In memoriam...
As the world mourns the death of Rosa Parks, many celebrities will attend her funeral today in Detroit. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Oprah Winfrey are among those who will praise the life of this tiny-framed woman whose simple actions affected the lives of many she will never know. I heard a sound bite this morning of what Oprah said about Ms. Parks, and it was both personal and powerful. Oprah can really deliver compelling statements that I believe come from her heart as opposed to someone's mind. Unlike other politicians who deliver speeches while the original writer mouths them, Oprah is intelligent enough to be articulate. For that, I admire her.
However, this isn't about celebrities, or even Ms. Parks for that matter. This is about how we, as a culture, wait until the death of a loved one to tell him/her how we really feel. When we eulogize our loved one, we sing their praises. We make the dead seem bigger and better than the life s/he lead. Why can't we tell our loved ones on a daily basis how great they are, how wonderful they are, and how empty and meaningless our lives will be if they were not around? When I die, I really don't care if people think of me as this amazing human being if they didn't let me know now when I am alive.
One thing I miss the most about being in a loving relationship is the validation of my presence in his life. I want to know that I matter, that I affect his life, that if I never appeared, the course of his story would change. And I want to tell him every day how much I love him, love who he is, love how he has transformed me. To hear and to say "I love you" is a priviledge and an honor.
I must admit, I have not always believed in love. In fact, I thought love was invisible and a far-away concept. It was not until I became a mother that I realized that all of my life, I have surrounded by love. It was tangible, it could be proven, it existed even though I did not know. My family loved me, my friends loved me, and boys loved me. Love hurts, love heals, and love awakens. And if you are lucky enough, dear readers, to feel all that love encompasses, please shout it from the mountains. Celebrate it in the plains. Harvest it in the fields.
May you have a positive influence in your life, and may you be a positive influence in someone's life. May you have the courage to let those who love you know what their love means to you. May you have the ability to love back in a magnificent way. Death should not show us what we mean to one another. Life should be the platform for acting out love.
As the world mourns the death of Rosa Parks, many celebrities will attend her funeral today in Detroit. LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Oprah Winfrey are among those who will praise the life of this tiny-framed woman whose simple actions affected the lives of many she will never know. I heard a sound bite this morning of what Oprah said about Ms. Parks, and it was both personal and powerful. Oprah can really deliver compelling statements that I believe come from her heart as opposed to someone's mind. Unlike other politicians who deliver speeches while the original writer mouths them, Oprah is intelligent enough to be articulate. For that, I admire her.
However, this isn't about celebrities, or even Ms. Parks for that matter. This is about how we, as a culture, wait until the death of a loved one to tell him/her how we really feel. When we eulogize our loved one, we sing their praises. We make the dead seem bigger and better than the life s/he lead. Why can't we tell our loved ones on a daily basis how great they are, how wonderful they are, and how empty and meaningless our lives will be if they were not around? When I die, I really don't care if people think of me as this amazing human being if they didn't let me know now when I am alive.
One thing I miss the most about being in a loving relationship is the validation of my presence in his life. I want to know that I matter, that I affect his life, that if I never appeared, the course of his story would change. And I want to tell him every day how much I love him, love who he is, love how he has transformed me. To hear and to say "I love you" is a priviledge and an honor.
I must admit, I have not always believed in love. In fact, I thought love was invisible and a far-away concept. It was not until I became a mother that I realized that all of my life, I have surrounded by love. It was tangible, it could be proven, it existed even though I did not know. My family loved me, my friends loved me, and boys loved me. Love hurts, love heals, and love awakens. And if you are lucky enough, dear readers, to feel all that love encompasses, please shout it from the mountains. Celebrate it in the plains. Harvest it in the fields.
May you have a positive influence in your life, and may you be a positive influence in someone's life. May you have the courage to let those who love you know what their love means to you. May you have the ability to love back in a magnificent way. Death should not show us what we mean to one another. Life should be the platform for acting out love.
posted by m/p @ 12:49 PM
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