Dr. Maya Angelou & My Jonah Moment~ The Connection

Today I sat in my office and picked up my phone as I often do sometimes and logged on to social media. This was about 10:00am and I needed to know what was going on…that’s where everyone gets the latest and greatest from nowadays isn’t it? 🙂 Well I digress. I logged on and let out a loud gasp. The one person standing outside my door ran in…”Are you okay?” Still in disbelief, I looked up from my phone and replied “Maya Angelou is dead.” In return I got a blank stare and a “She was old right?”

I could have been just like that person, if I hadn’t had my Jonah moment( you know that moment when God puts you in the belly of the fish til you do what you are supposed to). Don’t know about my Jonah moment? Read it here. I say this to stress that I don’t have any elaborate Maya Angelou influencing me story because I didn’t find my purpose til really late and nothing really moved me much. I appreciated her good work but didn’t really follow her accomplishments. I knew of her but didn’t really know enough about her. Make sense?

Well all that changed a couple of years ago…I became fascinated by the woman who wrote Still I Rise. I listened to the words and was blown away, then I started to search for her other works Phenomenal Woman was another piece that intrigued me. I began to see a woman who moved through this world emptying all of her God given talents into the world. Doing so while overcoming the obstacles of her time and making a difference. Not just in her words but in her actions. Running her race knowing that there is joy at the end of the struggle.(Hebrews 12:1)

Barely 24 hours ago, I was reading some of her quotes, they helped me push forward despite that voice in my head telling me otherwise. And I actually got some writing done, something I have been struggling with recently. I say all this to stress that she lived her life to the fullest with courage and grace, making sure she made an impact as she went along.

So…let’s celebrate Dr. Maya Angelou’s life by reading, writing and making a difference in this world. Like I say no matter how big or small, make your life count for something.

Here are some of my favorite #MayaQuotes

“I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat.’ And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.’” — Maya Angelou

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”- Maya Angelou

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”- Maya Angelou

One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”~ Maya Angelou

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”~Maya Angelou

This was her last tweet a few days ago “Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God.” 

Rest In Peace Dr. Maya Angelou. Your legacy lives on.

Share some of your favorite Maya Angelou Quotes or how she influenced you in the comments.

Blessings

Unoma