EXCERPT: A Mind That Is Ready for a Miracle: A journey of the spirit to miraculous recovery from near death by Mona Austin

Before the release of the riveting testimony of journalist Mona Austin's miraculous healing and transformation, read an excerpt from "A Mind That Is Ready for Miracles." By Mona Austin CHAPTER 1: Where I Came From (Place, Perspective and Finding Purpose) I was raised with the belief that I am better than no one and no one is better than me.  This teaching has been a constant thread in my life as I have traveled and moved in and out of various environments.

My beginnings were very humble.  If the "right" conditions determined how far I would go in life, I would not have advanced past the front door. My relatives, my church, and the community I came from, which was a true village in my upbringing, drove me to remain focused, "do good" and "be good" where ever I show up. They collectively are my family.  I will forever represent my heritage, which encompasses the ways of Shreveport, LA, Caddo Parish, Eden Gardens, Altus Loop, Gideon St., and Mary Evergreen Baptist Church. I always have a space waiting for me on someone's the porch when I visit.

I feel a real responsibility to honor how I was raised and to remember where I came from.   Content with a little or a lot, gratefulness is always flowing from my heart when I think about home. I use my gifts, treasures and talents to help others knowing whatever I  possess doesn't really belong to me in the first place.  It ALL belongs to God.  Although my heart is humble, God is the lifter of my head, perpetually sustaining my dignity.  This mindset was formed and cultivated in the "Port City" (Shreveport, LA.)  As a military wife, I have lived many places, but when I reflect on my hometown it gives me a sense of belonging.  I would do absolutely nothing without faith in God and the people he placed along my path to teach me how to live, thrive and survive from birth.  Life was not easy for me. There came a time that I wanted to be relieved of some of the challenges I faced and never look back. But through it all, to good and bad of my upbringing was a strong foundation for survi A Southern Girl to the core, I love being the by product of the country wisdom and Biblical truth I listened to when I was growing up.  Such teachings lined my path to the core of my being.  I love myself because of the love that surrounded me.

So. . .

I still say "yes ma'am/sir" and open doors for strangers.

If the floor needs to be swept, I grab the broom. 

When I am around the elderly, they don't have to get up or lift a finger.

No matter what I experience and where I go I treat people like I want to be treated as my family taught me. 

I work hard.  No one owes me anything.  All I ask for is respect.

When I introduce myself I don't use a title, drop names, state where I attended school, refer to my resume or tell people my zip code. I link myself to the people I love and who love me -- my grandmother, my mother, my spouse, my children.

In a church, I don't talk and walk around.  I sit and listen.  I don't desire to be seen and make an entrance. 

Its called home training.  Glad I was house broken early in life.  It has served me well.

I am allergic to fakeness.  You do not have to pretend to be something or someone you are not when you are around me.

I know that everybody who smiles in my face is not a friend and everybody who tells me "no" or tells me the painful truth is not an enemy. 

I'm loyal.  Your secrets are safe with me even if we severe ties.  If you were ever a friend of mine, you still are.  We may need to get caught up, but never get reacquainted.

If I ever loved you, I love you still.  Liking your ways is altogether different.  I don't have to like you to love you.
 

My WORD is my BOND. PERIOD.

My name, which is connected to my village, is all I  have.  Even in my adulthood I am keenly aware that the choices I make still have an impact on more than just me.  If I mess up it makes all of us look bad (that is, my family.) 

These are  some of the things I believe.  These are the things whereby I conduct myself when I face the world every single day.  My hope is that someone else's life is better because of how I live mine.

How I treat others matters because my daughters are watching and what they see has a direct effect on  they face the world.  I believe INTEGRITY lies in the center of humility and dignity.  When all three attributes intersect, you will not be ashamed of where you came from and there will be no limits to where you can go. I remember where I came from, which always reminds me  to keep my integrity, humility and dignity in check. Not because I am less than anyone else or better than anyone else, but it keeps me sensitive to my surroundings and accountable to my contribution to life. What happened when your values and ideals clash with the realities of life. I found the answer to this question in the worst way. This firm foundation in faith Living a life of stress, compromises, instability anxiety and disappointment almost consumed me to the point of death. then I changed my mindset and rescued me in his