Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine November Edition | Page 65

“counted it all joy”
I chose to focus on what Tanishia needed by
observing how she responded to pain, surgery, bad
news, and uncertainty. I learned more about who
she was by witnessing how she interacted with the
people around her.
Tanishia’s first surgery was on September 19, 2016,
and lasted for 11 ½ grueling hours. However, the
night before surgery Tanishia threw a surprise
birthday party for her mother. From Delhi, Louisiana,
she called and arranged the details of the party,
including dinner and a special birthday cake
prepared by the hotel. Ms. Darlene’s three sisters:
Mama Linda, Aunt Mimell, and Aunt Brenda were
there as well as surprise guests, Kimberla Lawson
Roby and her husband, Will. Tanishia was focused
on abundance and LIFE.
Following surgery, Tanishia underwent an additional
six weeks of radiation treatment. Her beloved Jai, her
mother, and I, each spent two weeks with her. During
my two week stint, we broke up the monotony of
hotel living and eating out by spending one weekend
at my house. The weekend was a chance for her to
prepare one of her famous dishes—hodgepodge.
On Saturday, we had a special lunch and catching up
with D. J. McLaurin, another sister scribe. We returned
to Zion on a snowy Sunday afternoon. It was the
first time she’d driven in a Chicago snowstorm with
cars inching along while snowplows tried to stay
ahead of the wet, heavy snow. During follow-up
visits, Tanishia adapted to the cold and snow, never
confining herself to the hotel room.
Tanishia was a diva and looking her best was part
of the fight. We drove to the Zion Walmart for
manicures, pedicures, light shopping and explored
the area which included finding restaurants, driving
into nearby Gurnee for Tuesday movies at the Gurnee
Mall, complete with lunch and even more shopping.
One wintry evening in February, we ventured out
to the Gurnee Mall bookstore to surprise Kimberla
Lawson Roby who was signing her latest book,
Copycat.
I will be eternally grateful for the three years
Tanishia played a significant role in my life. We
were connected from the first book evaluation she
wrote for What You Can Get Away With. Together we
learned to be there in the moment, to love, laugh,
and treat each day as special regardless of what the
doctors reported. When she shared her diagnosis,
I listened and prayed with her. When she decided
to go to Zion, she’d say, I have to be in Zion for “X”
number of days. I’d reply, “I’ll be there.” Thankfully, I
was able to keep that commitment each and every
time.
Tanishia lived every moment and counted it all joy
Joyce A. Brown is the national bestselling author of What
You Can Get Away With and Getting Away With Everything.
She is a contributing author to a romance anthology:
Signed, Sealed, Delivered ... I’m Yours and a non-fiction book
on writing: Baring it All: The Ins and Outs of Publishing.
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