LAKE MERRITT, OAKLAND CALIFORNIASo I'm just strollin' by the Lake and Smokey's distinct voice flow through the ear phones I'm wearing...."baby let's Cruise away from here"..It's a typical San Francisco song..oldies always remind me of the Bay area...I grew up listening to them and where ever I'm at if an oldie comes on I'm taken back to the Bay..memories of my time growing up here come to my mind. Rollerskating around our block, playing "high jump" downstairs or basketball with my cousin Monte...the good memories are encompassing my mind today..as Earth Wind and Fire ...start to sing about September..."Some bells were ringing, Our souls were singing, Do you remember,never a cloudy day?"...and my little sisters smiling face comes to mind...this song takes me back to Hawaii on the day my little sister became eternally connected to my brother in law Allen..for her reception my family was on the dance floor bustin' out all the moves that should've stayed in the past, but it was one of my favorite memories of that day all my siblings dancing with my sister everyone smiling and just enjoying being together as a family...then the soothing sounds of Angie Stone fill the air..."my sunshine has come, and I'm all cried out and there's no more rain in this cloud"...it's a song of healing after you've been hurt.. being able to stand back up, dust yourself off and move on....though this is a fairly recent song it definitely brings images of my mom to the forefront of my mind..she endured a whole lot in her young life..yet no matter what her set backs were, she stood back up and kept moving on...the heartache and pain she must've felt during her life is unfathomable to me...but not only that, I think of my own loss...a loss of a mother who would've walked with me through all the different phases and experiences in my life...my heartaches, my triumphs, my accomplishments...and I feel the void in my heart that is familiar yet still painful...and in that moment I make a promise to myself, to my mom, and to my future children to be there for them like I know my mom would've loved to have been for me...I'm watching the sun slowly disappear here at Lake Merritt and her face is imprinted in the sunset... as the Cranberries start to sing.."But I'm in so deep, you know I'm such a fool for you,you got me wrapped around your finger, do you have to let it linger, do you have to, do you have to let it linger"...this song reminds me of my brother Alo because it was one of his favorite songs...I was looking at his certificate this morning that says him and his partner of ten years (Lea) are Domestic Partners. I think of all they have been through together, all the hate they have seen, and all the obstacles they have overcome together as a couple. Alo and Lea are two of the very best people I know and I love them with all my heart and I hope they know how so very grateful I am to have them in my life... Now Janet starts to sing..."Living everyday like it's my last,I refuse to be stuck in the past, people actin like machines, cause they're scared to live their dreams,no not me" ...as the song continues I think of my own life as I see it illuminating before me, revealing everything I have to be grateful for and the hope and promise of every new day that I am blessed with..my past strengthens me but I don't live there...my vision is on my future and what I need to do everyday to make it as promising as i see it can be.
