11156309_10152647908581486_7678311806995375344_n-2Recently I was asked to recite Maya’s “Phenomenal Woman” for a 50th birthday celebration on what would have been my mom’s 62nd. Maya Angelou’s memory and my mother’s were both moving me up a little higher last month. 

I needed a cup of coffee. Soberi
ng is the synchronicity as this cup was also a gift given to me on my own birthday years ago. Do you believe in past lives? When I look into my eyes sometimes I wonder where I came from. Was it time for me to study humility and compassion this time around? Am I not waiting to be crowned? The way I’m perched on my mommy’s lap may partly explain why one of my childhood nicknames was “Miss Queen.” 

Rose Mary rose when she claimed me as her own and was one of the biggest champions and nurturers of my creative and/or artistic abilities growing up. 

She knew my light just needed to be harnessed. So she put her loving arms around me to shelter me from the whirlwind. Once I was a flickering flame. And #fierce was her concept of family. I’m still learning how to show and tell you my story. #Herstory

Special thanks to Renee Simpson for celebrating her life and allowing me to celebrate my mom’s life as well. Here’s a link to my interpretation of the “Phenonmenal Woman”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-4S7E7rGhk&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share