Author LaRhonda McLemore is an easy-spirited, beautiful, talented woman with a very bright future ahead. But as an old street jargon goes: “don’t let the smooth taste fool you.” She is strong as steel with the delicateness of a rose petal. One look at the snazzily dressed, well spoken young woman with a smile as mellow as sunshine, and one might ask: “what struggles has she?” This lady puts a whole new meaning on the words ‘survivor’ and ‘conqueror.’ There are not enough pages in any book or words that can share her ‘broken to glory journey.’ A snippet of then would read like this:
“As a baby of eight or nine months old, she was found crawling over her dead grandmother. She had died while babysitting LaRhonda. She had been there without milk or her soggy diaper being changed. At age nine, she was molested twice by two relatives that she trusted. She told her mom about the incidents and she didn’t believe her. So she did what a great deal of sexual assault victims did. She buried the incidents in the back of her mind and never spoke about them again until she was 25 years old. At age 17, she lost her father to a crack cocaine overdose. At age 18, her mom was incarcerated and she took full custody of her two younger siblings who lived with her until she turned 25” according to the bio for her book and blog, The Lessons Before the Blessings.
What purpose is a book about such things? How may others be affected or find it useful? McLemore didn’t just stumble upon this life changing literary project.
“Lessons Before the Blessing is a self-help motivational book that I believe will help women understand that when they are going through tough times, they have to intentionally look for the lessons,” said McLemore. “I wrote this book to encourage, empower, and educate all women of different backgrounds and ethnicity so that they are equipped with tools that will essentially help them live happier, healthier lives. The book was inspired by things I wish I could’ve told my younger self and things I’ve learn through trial and error.”
What is life looking like nowadays for her? She is happily engaged to Dr. Rubin Cockrell, CEO Positive Images and Associates, esteemed educator and Fortune 500 leader, entrepreneur and author. Their wedding date is later in 2017 with a July reception.
She volunteers at the Tennessee Prison for Women, and LaRhonda has worked at Walgreens Pharmacy for over 10 years as their ‘traveling senior certified pharmacy technician and instructor.’ She is also a first year, fifth grade history teacher for Metro Nashville Public School.
She holds an Associate’s degree in ‘fashion design and merchandise,’ a Bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in ‘non-profit management and leadership’ and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree at TSU (a 2018 graduation is projected).
McLemore’s personal mission statement in life is to uplift, inspire and encourage. She believes that within every lesson there is a blessing. Within every disaster there is a chance to grow. It solely depends on your perspective. She is no stranger to the struggle, but she believes that there is always a way to achieve what you need to achieve despite your circumstances.
For more information, visit the official website at thelessonsbeforetheblessing.com.
