Message to a godson results in life and faith book

By Jan Warren

Correspondent

Oceanfront

What are you leaving behind for your loved ones to remember you by?

A life insurance policy? A few family treasures? Something more meaningful?

Virginia Beach writer Marcia P. Cole addresses that question in her new book, titled "Caught Between Life & Death."

Four years ago, Cole lay in a hospital bed surrounded by monitors and tubes. She feared she was dying and was distraught at the thought of leaving her godson, Jamel "Sonny" Royal, then 22. She had helped raise him and loved him as her own.

Royal, a marine, had just returned from Iraq. He was full of doubts and questions.

"There was so much I wanted to say to him," said the petite, soft-spoken Cole, 41.

"He had asked me to explain my faith and thoughts on life," she said. "It wasn't easy because I don't have a gift for gab and find it hard to talk about my feelings."

Writing about her feelings was different. "It's a release for me," Cole said. "When I talk to the computer, the words just flow from my fingers."

That day in the hospital, when Cole thought her death was imminent, she vowed that if she survived she would give her godson a written testament of her life and faith experiences.

Four years later, her lovingly written testament to her godson is in book form. Today, she shares her thoughts - what she describes in her book as a "new sense of hope, a new way of looking at things" - with a broader audience.

"Marcia has a true passion for writing," said property manager Carolyn Akers, a co-worker at Atlas Realty on First Colonial Road, where Cole is office manager. "The book has much food for thought and good lessons to apply to daily living."

Cole, a native of Ipswich, England, lives in Oceana Gardens with husband, Ralph.

She also has written several plays and has published in the poetry anthology "The Other Side of Midnight." Her first book was titled "A Reason to Hope When You're Ready to Give Up."

Royal, now 26, lives in Oceana near his godmother. In September, he is scheduled to complete his training as a firefighter for the Norfolk Fire Department.

How did Royal respond to the book? That question brought a smile from Cole.

"He called and said he wanted to come right over and give me a hug," she said. "I guess that means he liked it."

To order "Caught Between Life & Death" ($11.99), visit online at www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore or Amazon.com. Or call (888) 361 9473.

Jan Warren, janwarren@wcbeach.com