The following is a partial text of remarks made by Stevie Wonder at this National march in support of making Dr. Martin Luther King ‘s birthday a national holiday on January 15, 1981 in Washington, DC. There were more than 100,000 people in attendance. The following is as reprinted in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner Sunday, February 22, 1981:

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen. It is beautiful that we should all come together today for such an important purpose, and I want to thank you all with all my heart for remaining here today. For even though it is freezing cold and snowing and there are jobs to be done and money to be made, you have found the time, the energy, the necessary resources, the heart and the courage to step forward as Americans and as human beings on this day to seek a more full recognition for a great man and the great principles he has lived, fought, and died for. I am, of course, referring to our quest to make Dr. martin Luther King Jr’s. birthday a legal holiday.

It is fitting and proper that we should gather here for this purpose in Washington DC,  the nation’s capital, for it was almost two decades ago that some of us and many of our parents, families, friends and allies gathered for that now historic occasion, the march on Washington. Indeed, it is fitting that we should gather here, for it was here that Martin Luther King inspired the entire nation, indeed the world with his stirring words and his lofty vision, both challenging us and inspiring us with his great dream. And even though he has since passed away, the words he spoke are still as vital and alive and true as the day he spoke them. For the words he spoke can never get old or die, or wither away, for they spring from that vast eternal ocean of great principles that have been the teachings and hallmark of all the heroic messengers of mankind down through the ages: the message of peace, of basic human dignity and freedom.
No assassination, no repression, no technological overkill can kill these great and classic values. They live forever in the hearts of free people everywhere, and for all time. It is because he best represents these principles that Martin Luther king is such a heroic figure. A man of his time. A man for all seasons. Certainly, a man America can be proud of. The depth of his compassion and of his courage cannot help but uplift us and move us to a greater understanding of ourselves, and of the need to unite into a melting pot of one.

Now there are those who say, all well and good. Dr. king was a great man. But, on national holidays we honor only presidents and great events, why honor Martin Luther King? He wasn’t an elected official, he was a rabble rouser and a disruptive force in the social fabric of American life. To those we say: Public holidays in the United States should be, and normally are, reserved for celebrating great traditions in the nation;s history and our highest ideals and leaders who have shaped out common destiny. Dr. King lived and died for this national’s ideals of justice, honor, dignity and freedom. By practicing non-violent citizen acts, he embodied the best of the America political tradition with the original pilgrims of New England, continuing on with the Boston Tea Party and right through the American Revolution. Martin Luther King and the founding fathers had more than their basic equity as men in common. They were men of vision and courage. They were about the business of making a noble dream a reality and they have made our lives all the because of it. And though Dr. king was a great man, he was no saint. He was a man, a human being. And being no less ourselves, we should accept no less than what Dr. King fought for: a commitment from this nation to make available to all its citizens, the equality of opportunity to pursue the American dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with regard to the shackles of race, creed or color.

Those who regard Dr. King as the political leader of a narrow cause or the spokesman for a single group fail to share the spiritual vision of the oneness of all. Injustice in any form affecting anyone was viewed by Dr. King as a threat to everyone.

Oppression against one group is oppression against us all. His efforts reflected a moral drive to improve the life of all human beings. By commemorating Martin Luther King’s birthday, we do more than honor one man, however extraordinary: we honor the profound spirit of love and concern for humanity that give us life and inspires us all. The significance of his life to us and to America may be found in his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize: “Non-violence is the answer to the cultural, moral and political questions of our time – the need for man to overcome oppression and violence. I accept this award today for an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of all mankind.” Dr. King was truly a great American.

So let us commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., today, and let out hearts beat to the rhythm of this march for life. But how, in fact, can our hearts beat to the rhythm of our march for life if our soul cannot sing out to the sound of love. How can we sing out love, if our lips do not embrace the taste of peace and harmony and unity. But how can our lips embrace these great feelings, if our hands do not reach out and intermingle into a melting pot of one.

We ought to have a way to honor this human being and reaffirm the ideals he lived and died for, to honor him through a national holiday would also, of course, bestow a great honor on Black America by implicitly acknowledging him as a symbol of the tremendous contributions Black people have made to this country’s historical development. It would also represent another step forward in officially and symbolically embracing the lives and dreams of all the people who compose the American nation. Designating his birthday a national holiday would create and event for all Americans, for Dr. King was a champion for justice and liberty.

So when you return to your cities, your homes, your jobs please carry on the vigil. For this dream our dream, goes beyond politics, beyond oppression, beyond mere history, but not beyond hope or love, for this dream shall never die”

For one thing, even as a married man, For a very long time, I have lived a life free of babysitters, parent teacher meetings, school lunch, activities and sunday school…. My child, my stepchildren are all grown…. their children can come, visit, kick it with PaPa and Babi and go home… never in my mature active lifestyle did I expect to have to parent all over again. Fact is, my life as I have built and lived it has been fundamentally changed.

I am profoundly concerned about these young black boys’ consciousness. I want them to know where they came from. I want them to aspire to be the best they can be. I want them to have values about life….. I want them to have the moxie to navigate the prejudices and concerns of this society so that they can stand up, in spite of… I want them to have the light of God in thier heart. This is a fundamental change in the boys’ life program…

I got these boys at an age where they are majorly impressionable . To date, their life experience, their life lessons are from a profoundly weak of mind, mostly goofy, irresponsible mindset. The record of behavior speaks volumes and never ceases to amaze.

Some behavior is precisely that which I left quick fast and in a hurry more than thirty years ago. For the life of me, I just cannot understand why and how I must endure this…

That said, this is a world that even as there are whispers of this “post racial society”, we are still living in a world where we have to teach the young people from whence they came…. We have to teach them how to stand up in a world that may judge them for the color of their skin, not by the content of their character..

Yet, I am not their father (don’t ask)…. Neither I nor my wife are a substitute for thier Mother…. a fact made more than difficult because their mom just has not cared enough to reach out….. 

And so, we are forced to impress our consciousness… our dna…. our folkways and mores into young boys who have experienced so much degradation, who have never been taught that they could do whatever in life that they wanted to achieve…. 

The system does not help.. in fact, it makes things more difficult. They act like I am the one who is wrong…. The system is not for the grandparents and in fact they are not for the man… A brotha walking into the offices of assistance surely must be someone trying to get over…. and so the neck twisting sista gives me attitude while making me jump through hoops to get some assistance and guidance in this already stressful situation…

Raising Black Boys…. instilling consciousness… remodeling behaviors… enduring stereotypes of African American men…

A Paradigm of Change…. for real.

And in a move to end all the speculation and perhaps in response to Donald Trumps tirades of late, the President provided the nation and indeed the world with the document that proves that he is, in fact, an American.

So.. President Obama had to show his papers in order to pass, play and politic.

Kind of like the days when Slaves were out and off the plantation… If they were seemingly out of place they would have to show papers… to prove they belonged.

Kind of like in the Jim Crow south when Folk had to show proper “papers” in order to vote…. to show they belonged.

Kind of like in Apartheid South Africa, black folk had to show papers in order to move about…. to show they belonged.

To not have your papers in order had dire consequences….

And now we are learning that even though he has demonstrated his citizenship, the “birthers” are not over the subject. They are pressing in the courts, that the displayed birth certificate is a forgery. What????

Seemingly black folk always have to qualify ourselves.. We have to validate ourselves.. It matters not your station in life… It matters not the struggle and battle you fought to get where you are… You will still have to show your “papers”….

The more things change, the more they stay the same…

These days, more and more black grandparents are finding themselves in custody of their children’s children. It is a most challenging, monumental task. First from the standpoint of watching painfully as our children become unable or, in some cases, unwilling to care for the children they bring into this world. Second from the standpoint of, at an age when we should be enjoying life, we are tasked with raising and providing for children, at an age and time when we could – strike that – should be more concerned with affairs of approaching retirement, leisure activities and moving to a next level of life. Third the notion of being taken for granted by our children – to think that we are now asked to surrender our mature years and active lifestyle to care for those that you brought into this world. Whether it is from some irresponsible tryst, or a failed relationship, the bottom line is that our children are unable or unwilling to care for the life that is the product of those choices.

The gall of our children as they go on about their business because PaPa has the children and everything is going to be alright. We watch as our children move on to try and capture the youthful years they surrendered when choosing to have a child. The renewed baby momma drama (if the blood grandparents are not together), the essence of ex-in-laws calling out of the blue to inquire about the welfare of the children… inlaws who we don’t know… nor have had any interaction with in decades… and now we are expected to answer questions??? All these questions, but no offers of assistance…. hmmmmm. And according to most that I have spoken with, professional or no, I am not supposed to be angry.

What??? Are you serious??? I am pissed off. I am disappointed. I am burdened. I am sad. I am almost overwhelmed.

Ok so, now we have to go to the system to seek benefits. This in and of itself is a humbling experience. The workers in the county offices have not been kind. They seem to not believe any of the elements of my journey and have not been the most helpful in my needs. The best bet is to not take it personal and keep pushing to get what we need to help support the situation. But sometimes it’s not easy to ignore the neck rolling sista behind a glass who’s line of questioning reeks of suspicion and disbelief…

In the end, the parents of my grandchildren have walked away from their responsibility. She does not call. She does not write. She offers no contact, assistance, argument, nothing. We have not seen nor heard from the grandchildren’s mom. As for the dad, we do not expect contact. He is a long term guest of the correctional system.

I wonder how many grandparents are going through this type of nightmare. First to process the attitude of the children who have thrown their children into our lives. And then to deal with the behavior of these children who, up until this point, grew up in a situation that is totally reverse in consciousness, spirituality, folkways, mores, and common sense. Some grandparents haven’t had to deal with a cultural divide. It’s all good and all love. But for those that have, how do we choose to deal with this??

Sometimes the behavior is a complete and utter shock!!!! Sometimes the grandparents have to deal with bizarre and unruly behavior. Sometimes we have to endure undeserved disrespect… It is unfortunate. In the end, I wonder what resources are really there for those of us who have to raise our grandkids. Everything and everybody speaks to what the grandchildren are going through, but what about the grandparents?? what about what we have to deal with?? Who is really there to help us?

My life has fundamentally changed. My essence has been rearranged. But it seems that no one cares about that. No one offers any remedy or concern for the changes therein… It’s all about the children and I get it… but what about us???

In this process I have learned that my situation is called kinship. wow… as I contemplate this essence of kinship, I have learned, the hard way, that it’s not just a job, it’s an adventure.

He says that Justin Bieber was clearly the year’s best new artist as opposed to Esperanza Spalding.  He wonders why hip hop artists who captured the imagination and pocketbooks of the American music buying public were snubbed award after award. He points out the contradiction that even as those artists were not winners, the Academy had the foresight to present them as performers – all in the name of generating ratings. You can read the entire Steve Stoute letter here, on the Huffington Post.

While I disagree with some of the examples Mr. Stoute uses in his critique of the Grammy Awards (Herbie Hancock’s The Joni Letters is absolutely the bomb!! and deserved the honor that year), I have to agree that the Grammy Awards seem a bit mis-directed. We should note here that the Grammy Awards is not a validation of one’s popularity based on sales. It is an award presented solely as a result of votes cast by members of the Academy. It is indeed an award of the artist, songwriter, producer, technician’s peers.

Downtown Church Best Traditional Gospel

It also should be noted that the majority of awards in the rap, hiphop, urban, r&b and gospel categories are presented in a “pre-show” that takes place hours before the international telecast. Additionally, there are other categories that the masses of the people will never see. (Did you know that Tia Carrera won for best Hawaiian Album???) There are more than 100 categories and perhaps ten or less make it to the main telecast.

It is during this “pre-show” that I found the most profound disparities particularly in the traditional gospel category.  In this category, the nominees were Pastor Shirley Ceasar- certainly one of Gospel’s Hall of Famers, Marvin Sapp – without a doubt one of gospel’s preeminent artists, Karen Clark Sheard – a Grammy Winner from one of gospel’s most famous families, Vanessa Bell Armstrong – an renowned gospel artist who made a STRONG comeback, and Patti Griffin, a renowned country/Americana singer/songwriter who happened to make a gospel album. Ms. Griffin walked away with the honor that night.

It is shocking because the traditional gospel category was filled with time honored gospel nominees. And only a few, if any, familiar with the gospel music industry even knew who Patti Griffin is. No Airplay, no Internet buzz, no cognizant place in the gospel arena, yet, she won the Grammy for best Traditional Gospel Album. So does this demonstrate that the Grammy Awards have lost touch with the cultural identity of the music the Academy purports to support? or is it a sign that the artists and those who labor in these categories do not participate with what the Academy has to offer? Did gospel peers step forth and vote? or did Patti Griffin benefit from her crew getting votes in and then slip away with a win?

Whatever the case, The Grammy Awards should review its process and do a better job of recruiting, retaining and motivating it’s electorate because clearly, something is wrong.

For a complete list of Grammy Award nominees and winners, click here.

I actually thought the performance was lukewarm. It’s just that I find the Black Eyed Peas incredibly out of shape for the high energy group they are supposed to be…. I mean, they have enjoyed fabulous success and probably are eating really good. It shows.

Photo Credit: Patrick Semansky - AP Images

The Tron costumes worn by the dancers were kind of cool, but it seems like those hundreds of LED-lit dancers were meant to distract one away from the performance of the Peas. I mean, I feel like the Peas are supposed to have some sort of dance during thier songs or do they just stand and sing in a line.Like a chorus….. That ain’t rock n roll, soul, funk, or hiphop!!!! Don’t they have choreography of their own? Isn’t one of them a DJ? and what the heck happened to Fergie’s voice????

They just seemed out of place on America’s biggest stage, a problem that wasn’t helped by the sound and other technical difficulties. Didn’t Fergie’s mic go out at the first song? And some of those lights seemed to flicker intermittently also.
The introduction of Usher was ok, but fell short of the expected anticipation as he floated down from the rafters of Cowboys Stadium. Slash was good until Fergie bawled all over his solo…. made me wonder if the monitoring system was working. Couldn’t they hear themselves???

I just think that today’s generation of entertainers have to remember that an invitation to perform at the halftime of the Super Bowl is one of music’s most important gigs. After all, this is the Super Bowl. The world championship of Football…. Ok, ok let’s give the Peas the benefit of the doubt. Let’s say they aren’t the biggest football fans around. Somebody in the league ought to give them a primer on the best Super Bowl performances ever. For me, the best one is Michael Jackson in 1993….. James Earl Jones introduced him, Radio City Music Hall was the producer…. MJ jumped out of the scoreboard….

or Prince, it rained during his performance of Purple Rain…..

or Stevie Wonder came in with his family playing and singing various instruments along with special guests John Legend and India Arie…and proceeded to rock the crowd with all his hits…

Point is, the Black Eyed Peas should have planned to BRING IT when invited to the biggest sporting event in America. They brought it with technology but left the entertainment at home. It was, as one news report described, underwhelming at best. Plus they need to get on a workout plan asap!!!!! Black Eyed Peas have been eating too many black eyed peas….

I was running around church executing my duties for the day when one of the members asked me if Dr. Murray was one of the souls who answered the altar call. I did not know. I did not see. I was busy working as I had already attended the early service. I remember the question gave me pause for some reason. I asked her where he was. She said in the prayer room. I told her that I had not seen him and went on about my business… A few minutes later, I found myself briefly eye to eye with the man… Dr. Conrad Murray.

The feeling was kind of eerie as our eyes locked briefly. He actually acknowledged me. He smiled and waved. I waved back, but my brain was suddenly flooded with thoughts… whoa, this is the guy who killed Michael Jackson!! He was the doctor on scene!!! Is he a quack? Is he even a real doctor??? This dude killed the King of Pop!!!! Who does he think he is to come into our church??? how convenient!! but then again, if not here… where?? How many times have I come to the church filled with tears and remorse asking God’s forgiveness?? or His protection? Was Dr. Murray coming to the Lord for the first time??? Or was he asking forgiveness and protection??? Was he returning to the Lord after being away?? or was he already deep into the Lord’s arms and rededicating his life… I guess the circumstances of his life are the prime setting for spiritual redemption. After all, this is what church is for…..

The encounter stimulated a tweet:
hannibalradio Greg J
#ConradMurray in church today…. is it time to forgive? This is my contemplation… I am still trying to come to terms that he killed #MJ

I began to contemplate the essence of forgiveness. I admit I was a little alarmed at my feelings. I really was angry with this man. The testimony I have heard infuriates me and I would like to know what really happened and why? But nonetheless, as a Man of God, I realize that I have to forgive this man. Then I started to see that he needs God to stand with him in this time of his life… He needs his love, his protection, his essence. Even if the man is guilty, he needs the Lord…

I began to remember that the Bible speaks of forgiveness from cover to cover and most potently, for me at least, in the Gospel of Mark:

Mar 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Mar 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

It should be noted here that I am not judging Dr. Murray. I pray for justice and that the system will reveal the truth. My angst and analysis against Dr. Murray are no more than the rants of an MJ fan. I do not know him and his acquittal or conviction will not weigh heavily in my life. However, my encounter causes me to take inventory of my own life’s issues. In my walk am I forgiving enough? Yes, there are issues that are completely difficult to resolve because of my reluctance to forgive. This reluctance is a hindrance in my quest to walk closer with the Almighty.

I heard a sermon once that I still play from time to time. The preacher says that “unforgiveness is a prison that one can find difficult to escape”…. wow.

Forgiveness is the key to our total and complete spiritual liberation.

I remember that the Soul Train Awards was a must have ticket. I remember that you went and got your tux or your gown and got dressed to the nines for this show. After all, since the Grammys did not award our music as we felt it should, then we HAD to be our best and look our best to honor our best.It was, at the time, the consummate honoring of our musical universe.

One year, I remember sitting with Tom Joyner when Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre rolled onto the stage in his ’64 impala…. that was dope!!! And Tom was so funny, but I believe at that moment he was speechless!!! I remember with the explosion of hiphop, the quality of the show quickly diminished to a super ghetto presentation that folk came out for in tennis shoes, jeans and even flipflops…. and then the violence………

The Soul Train Awards was dead.

Well, that was then and this is now. Don Cornelius has sold the Soul Train brand to Madvision Entertainment who in turn has produced the nouveaux generation of the Soul Train Music Awards. They’ve done a deal with the new Centric Channel (an extrapolation of BET) and turned it into a first class production. The current generation of music artists have seemingly embraced the renovation wholeheartedly.

Atlanta is the new center of African American culture and, I suppose, it is a fitting location for the new generation of Soul…. The red carpet presentations seemed shallow, though. After all, how many times can you ask what was your best memory of Soul Train. What about the substance of the music projects? what of the artist perspective of current, culturally relevant events? But nay, the red carpet interviewers only asked the obvious: “What was your best memory of Soul Train?” and the answer was always the same…. “The Soul Train Line”…. ho hum.

The production was awesome. A first class presentation. Although, like a lot of twitterlings, I have mixed feelings of R. Kelly’s appearance – I just have a problem with forgiving him and moving on… however, his appearance with Ron Isley and Chante Moore was completely off tha chain!!

Cee-Lo: Loved it, but what the heck was that you had on???? Also, I know it was the Soul Train Awards and Centric and all that, but the original version of that song is the complete bomb and just doesn’t do it for me as a clean version. I wanted to hear you sing F&^k You straight up….(sorry church fam… that’s just how I feel)

Anita Baker Tribute: loved it! and especially loved the return of Dionne Farris… where you been girl? Goapele is someone the national audience has been sleeping on…. on the Steve Harvey Morning show, they couldn’t even pronounce her name…. Goapele is the bizness…. you betta ask somebody!!

Ron Isley Tribute: I love that the Awards has these tributes. It makes today’s artists give props to those who paved the way for what they do today….. I actually think some of the artists onstage are humbled when faced with singing the hits of the honoree IN FRONT OF the honoree… Everyone did well, although Eric Benet seemed like he was working too hard to impress…. he got down though…

Janelle Monae: don’t sleep on this young lady…. saw her at the Greek for the first time this year and had to wonder out loud…. who is this child?? she is James Brown, Prince, and Jackie Wilson reincarnated!!

Taraji and Terrence: Jury is still out for me, but looking at twitter and facebook comments, they get mixed reviews.

In the end, I am so glad that the Soul Train Music Awards is rebirthing itself… It should take its place as the premier black music awards show in America. It should be the creme de la creme of urban music culture. The mantle has been passed….

So in the words of that song from Jayo Felony a few years back “I could give it to ya but whatcha gonna do with it”

Sad. right? Ultimately, the mailman gets fired behind the incident and is now seeking public support as he feels he has been wronged…. That is a travesty and something that needs to be looked into and dealt with.

For me, though, it is the content of the woman’s tirade that has me thinking. In particular, she says at approx. 1:09 of part two that causes pause. Some of what this woman spews should be a wake up call with how we are perceived in the world. She says we “turn on each other”…. true. She says it’s sad…. true. But at 1:09 of part two, she says “black women are against black men.. because they’ve been exploited. They’re with the white people….” WOW!!!

This is the perception of America…. indeed the world….

With the release of “For Colored Girls”, Tyler Perry’s screen adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s award winning Choreo-poem play, we have seen sistas engage in discussion of the evils of the black man. Every where we look in these days and times, the black man is to be feared, distrusted, and otherwise discarded. And here, in the small mind of a prejudiced (although she says she is not prejudiced) old woman, one of the claims she makes is that black women are against the black man. And upon review of popular culture, discussion and analysis of modern black life in America, one may agree wholeheartedly.

Black male/female relationships are paramount to the elevation of our culture in America. We sit around and wonder how immigrants can enter the United States and make such great strides while we, a people who built this great nation, still scrounge for crumbs. But upon closer examination, one will note that the common denominator to success in America for other cultures is the preservation of male/female relationships. The family is the root to the elevation of cultures in America

But in Black America, the intact family is almost non-existent. The issue of marriage is becoming an obsolete proposition. Sistas are angry. Sistas are fed up. Sistas hold almost unreasonable expectations of what the brotha needs to be. At the same time, brothas don’t honor the woman. They do not respect the sista. Why? 

Sistas are so angry that one can view the displeasure on their faces in public. A trip to the grocery store will sometimes generate looks of disdain from women you don’t even know… sometimes, we that are innocent have to pay the price for the wrong that some guy extended to the sista…. And then again, sistas want the thug… a roughneck. However when the thug acts like a thug and disses them, then they wanna complain.

In the end, we have to do better. Is the black man the bane of America? even more than we historically have been portrayed? White America no longer needs to create this mistrust of the black man – we are perpetuating this image through our own owned and operated media. We are perpetuating the negative image of the black male through our music, our movies and even our television shows. The brotha is still the enemy.

And without solid black male/female relationships, the father is not in the home… teaching the young man how to be a respectable black man. And thus the evil image is perpetuated through generation to generation. White America and indeed the world sees this. And even the smallest minded American citizen, in a tirade of racial epithets can still make the distinction that, Black Women are with the White People……..

Even with a Black man in the Presidency of these United States, true liberation is still far from our grasp.
Our culture has gone postal.

As I looked around, I saw so many associates and friends who have been laboring in the entertainment industry for years….  Still looking the same, perhaps older and wiser….It was a completely reflective day…. A day that most will agree gave pause to take inventory of the value of life….

Tonite, I sit here in the dark, randomly prognosticating about life….  The gift of the Life….. The essence of life…. how valuable life is……

But what is life?

Sometimes we get caught up in our titles…. our jobs…. our positions here…. our status there…. but is that really what life is all about? We judge one another by the clothes we wear…. the cars we drive….. the complexion of our skin…… is that life? is that how we’re living???

Even in our spiritual walk….  Is this the life we strive for even as the Word specifies life????

On the street, brothas in the hood battle even unto death over the color of a handkerchief….. is that life? of course not….

We work so hard towards material goals, but is that life??? We strive so diligently in pursuit of our careers… is that life?

Sometimes we rush to and fro in search of that which is most important (or not) in our lives… but is that thing really worth its place as center of our lives??

In recent times, I was in a season where I commuted more than 300 miles daily to and from work. I burned up two cars and was involved in a major accident in the third… I now had to walk from my house to the bus stop early in the morning. This bus would connect me to the trolley which would connect me to the AMTRAK train. If I missed that bus, my entire day’s timeline would be destroyed….. ( if you are so inclined, you can relive my daily journey here...)

Every other day, there would be this elderly man on a scooter who caught the bus at my stop. And every other day, this guy would have a problem getting that darn scooter on the bus… We would have to wait while this old guy manuevered his scooter safely inside the bus- his problems often causing us to miss the trolley…. everyone on the bus would get an attitude when he was at the bus stop.

Even as folk would get an attitude with this guy, he would turn and apologize to everyone and offer everyone who would listen a butterscotch candy…. he would look each person in the eye and say hello…..

After a time. I began to talk to this man. I learned that he rode the bus because it was his only way of getting to his vital dialysis sessions…. He was up at the crack of dawn so he could get to the health center where he would have tubes probed into him all day. If he missed a session or two, he would face dire health issues….

“Hey man, I’m just trying to live” he says to me one day…..

Here I am, getting majorly angry with this guy whenever he came to the bus stop…. He was in my way… he was upsetting the delicate balance of my life…. He was in the way….. But in the real, he was living….. and living in this moment…..

Our time is appointed and anointed….. it is up to us to embrace the essence of life all around us…. promote the love that emanates from our hearts…. and celebrate the energy of our people and from whence we came….

We cannot re-do the past…. so live…..

We cannot control the future…. so live…..

We can only regulate the now, and even then only up to a point….

Each fleeting moment is a gift. Don’t waste it.

No matter what the situation is, if you can breathe the breath of life, it is a gift….

Life. This moment in time…. is so precious…. so fragile…. so valuable…..

What will we do??? how will we live??? How do we treat others???

That is the individual choice of everyone in this world…. but one thing is sure….

Life is to be lived with love…….