Thank you, Maya

Is it just Me, or will, you, too miss the in-the-moment spontaneous moments of Maya Angelou’s words of wisdom? Without a doubt, we all will. The calm of her voice, the focus of her thoughts, the passion evident in her eyes, Ms. Angelou was, indeed, blessed with great insight and the ability to compose rational thoughts that we could all “get”. Beyond – or perhaps, better said, “before” her ability to share these thoughts was her desire to do so. Ms. Angelou’s impact on civil rights and women’s issues is many decades old, but for many, she became known in households around the world as a regular guest on the Oprah show. Her kindness was evident yet she could “throw a punch”. She could be quite direct; that was good. I often use the term “an iron fist in a velvet glove” and that somewhat applies to Maya Angelou. She said what she meant; she meant what she said and in the end, I believe we could all be better for it. I have chosen one of her, too many to count, quotes to focus on, here and now… "I can be changed by what happens to me; but I refuse to be reduced by it." I am particularly fond of this quote; it resonates quite deeply in my mind and in my heart. For me, it calls upon the strength that is within each and every one of us; trust me, it is there. Now, you just have to learn it trust IT! We are all called upon the make our way through moments in life we wished never came. The death of love ones, most of all, can easily break not only our hearts but our spirits for an extended period of time. For some, it takes far less than such loss to have their spirit broken. Yes, we will forever be changed, and that is more than understood, but we should never allow ourselves to be reduced by it. Out of every moment comes the opportunity to learn a lesson, to count a blessing and to realize that, though changed, in many ways, we should focus on the gift that was ours, the experience we were given and the joys shared with others. Those are the things of growth, of expansion; not reduction. They are the lessons of life that give us the opportunity to gain strength, as if working any muscle of the body. Seeing it any differently, I would say, is to excuse oneself, to pardon one’s own deficiency or lack. Yes, that may sound the stuff of the human condition, but we are capable of so much more and I would exchange development for disappointment, resilience for regret, and faith to move forward over being paralyzed by failure any day – every day. So, IS it just me, or do you, too, thank this complex women who spoke simple words we could all learn something from? Maya Angelou 1928-2014, Author and Poet