Goodbye, Our Beloved Queen

There is a huge void in the world today with the loss of Dr. Maya Angelou.  Her sweet, gracious, loving, compassionate, understanding and wise way made it so easy for me to look at the heart of a situation and recognize that we are all human beings under construction.  That we all make mistakes and all need forgiveness.  That when we know better, we do better.  I learned to let many a friendship go because of her lesson that when people show you who they are, believe them the first time.  I learned that nothing I've been through needs to be wasted.  Every experience, every drop can serve as a personal classroom to be more.  More than what this world thinks I can be, more than what the beauty magazine says I should look like.  She made being feminine delicious because of what we hold inside our minds and hearts, not just our hip-to-waist ratio. 

Her brilliance, intellect, warmth and tenderness are so needed today in this angry, distracted, selfie society.  She was the earth mother for not just this nation, but the world over.  We knew she knew God for herself.  She made it seem easy to have a developed mind, be fluent in several languages, well travelled and maintain your dignity.  All of which were important for me as a young woman to see for emulation and some imitation. 

My heart is so heavy right now as I type these thoughts, but I'm so blessed to have lived in a time when this Queen reigned. Thank you for your strength, will, "thrival" and beauty. You have been a deep inspiration, teacher and a steady bright light in the darkness.