04/06/2023
Maya would have been 95 today—and I would be throwing her a BIG party, as I did every 5th year since she turned 60. I grew up reading her insightful books and memorizing her poems. When I finally got to meet her in my late 20’s she made me a meal and read me Paul Laurence Dunbar poetry. From that point on, I sat at her table and listened to her words of wisdom for years.
“When people tell you who they are, believe them— the FIRST time!”
“When you know better, you do better.”
“When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”
And a mind treasure of other wisdoms.
I value those gifts to me even more now that she’s gone. But more importantly, I still feel her everywhere. In the stillness, in conversations, in sun rises and sunsets, her Spirit abides with me, greeting me as she always did, “Hello, you darling girl.”
