Dr. Maya Angelou

Big sister how?…

I saw you.  My best friend bought me tickets to see you on my 25th birthday.  I was so excited. We had amazing balcony seats that looked right down onto the stage.  I made you a card.  The front of the card was a woman standing on a bridge looking up into the sky.  She was wearing an elegant black gown and a big southern hat.  In the sky the stars were shaped like an eye, the eye was looking back at the lady standing on the bridge.

Inside the card I wrote you a poem it was titled, “Big sister how?” Big sister how do you live your life with such grace how do you wake up every morning with a smile on your face when life has presented you obstacle after obstacle how do you continue to be he winner of the race?  I asked you a series of questions that a young ambitious woman who aspired to walk the path that you have already conquered would ask.

I stood outside by your tour bus and waited for you to come out after the show.  When you finally came out I handed you my card and you took it and thanked me.  It was my dream that one day I would be famous enough for my card to matter to you.  I wished that we could perform that poem together and your part of the poem would be the responses to my many questions.  This would be the moment that I knew I had made it.  I would have performed with the phenomenal Dr. Maya Angelou.  But now you are gone and all I could do when I found out was sit in silence as tears uncontrollably ran down my face.

Big sister how could I let you leave this earth without ever getting to perform with you, to have a conversation with you, to know you.   Your death makes me realize how much more work I have to do in my life.  I saw Hilary Clinton on TV yesterday and she said, “You only get one life, this is not a dress rehearsal.” She is absolutely right this is the only life that we have and we have to take advantage of every second.  Since I will never get to perform with you or know you personally I will use your life as a blueprint to model my career.  I can only hope to be able to accomplish half of what you have but big sister thank you for being a role model from a far, the big sister I never had the epitome of a Phenomenal Woman!

R.I.P. Dr. Maya Angelou (1928-2014)