Evelyn Dove Coleman: Blessed Beyond Measure
Years ago when I retired on disability, Ann Reed signed my Inactive Status Certificate. Her mother Helen Reed was one of my teachers at North Lenoir High School. It felt full circle. I had been an honors student at North Lenoir, and I returned there to speak for Commencement twice. I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 3 years with a degree in English and from the UNC Law School. I guess that is why I love reading and writing so much. https://www.carolinaalumnireview.com/carolinaalumnireview/barjournal2023/MobilePagedReplica.action?pm=1&folio=36#pg36
After I had retired on disability, I tried to help my godparents and a family friend. It was disastrous. I simply couldn't think the way I used to and I lost my license, although it was already on Inactive Status, and I had gone through the PALS/Friends program with Ed Ward due to Meniere's disease. It was a hard thing to experience. My godparents and the family friend have all passed away now. But they knew that I had their backs. Today I hold onto that thought. When Duke Hospital later discovered a cyst on my brain, that clarified some of the fog. I've lived with Meniere's Disease for years and the Tinnitis makes me a fall-risk. I've fractured my hip, my foot, and my ribs and sprained both ankles, from falls. After a kidney transplant at Duke Hospital, I was immediately placed back on Dialysis. Every day is a pure miracle for me.
I am grateful that my love for words and the grace of my Maker allow me to write a column in Neuse News with an awesome Editor. I am able to stay connected to my hometown community and serve through PathChoice Ministry. I was born and raised in Kinston and attended Savannah High School and North Lenoir High School. I won the Miss Blue Revue pageant as a teen and the N.C. Princess Soya pageant in my 20s. I participated in 4-H public speaking contests with people like the masterful speaker Lee Hood Capps. PathChoice Ministry was once named Minority Business of the Year by the Kinston/Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce. I was able to help many clients at the Beech & Dove office. I have spoken my testimony in several churches and conferences through the years to encourage others to keep the faith and hold on despite circumstances. I am a Kinston native, and I'm blessed beyond measure still. Let's keep in touch.
Evelyn Dove Coleman established PathChoice Ministry in1992. Send prayer requests to www.pathchoicepastoralcounseling.weebly.com.
