My Soul Cried Out...But I Could Not Weep

Candid, breathtaking, and unimaginable, Elisabeth Holyday in her own words gives a picture of strength, courage and the will of the human spirit to survive in circumstances where many would crumble. It is the story of the once little girl who went to church from dusk to dawn, shared a beautiful bond with her mother, drawn to the teacher who taught her Religion in High school and the teacher in Elementary school who believed in her and had high expectations of her. When she fell from grace at fourteen, she struggled to get back on her feet, but with a brilliant Letter of Recommendation and a little luck with a part of her tuition, she got back in school, back in her element, and was convinced that she would someday be numbered among the greatest Gospel Singers, travelling the world and singing in different languages, until a rape one night on her way home from Prayer Meeting left her with another child and all hell broke loose after that. Elisabeth's life took such a devastating turn that she was left with three children by the age of eighteen and a lifetime of havoc that left her hiding behind of wall of silence and shame. As a mother of three before she earned a paycheque, Elisabeth saw marriage as a way out to help carve a path for her and her children and to give her the sense of security she desperately needed. It was the beginning of the end of all that she hoped and dreamed for.

"Elisabeth is a naturalized Canadian Citizen who emigrated from Jamaica to Canada in the late seventies. She is a mother of three children and twelve grand children. Her family is her life. If you are travelling on a bus or train, or even walking along the street and you hear someone humming a song, chances are it is Elisabeth Holyday. She loves singing, loves to listen to Gospel Music, and anytime of the day or night you can hear Gospel music reverberating throughout her home. Her taste in music is not limited to Gospel, but she's passionate about Gospel music. From Cassette Tapes to VHS, LP's, CD"s. and DVD's Elisabeth hoards them all. The same applies to her faith. She could watch Mass five times per day on Television, light candles from sundown on Fridays to sundown on Saturdays, reverence the Sabbath on Saturdays, attend Mass on Sundays, watch all the Television Evangelists on Sundays, and still be faithful to her Pentecostal upbringing, while her home looks like a Catholic Shrine.

Though not an expert on Social Media, now that Elisabeth has written a book, when she is not fiddling with the organ, or reading a book, she is either on Twitter or Facebook, or, she is sharing her publishing journey in a blog. Even though she has told her story and is much more at peace with herself now, Elisabeth is aware of how much she has missed out on life because of her silence, and is intent on savouring every minute of every hour however simple it may be. A lover of nature, lots of sunshine, blue skies and the arts, Elisabeth anxiously looks forward to the days when she will be able to spend more time with relatives left behind in Jamaica who she couldn't sponsor to Canada; more time with classmates from whom she felt like she was torn due to her misfortunes; and most of all, spend more time where she was born, where precious memories with her darling mother are still very vivid. Their bond was so infectiously close, that sixteen years after her Mom passed away, Elisabeth still feels she has an obligation to continue her Mom's legacy of always looking out for those less fortunate. Christ-like by nature, Elisabeth is ready to move beyond her past into the future. Sharing her story has liberated her.

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