me that a picture is indeed worth a thousand words.  Your return to be a Big Sister at ICHS shows your understanding about sowing seeds for a great harvest for yourself and your Little Sisters who will see you and be inspired.

Thank you, Colin and Linda Barnes, for sharing your amazing talents with our Immaculate Community.  Together, you designed such a perfect cover for this book.  Your daughters, their friends, and all of us who once wore the blue and white uniform are forever grateful for your love.

To all the other friends and family members who have stood in the background waiting for me to finally produce this book: Thanks a million!  Some of you quietly cheered as you read; others, tested the book with an audience of girls who were in distress and confirmed the value of its message.  Your actions affirmed that the gifts in me would not be wasted. 

God bless you all.

iii.                Foreword

Within the covers of Dear Little Sister... (D.L.S.) lie pages of insightful, inspirational and uplifting thoughts for young girls. This book is certainly not one that is full of exciting characters or a thrilling plot, but it is uniquely written to target and shape the minds of young girls.

D.L.S. is most definitely a recommended book for young girls as it truly gives realistic answers to very pertinent questions. Parents, teachers, counsellors and youth pastors can take full advantage of this literary work as it discusses life changes; relationships between God, family, and friends; along with the ever so intriguing topic of love, sex and dating.

Yes, these topics have been dealt with and discussed time and time again via other media but Dr. Keisha A. Mitchell has successfully attempted a different method that epitomizes creativity. D.L.S. is like a highly confidential journal that reveals the mind of a teenage girl seeking answers to her questions. These answers are given from a Christian perspective and are quite applicable to this generation.

It is like an on-going conversation between a little sister and her older sister as both parties share their thoughts, feelings and advice for different situations. While reading this book you learn the inner thoughts of this generation and you realise that there are still, soft, young voices that need to be heard despite the noises of the world. Dr. Mitchell has genuinely shown her love for young people as each letter has been individually crafted. She has undoubtedly raised the standard, and continues to challenge a generation that oftentimes feels neglected and discouraged.

D.L.S. can be described as the key which closes the door of uncertainty and opens the door of encouragement and opportunity for the Christian growth and development of phenomenal young ladies. It acts as a manual for every young female in this generation.

‘D.L.S. – the light shinning at the end of the seemingly dark tunnel’

Shorna-Kaye Edwards

Former Deputy Head Girl, ICHS

2008-2009

iv.                 Introduction

…To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; This is to have succeeded (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

A confession seems like a strange way to begin a book.  However, I must make this one.  I really did not believe that I had anything worth saying to this generation.  I had even looked at my sister who is almost a decade younger than I am, and thought often of how different we were by the age in which we were born and raised.  She was a product of the technology and cable era in Jamaica. Being a teenager, she had access to a whole lot more information at her fingertips than I had at her age. I could see it in the way that she dressed.  I could hear it in the way that she spoke.  And, the level of comfort that she displayed with other changes in the moral and cultural standards around us spoke loud and clear. 

Unfortunately, or fortunately for you if you are reading this book, it took a tragedy for me to realize that I had to speak to you.  If I did not take my place to speak then who would?  And, when would they arrive?  I realized that I had a responsibility to share with you some of the wisdom that I had learned from my grandparents’ generation.  Most of this wisdom comes from my grandmother as I would go to their house after school each evening when I attended Immaculate Conception Preparatory