“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” Maya Angelou
It is only right to celebrate the life of a “phenomenal woman” on the day of her passing. Maya Angelou, at age 86, a national treasure, left a legacy worthy of our attention. It would do us well to look to lives like Dr. Angelou’s when teaching our young people about facing adversity and coming through it with our dignity intact. She represented what we call back home a real “Souljah”. Her accomplishments are too many and varied to recount in this short column. Lymlifers, take a little time during this next week and research a person I consider a triple threat. Well educated by choice, strong and determined by circumstance, and positive and resilient by nature. Anyone of us could take a page out of her book of practicality. Overcoming horrific abuse as a child which led to her “selective mutism for years, she was quoted as saying” when given lemons we should make lemon meringue pie”. A woman of substance is what I’m thinking. She utilized her passion for civil rights by assisting Malcolm X to form a coalition in the 60’s.She called Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela friends. She was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in the 70’s. She shared her talent as a poet at Bill Clinton’s inaugural address in the 90’s. She received the Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2011. Here is a woman who definitely LYMed. She left her mark in profound ways. She talked about forgetting a lot of what people have or what they said, but is quoted as saying people never forget how you made them feel. This is a point on which we both agree. Another subject that stands out as something we share is our view on courage. She is quoted as follows: “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.” Until seven sunsets, LYM (Leave Your Mark) positively in honor of this “phenomenal woman”.
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