As I continue to research Lucy Cade's legacy and other Cade and Shade ancestors' footprints of life which have been partially shared from generation to generation, this brick wall of silence is slowly crumbling, revealing information that was whispered about or kept as family secrets. Now, I begin to understand why many of them said, "Let sleeping dogs lie." In addition to capturing oral history and documentation from Bibles, old books, and on the back of old photos, this journey has become very educational and enlightening. Not only were my ancestors sharing an inside perspective into their survival and living during the Jim Crow era, this information captured many frightening, sad, and precious memories.

Regardless of their surroundings, they had a reputation for making the best out of any situation, being hard workers, taking care of their own, whiskey makers, syrup makers, and cutting and fighting for what they believed in and dealing with the consequences, even if it meant death or leaving town. They were some strange and brave souls, and many folks said they were crazy as hell because they believed in an eye for an eye. They were known to whole grudges and to wait until the time was right to strike back. However, Ma Luc also taught them that physical fighting wasn't the only way to survive. She taught them to use their heads for more than hat racks, their eyes for more than seeing, and their mouths for more than talking. She trained them to use the two eyes God had given them because they were as powerful as a bullet. She was known for saying, "Them eyes can put something on a man's mind without you saying a word. They can instill fear into a man. They can show sickness, anger, lying, love, joy, and pain. You just have to know how and when to use them."
This book continues to capture family testimonies, homemade recipes, and remedies utilized by the Cade and Shade ancestors that were passed down from them. They continued to display their bravery, drive, determination, and risk in order to survive by using what God had provided for them on the land, the waters, and the air they breathed, making remedies from berries, plants, nuts, bark from trees, roots, and herbs from the land for colds, flu, measles, chicken pox, mumps, the shingles virus, and for many other ailments.

Lil Blackmon-Ayers was born and reared in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and graduated from Druid High School prior to attending Stillman College and Wayne State University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. She also holds a degree in Computer Science, a master's degree in Organizational Management, and is PMP and ITIL certified. Blackmon-Ayers retired from a branch of the U.S. Treasury Department where she was primarily responsible for the coordination, analysis, design, development, programming, and maintenance of nationwide computer processing of programs for the White House, Congress, Social Security, and many other government agencies.