Odyssey is defined as a long and eventful or adventurous journey or experience, hence my whirlwind of a life. Not the kind of whirlwind that leaves things scattered beyond recognition, but the kind of whirlwind that picks you up and places you in the right place at the right time. My life has been one synchronicity, guided by my deceased mother and ancestors. I found myself in the land of my great, great, great grand father who came to America as a free black man, not enslaved.

This book does not claim to prove or disprove any written religious or historical dogma of any kind. Its only objective rather, is to record what I was told, by my elders, the history of our family and to record my own life's journey. My only reason for conducting the small amounts of historical research was due to my desire to verify dates and the timelines of events that I was told occurred; those that might have coincided with my great-grandfather's arrival in America and how they might have affected the decisions he made during his lifetime--decisions that would eventually impact those of us who came later. Once I was satisfied that these timelines and dates did indeed match, I had no doubt that the stories passed on to me happened just as they were told.