The memoir begins in 1979 with me, Tina Green, a Black 19-year-old North Philadelphia girl dreaming of becoming an interpretive dancer like Paula Kelly and a proud member of the United States Air Force. My life consists of academics, the theatrical arts, and my boyfriend 'Davis,' whom I met at The Freedom Theatre, where I learned to dance, sing, and act, honing my skills and aspirations of one day appearing on a Broadway stage. In the span of a few short years, my life is turned upside down, and over the course of the next four decades, I am caught up in many different storms of life that toss me around multiple times; however, finally, I land on my feet, being ever so grateful that my life was spared. As a result of my life experiences during this time, I came to learn that with just the right amount of perseverance, faith, and grace, I could be an overcomer. As you read through my memoir, it is my hope that you will keep an open mind, and allow yourself to step into my shoes for just a moment as you realize that although we may look, speak, and act differently, we are all at times very similar in how we embrace our hopes and dreams for a better reality and how we persevere through the storms of life. I Count The Dark is my journey of life and how I came to understand, believe, and embrace the fact that my strongest gift or my purpose is the gift of my testimony. I share in hopes that I can reach the one person who will come to realize that it is their time to speak so that they can then reach another and another and so forth and so on. As you continue on in your seasons of life, ask yourself this question: What seeds have been planted in you that you have allowed to bloom? My answer is now and will forever be ? "Perseverance is my seed; what's yours?"
