On August 4, 2006, my life forever changed when my beloved mother, Estella M. Clinton, suffered a massive stroke, an intracerebral hemorrhage. This is the most deadliest type of stroke, as there isn't anything the doctor can do to stop the bleeding of the brain. However, I'm happy to announce that my mother survived this storke and is currently in a rehabilitation center recovering. Even though she's improving, I'm still a mess.

My emotions have been all over the place. I have lost focus wheras I can't concentrate for an extended period of time. I'm very nervous and jumpy everytime the phone rings. I have become paranoid where I turn my phone off at night, not wanting to hear any bad news; and I panic everytime I see a family member's name on my caller id. Consequently, I have slowly been driving myself insane. So, I had to make a decision, but I couldn't figure out what I was going to do to pull myself out of the funk that I had been in for the past six or so months. Then, it came to me one day to write about this experience dealing with a family member who has had a stroke.

I wrote an outline of the book that I'm going to write, entitled The Fourth of August The Day the Clinton Family was affected by a Stroke. The plan sounded good, but there was one problem. I had lost my motivation to write. Through my ordeal, it was as if I forgot how to formulate a sentence. I became distraught and even more depressed.

Then, the Lord sent me help through a friend, Joe. He convinced me to write a short story, just to see if I could get my writing motivation back. It worked, as I finished the short story. It was a very rough go, but I made it through. Now, I can begin work on the novel about my mother.

Joe, I cannot thank you enough for your support. Your friendship means a lot to me, and I'm forever indebted to you.

If you would like to read the short story entitled, Should Have Known Better, visit my website at www.jaundreclinton.com and click on Short Story. I may turn this short story into a full length novel one day.

Thanks for allowing me to share my story with you. Until next time, J. Aundre'