The first time I saw Dr. Maya Angelou was on the Oprah show, and yes I know that sounds shallow but its true. She had a magnetism that just did not allow me to turn the channel. I wanted to drink in every moment, every breath and I sat on the couch holding my knees upward towards my chest as I leaned in to catch every word she said. For the first time in many years someone was speaking my language.
She felt many of the things I had felt. She had lived many of the things I had lived and much more. I felt that she was a mother to me in some regards because everything about her was comforting. I began to buy up all the books I could find that she wrote, every greeting card she designed and I subscribed to the Oprah magazine to read her monthly articles.
One month they had printed business card sized quotes and I glued them all over my room to inspire me to live a better life. My favorite quote of hers was, "I can be changed by what happens to me but I refuse to be reduced by it." That one quote has gone on to define many of the life changes, and ideology I have taken on as an adult.
A bright light has gone out today but her legacy will live on forever in my heart-
SVJ
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