Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:
Wednesday night, I was exhausted. I had worked from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the only break was five minutes to scarf down a Trader Joe's Baked Ziti microwave entree. I briefly scanned the news and then my Twitter.com account.
I don't know why, but I get more of my news faster from Twitter before all other sources. Sure enough Twitter had scooped my regular news again - author and poet, Maya Angelou, died on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at the age of 86.
Even though Maya Angelou had lived a long life, I was still surprised to hear she had passed away. In my mind, she seemed not so much human as a force of nature. A jolt of energy that could not be dissipated. My already weary shoulders drooped further with the news.
I first discovered Maya Angelou when I was in middle school. I had stumbled upon her gritty and "in your face" real autobiography "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings." It was horrific and yet I clung to it. So much of what she wrote about, I could sadly identify in myself. But seeing the absolute horror of Maya Angelou's life through the hazy viewpoint of her child narrator's unworldly comprehension, made me look at my own horrors with a stronger viewpoint. I was not alone. If Maya could endure, so could I.
Sometimes the greatest solace can be derived from knowing that one is not alone; that others have walked the same path and not only survived but thrived. Maya Angelou's book both shocked and scared me, but also oddly comforted me. I was not alone and I did not need to be ashamed about the horrors in my own life.
As the years went by, Maya Angelou would pop up in popular culture - talking with Oprah, talking with President Barack Obama. Her star continued to rise. Her wisdom and poetry spread to more audiences. But I still hold Maya Angelou close to my heart for shining a pinpoint of light through my own personal childhood darkness so many years ago.
I had never met Maya Angelou but her words helped change my life. What a powerful gift she gave to me and many others. She may have left the bonds of this Earth, but I hope people continue to read her works and breathe the spirit of her everlasting endurance and perseverance.
Rest in Peace, Maya Angelou … and thank you for everything.
P.S. Some of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes …
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
"Nothing will work unless you do."
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."
"The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free."
Wednesday night, I was exhausted. I had worked from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the only break was five minutes to scarf down a Trader Joe's Baked Ziti microwave entree. I briefly scanned the news and then my Twitter.com account.
I don't know why, but I get more of my news faster from Twitter before all other sources. Sure enough Twitter had scooped my regular news again - author and poet, Maya Angelou, died on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at the age of 86.
Even though Maya Angelou had lived a long life, I was still surprised to hear she had passed away. In my mind, she seemed not so much human as a force of nature. A jolt of energy that could not be dissipated. My already weary shoulders drooped further with the news.
I first discovered Maya Angelou when I was in middle school. I had stumbled upon her gritty and "in your face" real autobiography "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings." It was horrific and yet I clung to it. So much of what she wrote about, I could sadly identify in myself. But seeing the absolute horror of Maya Angelou's life through the hazy viewpoint of her child narrator's unworldly comprehension, made me look at my own horrors with a stronger viewpoint. I was not alone. If Maya could endure, so could I.
Sometimes the greatest solace can be derived from knowing that one is not alone; that others have walked the same path and not only survived but thrived. Maya Angelou's book both shocked and scared me, but also oddly comforted me. I was not alone and I did not need to be ashamed about the horrors in my own life.
As the years went by, Maya Angelou would pop up in popular culture - talking with Oprah, talking with President Barack Obama. Her star continued to rise. Her wisdom and poetry spread to more audiences. But I still hold Maya Angelou close to my heart for shining a pinpoint of light through my own personal childhood darkness so many years ago.
I had never met Maya Angelou but her words helped change my life. What a powerful gift she gave to me and many others. She may have left the bonds of this Earth, but I hope people continue to read her works and breathe the spirit of her everlasting endurance and perseverance.
Rest in Peace, Maya Angelou … and thank you for everything.
P.S. Some of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes …
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
"Nothing will work unless you do."
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."
"The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free."
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