Hey, All. Time to get another post done, and I have the joy of telling you about me and Anthoni… my son. Some of you know him by Lance, some by Tony, AB, and other given nicknames. One of mine and Anthoni’s favorite nicknames for him is when friends call him Antoni, like Mark Antony. Several of his teachers did the same thing. My grandmother called him Tone Tone. My mom called him her Rev, her little preacher. My favorite is… my gift from God. He absolutely was answer to prayer.
When I was 13 and in high school, I had a counselor warn me against the disadvantages of having a baby. It was a school for troubled kids that originated as a school for pregnant girls. I remember asking her who would want a baby. She started telling me how young girls want someone to love them unconditionally, to have someone to belong to, and someone belong to them. As she was telling me this I thought, “You know, That’s a pretty good idea, and if you don’t teach them anything about hate they will only know love. They will only learn what you teach them.” Now I started liking the idea.
I was sexually active and my friends were already having babies, and giving me grief for not being sexually active, nor having a baby. Even though they knew I was promiscuous, I was not as active as they seemed to think was required. I would dream of having a little girl. Finally when I had just turned 18, I would get sick… dizzy like. I went to a local women’s clinic for a pregnancy test, but it said no. I went a 2nd time… nope. When my family and friends kept giving me grief, I took a friend with me to the ER so that she could hear them say no. When he told me my test was positive, I first thought… positive… the test is good and clear… oh wait… this is a pregnancy test. My friend was laughing so hard the doctor told her it wasn’t funny. Defending my friend, I told him it was.
On a Friday the 13th in May, they were awaking me from having a Caesarian Section. They were telling me, “Miss Brookshire, you have a son.” I remember groggily saying, “A what?” I guess I was so sure I would have a girl. Everyone was letting me know he was beautiful, but some while adding…and he’s white! While some were guessing what his race was in this surprising tone. As I heard this, I though, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” I asked the nurse to bring him in so that I could see him. When she came back with this beautiful baby I said, “Oh what a beautiful baby! Where’s my baby. I want to see him.” When the nurse said he was my baby, I insisted, “He is so beautiful. He has to be someone else’s baby.” The nurse asked why I thought I couldn’t have a beautiful baby. I just remember trying to get her to take him back to his mom because she had to miss him, at the same time pleading to see my baby.
Once it was quiet, God whispered his name into my ear. Anthoni was his daddy’s middle name. Lance was my granddad’s last name, who had been my hero. It was also the family name so it would make my mom and grandmother happy. And Brookshire was my dad’s family name. Anthoni would be able to carry it on. I could call him Tony so that he would have his own name. He went by Lance until time to graduate from his elementary school. Then he decided he would go by Anthoni. The guys at school called him Tony, as did my grandmother and the guys in our family.
When Anthoni came along, the Lord used him to change our family… on both sides… and friends… and so many people along the way. God was using him in two very important ways… to break race barriers… and to draw us near to God. On my dad’s side, the prejudice was so heavy that many were in the KKK. They majority of them lived in Hickory, Statesville, Taylorsville. They would threaten our friends, and even made it very clear to me at times how they felt. My mom’s side worked with black friends, hired black friends, but as I was told, “You don’t bring them home to dinner with you.” Anthoni found his way into the heart of all those who had been so bigoted. They were even going out of their way to visit, to shower with gifts, and taking pictures. He caused a lot of people to see they were only prejudice because of what they were taught, but being faced with someone they loved they began to change. I had nothing to do with it. God was doing this. They have all been so supportive of his wanting to be a preacher or being in ministry.
God has used Anthoni to change me!! I used to think that it was too late for me about God. But God would use my love for Anthoni to teach me about His love for me, and allowed this unique blessing for us to have in common. We were both single parents of an only son. I am not God, and I cannot speak for God. I know God is a Holy and Righteous God, but it was God who gave my son life, and it was God who allowed him to be my son. He entrusted me! And through all the ministry and love He brought Anthoni, I was blessed to receive it with him.
He used Anthoni’s preschool and elementary years to bring our whole family back to church, back to God, even our friends, coworkers, and different folks along the way. For years we had a family tradition of meeting at the church on Christmas Eve for our family Communion, and friends would meet us, kneel at that altar, take the communion, and pray. While the years and family have changed so much with so many being home with Jesus, God continues to use Anthoni to work in our lives, and He continues to bless me with this special relationship just between me and Him.
So I finish with the words I have always tried to teach Anthoni…
“Keep God first… above everyone… and everything… including me… including you… NO MATTER WHAT!
gaillovesgod 
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