Faith To Endure

By Louise "Lady L" Buckner

Faith to Endure shows the darkest side of one who has had traumatic and ruinous events in life! When uncertainty and direction is blinding. The promise of what you have always known is no longer relevant and carries no substance that is seen through your eyes, mind, or heart. The agony that is present mentally and physically leaves you challenging realities. As well as your capabilities moving ahead at a distance. This book is a test of faith and endurance through the unthinkable. The breaking of yourself and the building of your purpose(s) here and beyond.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798385024100

Louise "Lady L" Buckner

John W Buckner Youth Initiative - Our Hands Our Worth CEO Louise Buckner professionally known as Lady L Buckner. Born and raised in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago IL, Lady L started to look for her voice through writing. Her initial book My Life My Angel is Lady L’s family legacy in writing. After its release she continued to write to inspire others to use their voice through writing. Highly motivated Lady L put together a body of poems that later became her second book Lord Strengthen My Voice: Honest and Humble. Being the Gemini that she is as a youth Lady L looked to Chaka Khan as a fashionista and now moves around with the stylish confidence of Erika Badu. Lady L has curated her brand via unique fashion and hairstyles. She is also committed to family traditions that are rooted in faith, love and values pleasing God. Louise is courageous in her journey, while almost all the time being fearful through it. “Be aggressive in your vision, passive ain’t” it is her favorite quote. Her life is the story of living in your truth. Lady L loves to read biographies and motivational books one of her favorite authors is Rick Warren. Louise says writing brings out her creativity, freedom, relaxation and it’s a narrative she can control. Lately she has noticed books have been taken out of circulation due to the way people think. Lady L believes all books should be available and its up to the parents and readers to decide which information, education and history they would like to explore. Lady L promotes herself on social media, book signings and events. Also through her company Lady L Buckner Productions, philanthropy, church and outreach. Besides Faith To Endure she is working on a gospel album and expanding the youth initiative that she founded in the name of the love of her life John W Buckner.

Book preview

THE PERFECT COUPLE

When I laid my beautiful brown eyes on a handsome young man in a small church years ago, I knew then that it would be magical. I had just looked at a canvas of a life-changing picture. Imagine seeing the colors of a rainbow with the sun shining all around after a rain. It was springtime, birds were singing, flowers were in full bloom, and this young man, John, was in the center of it all. Only God blesses like that!

Rain is good luck in nature. Many days we walked in the rain, never in a hurry to run for shelter; these were some of the most romantic and intimate times we’d ever had. To have love between two people not knowing of any struggles that will meet you like a bomb in a war zone. This unexpected drama can cause one to walk away, before being defeat of all you have to lose.

Just sitting together at home or out, the safeness I felt with my angel was like an orchestra of love songs, simply beautiful and real. Having all the desirable elements and qualities, our love was as good as it was possible for it to be. We completed each other in every way as a husband and wife should. The love we shared was as close to perfect as it could be here on earth. This relationship was heaven-sent.

Our love outweighed our ups and downs overwhelmingly. Our faith endured. If you have ever been in love, imagine what your wedding day was or would be like. From that day on, carry that same love and more love to infinity. We both had this kind of love.

When you see one, you see the other, touching with tenderness and respect. We held hands while driving in the car, going to and from work, going into restaurants, going into the church, shopping, or just sitting around the house. His touch and those body massages were addictive. Perfect hands for a perfect love!

Our children and grandchild saw our love for each other. Everyone who knew anything about us would tell us all the time how they adored us as a couple. They would ask, What is the secret to this thing called love? We showed others what being in love looked like for all to see down through the years.

If we were in town for our wedding anniversaries, we ate at Red Lobster. Baby always ordered the garden salad with french dressing, fried shrimp, french fries, and two orders of crab legs; I always ordered a Caesar salad and the ultimate feast entrée, which included lobster, crab legs, shrimp scampi, fried shrimp, and a baked potato. Baby introduced me to crab legs the first time we went to Red Lobster. After that, he always cracked the crab legs for me; he did not want me to struggle or break a nail. Those biscuits were a must too.

In our marriage, Baby and I dedicated a date night once a month, which was a planned date night among others. These dates were to keep us connected with intimate conversations and ideas about personal goals and faith so that we would endure to the endgame. The longer we were married, the stronger our faith grew, and our love did too.

I loved when Baby would gently nudge me on the chin with his knuckles and chuckle, or when he would pinch my left calf as I got in the jeep and say, Hey, big legs, get your fine self in here.

It may be unimaginable to you, but it is as though time stood still in our love and caring—love with words, action with words, our scents of each other with words. My angel honored me in every way. I cherished my husband for life. We were a perfect couple. There was no other way to explain this love. Gucci.

For I know the plans I have for you declares The Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

— Jeremiah 29:11

OH, HOW I LOVE CHRISTMAS

Christmas was magical to my angel. Out of all the days in the year, it brought a sparkle to his beautiful eyes. Baby looked forward to Christmas. He enjoyed everything about it, including the gathering of family, the shopping for presents, the food, and the opening of the gifts. I remember many times we went shopping at the tree lots for a live Christmas tree.

Baby would take me and the babies along to pick out the perfect tree for us. We’d walk the lot and look the trees up and down to find the perfect width, height, and fullness. If we did not find the perfect tree for us, we went elsewhere. Once the tree was found, we took it home by placing it on top of the car or hanging it from the trunk tie-down. Buck would bring it in the house and lay it down in the living room.

He would get a handsaw to cut some bark off the bottom of the tree, and I would prepare some water and sugar within the tree stand. The tree would be placed upright into the tree stand, and Baby would secure it with the side bolts around the stand.

Buck had a unique collection of ornaments. We had collected some from thrift stores, Marshfield’s, and antique shops. He had many from all over. His collection did not end there; he had ceramic houses and buildings, including a church, a hardware store, and a library, which we set up as a village.

Buck loved Christmas. I knew how much it meant to him. So, I would hand-string popcorn to make garland to adorn the tree. This process was relaxing, cost saving, and beautiful. We had a unique Christmas tree. Once we finished putting the popcorn garland on the tree, stringing the lights, and hanging the assortment of ornaments, we’d take in the smell of the live tree and admire the beauty.

Baby would go back to the tree a few times while we were all together. But most of the time, it was after everyone else had retired to bed. He went back to the tree to rearrange the ornaments each year. It was so funny. I don’t think he ever knew that we knew he was doing it. In recent years, I learned from others that the men in their families were also ornament rearrangers. How ’bout that!

John loved to see his children run to the tree on early Christmas mornings. Those moments made his heartstrings rejoice. Taking them to see Santa over the years was a delight for him as well as the kids; it was another chance for him and the kids to have some bonding time. The kids had so many things for Christmas. Some explicit language was used by our baby boy when he saw the fire truck. It was so, so funny, but we could not let on to the baby how funny that was after it was said.

Just putting the kids’ toys and other gadgets together tested our patience as we worked together on a time constraint. Some of these projects were more than what we’d bargained for, between our work schedules and waiting for them to go to bed. I’d read the instructions, and Baby would work with the tools and gadget pieces. We’d say, Lord, help us. This is getting the better of both of us. But in the end, it was always worth it. The cause would always win.

We loved to entertain. Throughout the years, we had many dinner parties, barbeques, and every Christmas at our house. This one particular time, Christmas was approaching, and Baby wanted to make it a very memorable and gift-giving time. He came up with the idea of inviting all the family and friends we knew to this Christmas extravaganza. I looked at him and said excitedly, Yeah, let’s do it, let’s do it!

I remembered how our two children would say growing up, Mama, no more parties, because they were tired of helping with all the preparations. This time, Baby and I did not have to rush the planning, and the children had nothing to do but to show up with their children.

I knew it had been on his mind for some time because he had it well planned. Baby and I spent time together working out the details he had put into play, from the food to the gifts