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Rest In Peace, B.B. King.

May 15, 2015 Leave a Comment

When I first heard “Blues Boy” a.k.a. B.B. King had been placed in a hospice a little over a week ago, I became sad and nostalgic. B.B. King was huge part of my childhood, especially in elementary school. I am sad, because we are in a time where so many great icons, legends, and heroes of their time (and ours), are passing away at a fairly steady rate. All of the original trailblazers and trendsetters are up in age, and becoming past tense. It honestly makes me want to cry considering these people are definion of Kings and Queens. On the other hand, I know it sounds strange for a 26 years young woman to tell you B.B. King reminds you of her childhood, so I will now explain to you why he does.

When I was little, one of my all time favorite books was called, “Rainy Day Blues” with the narrated cassette tape. I listened to it every single night before bed, sometimes multiple times. The book was narrated and the music was sung by, Mr. B.B. King, himself. I was fairly young when I first read/listened to the story and I continued to do so for some time. I have no clue where my book or cassette tape disappeared to, but there is no telling in all the moving I did when I was younger. Since last week reminded me of my love for this book I searched for a copy to order from Amazon for my own daughter. I was extremely happy to find one and it was delivered two days ago. I can’t wait to read it to her!

I remember one of the first times I actually learned what B.B. King looked like in real life. He was on an episode of “The Cosby Show” when my Grandma pointed out to me, “that is the man who sings on the ‘Rainy Day Blues’ tape we listen to.” He didn’t look anything like I had imagined he did, but I loved my book so much he was already a legend in my mind.

B.B. King is the face of blues music, even to those who don’t listen to the blues. There is such a poetic and heartfelt sound to his gritty voice that you can’t help but love. I will leave you with my top 3 favorite B.B. King songs. Although I have a top 3, the song “Sweet Sixteen” is my favorite by a long shot. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Rest easy Mr. King. I hope they bury Lucille with you. I will be praying for your family during this tough time.

I wonder if the blues sound better in Heaven?

Brie <3

[05.15.15]

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Happy Birthday Dr. King!

January 15, 2015 Leave a Comment

Today would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 86th birthday. I don’t believe I have to say much in regards to how influential and important this man’s accomplishments and dreams were, and still are to this day. Because despite what people may think, most of us know there is still a lot of work to be done. We often times hear people make comments about the Civil Rights Movement being “so long ago,” but the sad reality is, most people my age have grandparents who are 86 years old. (My Mother was already born when he was assassinated just to give a little more perspective) The even more harsh reality of the situation is these same people probably don’t even have a clue what side their grandparents stood on during this movement, which should make them question if what they have been taught is what they should believe. But that’s another blog post for another day.

The official “MLK day” won’t be celebrated until January 19th, but I wanted to write this post for his actual birthday. On this day I want to say happy birthday to Dr. King, and acknowledge the fact there will never be a day when what he sacrificed doesn’t mean the world to me and SO many others.

I will leave you with his iconic “I Have A Dream Speech” to watch. All of these years later, and this speech is just as important and needed now as it was then.

Happy Birthday Dr. King!

Brie <3

[01.15.15]

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Wisdom Wednesday: Maya Angelou

January 7, 2015 Leave a Comment

My January Wisdom Wednesday post is about the one and only, Maya Angelou. (Birth name: Marguerite Annie Johnson) Maya Angelou was an extraordinary woman, many people, from different generations have admired for years. Her list of credentials are nothing short of amazing. From Pulitzer Prize recipient, to well-known activist in multiple countries, Ms. Angelou was a woman who lived by the definition of compassion and courage.

Although Ms. Angelou’s resume trumps a majority of the human race, there was one particular title she held that inspired me when I was in middle school. The title was, poet. Her poetry is what many people know her for, but there was something about the words in the poem “Still I Rise” that gave a younger me such a feeling of empowerment. Which for any young girl in her soon-to-be early teens, couldn’t have enough of at the time. It was at the moment I read “Still I Rise” I realized I wanted to read more of her writing.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is still to this day one of the most emotionally driven, beautifully upsetting, books I have ever read. If you have not read it, I would encourage you to read the book and learn in detail what made Maya Angelou such a remarkable person, at an extremely young age. As many people know, she was raped at the age of eight by her mother’s boyfriend at the time, and when his punishment didn’t fit the crime, (as most of us would say) it is suspected her uncles took matters into their own hands and killed the man days later. Maya became a mute and didn’t speak for over five years, because she believed using her words to name the man who raped her are what had gotten him killed.

By the time I had made it to high school my favorite poem by Ms. Angelou, and still to this day is Phenomenal Woman. The poem makes me love everything about being a woman. It makes me love every curve and flaw on my body, as well as, make me appreciate the difference and beauty of every woman’s body. If for some reason you have not had the pleasure of hearing or reading this poem before, please do so.

Ms. Angelou died on May 28th, 2014. I read the news of her passing as I got off of the plane in Denver Airport from Chicago, IL, to board my next plane back to Great Falls, MT. I remember feeling an instant wave of sadness because the world had lost such a beautiful person. Maya Angelou inspires me because her life journey proves life is about the choices we make, and how we overcome mistakes we make. She is the definition of learning to stand for what we believe in, and how our words can change lives positively if we use them lovingly and wisely. I’m thankful I was alive during the last 25 years of her life to see her work in action. I will be sure to teach my daughter about her so she can learn the same life lessons I did from Ms. Angelou at a young age through her beautiful words.

R.I.P. Maya Angelou

Brie <3

[01.07.15]