Beacon Of The Day | New Author Breaks Down Forgiveness

Now a published author, Kemmisha Nesbitt-McCarthy hopes to strike a chord with readers on the issue of forgiveness.

Her first publication, which can be purchased on Amazon by CLICKING HERE, is titled: FORGIVENESS, TRULY – Why You Should Forgive And Why You’ll Want To Do It Now.

“When I wrote the book, I didn’t want to focus much on the wrongdoers because I feel like everyone has done wrong,” McCarthy said. “I feel like the most important thing is to take all attention off the wrong and focus on how God can use a situation to mould you.”

The non-fictional book, which was published in September last year, was not McCarthy’s most difficult piece to write, but she shared that she encountered a few challenges that she did not allow to discourage her.

The publication was designed as a healing mechanism for people struggling to forgive, McCarthy said.

“With the mandate to forgive, I thought that we should have a roadmap that breaks down how it should be done,” she reasoned. “My book breaks down in different chapters the benefits of forgiveness, what to expect after you forgive, what forgiveness is, and what it is misconstrued as.”

The book, however, should not be considered a substitute for therapy, added McCarthy, a social worker by training and profession.

She recalled growing up in the tough Waterhouse community in Kingston consequent on the ill-health and subsequent death of her mother when she was six years old.

After her mother died, her father migrated to England.

McCarthy resided with her maternal grandmother for over seven years, after which she went to live with her aunt at Portmore in St Catherine.

She started creative writing while at Merle Grove High school, where she served as deputy head girl and director for the debating society. She also represented the school at multiple writing competitions.

“I credit my writing skills to my teachers at Merle Grove because they’ve always encouraged me to write,” said the mother of two boys.

In 2015, she was adjudged best adult poet in a creative writing competition hosted by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC). She also has written a number of unpublished pieces.

McCarthy told The Beacon that, over the years, she became interested in incorporating her gift of writing into her spiritual beliefs, which compelled her to write her maiden publication.

The book was also inspired by an experience she had while working at an organization.

McCarthy, who said she was taught the route of revenge while growing up at Waterhouse, learnt the importance of forgiveness through the church and her maternal grandmother Diana Martin, to whom she dedicated the book.

“I almost chose the way of the streets because I carried anger for a while, but the peace of God enabled me to choose between the two paths and I chose the one of faith, forgiveness, and the abandonment of fury,” McCarthy asserted.

She encouraged aspiring authors to believe in themselves and their gift, while depending on God for guidance.

By Jamar Grant, Jamaica Beacon Journalist

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