Four years ago I came across Miller’s Rexall while looking for botánicas in the Atlanta area. This small drug store founded in 1965 is dead smack in the middle of downtown. The place is packed with history. It has a claim to fame thanks to a Paul McCartney song “Run Devil Run,” and an eclectic and colorful selection of Hoodoo, Voodoo and Santeria supplies. However, for me the true jewel of this store was not a product marketed as ‘good for whatever ails you’, it came behind a pair of heavy rimmed glasses and smiley brown eyes; her name was Mrs. Beverly Jackson. This is how I remember my first look at this talented spiritual reader.
Mrs. Beverly was kind and generous with her spiritual gift. It did not take her but a minute to figure out that there was a good amount of spirits walking by myside protecting and me and sharing information with hers.
Over the course of four years I visited the drug store to buy supplies, and it was always a pleasure to have a few minutes of her time to chat.
In one of those visits, she invited me to visit her reading room. The place was full wall-to-wall with lit 7-day prayer candles, there were statues representing some of her spiritual guides and a very peaceful feeling filled her small quarters. I was in her inner sanctum and felt at home there.
There is something to be said about a person who likes to do good for others. Her temple resonated with that energy and made me feel hopeful and purposeful.
Then again, this is who she was, open, warm, friendly and dedicated to help others.
I never really got a formal reading from Mrs. Bev. She would always exchange a piece of advice with me. She did not waste time. Her words were precise and to the point.
But now, there are no more words to have from her. This month I found out that her time on this earth had been cut short. She passed away from a heart attack at the store on September 3, 2015. I was saddened beyond words. I started looking on line for testimonials about her work, I wanted to hold on to her memories through the eyes of other people who also admired her and appreciated her talents. I found very little of the sort.
Thus, this is my way of paying respects to a person I would have liked to know better, and who with her few words touched my life. I wished I could have shared with her how much it meant to me to hear that I am on the right track and that I should continue doing what I do spiritually and in my private life. I knew and felt that much, but validation is always nice to have, particularly from a kind soul.
Sweet dreams Ms. Bev.
Omimelli, Oní Yemayá Achagbá
