CORRECTION… I mentioned that the MEDICAL MISSIONS was in conjunction with St. Lukes Hospital, I want to make sure that I specify that is not the case as M.M.F. is it’s own non-for-profit. CHECK OUT MORE INFO ONLINE: http://www.mmfworld.org/

01.08.10

I missed the reflection of the day so I back track. Ouelessebougou- this is the place that we have come to work… to serve… to be a ‘part of’ for a time. On the journey outside of Bamako you watch as the terrain changes and you watch as the reasons why people live on that section of this earth change, it is hard living.

On the journey we came across a hoard of people surrounding a car that looked as though it has been dropped from the sky. The windows smashed and the roof collapsed… as we got closer we could see that there were three men that had lost their lives… lost the spirit that allowed them to walk the earth. It created a PAUSE for us all… a pause that allowed us to recognize that life and death can be a moment away and to respect every moment.

01.09.10 8:34pm What a couple days! We are in a place that I can say that wherever you are in the world you would rather not be there… the hospital. No one likes to be sick or hurt and it is sometimes that we need to be reminded of, our health. I am with a group of “givers” and from the above statement this is why I know. I have always respected the work of those in the profession of taking care of others. The human body is one of the MOST complex instruments in the world and to learn how it functions and ways to solve problems with it… is truly an art.

With doctors and nurses people truly look to them to heal them… to be a wonder, and they are like our superheros. You do not feel well and the FIRST thing that you want is to feel better again… so in walks a person with a white lab coat and a stethoscope and just that visual lifts your sprit. I am thinking that this can also be a daunting expectation for some doctors and nurses for many reasons. Today while we were at the hospital of Doctor Omar, a young man of 25 came into the clinic. I could see that his arm was injured and wrapped in very basic cloth and what looked like rope. One of the doctors who was with us and who is a surgeon was essentially swept into the situation. I could sense the tension but there was a part of me that thought this will all work out because there are capable doctors on hand.
It turns out that this wound was caused by this young man getting his arm caught in a motor or some sort and the damage was sever.

Based on the limited recourses that we have here and perhaps the fact that this surgeon is not a hand specialist that seemed to be little that could be done other than easing the pain and stopping the bleeding. In that moment where every human being wants to be of assistance to another realizing the limitation is the part that can bring despair and overwhelm. There are degrees of capacities from being able to do nothing to actually being able to bring something close to the original state and there is all in-between, but it is the spirit in us all that must be the same for those who serve others health that must be a blow to the spirit when one can not do anything. I am thinking that throughout this week that will be the case, where there is little that can be done in some cases, and there will be also cases where MUCH can be done.

This seems to me to be what the balance of life is all about. Me and our brother Ibrahima who is translating for us, had a moment where we spoke on this. He lives in a place where many are simply looking to figure out if (not what, IF) they will have a meal and in contrast to some of the places that he has been like Australia people think about the future essentially with a longer scope. Thinking more along the lines of what schools they will attend to what their retirement will be. Perhaps it is that that keeps many people alive. Not alive just in the sense of living and breathing, but the daily stride in the spirit is much more energies when one can imagine a future. It is that IMAGINATION, that DREAM that keeps our spirit in this body moving forward. Some see it with a view that imagines them being rocketed to the moon like an astronaut and some see themselves owning a small store on the side of a road in Mali, but it could be that dream that keeps them truly alive everyday. I have heard it called “the human condition” one that varies based on many factors. It could be where you were born, to who you were born, it could be a choice that was made any number of things can set the course of life to dream a certain way. Perhaps there are spirits that dream so big that no matter what the condition they will rise to meet the challenge of the dream that is set inside. It is something that we all have to review in our lives because I do believe that we are responsible for assisting others to their dreams in whatever way that we can. It could be as simple as advice or it could be as involved as adoption as there are no boundaries to what the human mind and spirit can dream there are no rules to how deep you can serve another human being in living out that dream. I can image that if you trace back into the lives of some of our greatest dreamers you would see moments where guides helped to lead them along the journey.

When I look at the potential for the work that is going to be done, that is what I see. I see a group of human beings that choose to live out their dreams and become doctors, nurses, artists, teachers, musicians, etc. and bringing their gifts to others. There is a young boy amongst us, his name is Boi… his story is quite amazing. He was found in a village not to far from Ouelessebougou, he had an extreme growth on his face. One that I am sure kept him from living a normal life, from the simplest things like eating and breathing, to daily life in a place that would look at his face and not understand why he was this way. Through a series of dramatic surgeries that took this child away from his home for multiple surgeries, a dramatic transformation took place. His face is now that of a child with the promise of a future of things that most of us take for granted. Much bigger than that his journey took him on a journey overseas to a place called Kansas City, where I am sure that never in his wildest dreams would he have expected to land in the middle of America, cared for by to him complete strangers. His life helped to transform the life of SO MANY in this city in Kansas City and that created a link for change in his village. Through the efforts of other human beings there was a reach to care for the place that he lives and the lives around him. A school was built in his village and the team that comes every year revisits this small town with blessings. I can see the light in this child’s eyes… the light of dreaming, that ANYTHING is possible. I am sure that many in his village see that what once may have been looked upon as a curse was actually a great blessing. In many ways, it is something so simple, but the complexity of the story is something that is inspiring to me. All of the things that had to line up in the bigger story to make all the moments possible to get him to that place that he needed to be on the day that his life ultimately changed forever.

01.10.10 7:00

The arrival of over 40 people, here to help in a nation that many have never known. It was an intense site, to see all of the dream shirts bright yellow filled with the faces of European Americans versed in the language of medicine. To do the jobs that need to be done here, there were grand suitcases filled with medications and tools for surgeries and consultations for the human body. It would be safe to say that it is a spectacle, in the most spectacular way. It is something to take the time and step back to see what this mission is about. It is about people, it is about connections, it is about the spirit of humanity no matter what the language is. With French as a common language and Bambara and English on the other sides of that commonality it is an amazing thing to see the connections of humans be made. We are one people having been separated by different plotlines that lead many people into many directions. We are here for a common story line and we will build from that place. No matter what happens post this journey we have already created a story line and a plot line that will last forever. This day will be recalled for years to come and will resonate until the next time that a group of service people come to touch and be touched.

I am taking the time that I need at this moment to process something that would from the outside of this place be impossible to process. I have relearned in many ways today the simplicity of life and that is a good thing. It is a great thing… it is a blessing.

01.11.10 8:15pm

The sounds of people connecting in many languages are outside my window, it is an amazing experience. Today seemed like the official day of the beginning of this experience. People in a profession focused on helping people work through an illness, or a problem with their body coming thousands of miles to assist with the lives of others. Seeing the amount of people that were there to be cared for was a site in itself and hearing that doctors consulted with over 300 people in one day the notion was overwhelming. I can imagine that if you are versed in medicine that there is no 2 experiences alike, even when there is a common illness, because every person is different. Speaking with a young doctor in the evening I get the impression there is a point were you have to look at the illness first almost dissociated from the person, just to function in a healthy mindset for yourself. To protect the longevity of your usefulness as a doctor or a nurse that has to be some component of separation. That I can imagine is one of the difficult parts of being a doctor.

This mission has brought the art of humanity together as not all of the people who are here are medical professionals. With Barclay and myself, we helped support to nurses as they screened young people in a school. It was to say the least an overwhelming task where I could estimate at any given time I was surrounded by 70 to 80 young people ALL interested in what we had to offer ART. In the true dynamic of the human experience, I could see the spirit of those sitting down; LIGHT up as they went into their personal creative space. It is a moment of peace not only for the person experiencing the creative process it is also a peace for those watching. The interaction of the children was quite dynamic and we were able to see moments that transformed the spirit. It is everyone’s will to bring their experience to the table and speak that common language of humanity. One of the elements that I was most impressed with was our translators, one gentleman who is probably in his 50’s and another man who is in is mid 20’s, the respect that they were given by the young people and the respect for teaching what it was that we had to share. The notion of helping is also coupled with the notion of giving. What we are bringing to everyone is a notion of the world through a moment. Seeing health care providers come here, could spark a wave of doctors, having artist come here could spark a wave of storytellers, seeing people of this country bridge the language gap through translation may open the mind of a child to connect the world together.

You just need to sit back and listen sometimes… even thought there are 50 conversations going on at the moment, there is a rhythm that is soothing my soul right now, it is the music of the soul… sharing a harmony… it is a blessing.

01.12.10 10:45pm

A day… and what a difference a day makes so many things happened today, we actually reached out to over 600 children in these last days. Transformations in our own sprits are almost a must. With the joys of the days coming to a close we are now sitting and ready to rest our minds… I am exhausted. Good night children of the worlds.

01.13.10 11:59pm Saying that we have been surrounded by 1000 people on this trip collectively would be the understatement of the year. We have been ushered from place to place by droves beautiful spirits summoning safety where ever we go. The blessing of the children around us are the elements of this life that allow one the capacity to understand what a blessing truly is. There are children that are around me that I have just met this week that I have known for years to them I am not Shane Evans, I am Karim Dumbia, a name that stirs laughter when I say it or a friendly history based sneer that creates a space then filled with laughter.

Both Barclay and I shouldered one another through uncertain terrain knowing that the other side of our journey would be better supporting the other person’s stride. As we walk together we are soul free as one, along side us is our brothers from the motherland who truly have a space in my heart. I have to say if I have not already said that there is something about the soul here that is right at the surface and taking the moment to engage someone in eye contact her allows you an opportunity to look into a space that is deep with memory, deep with love. We are all relatives it is us just us who need to know that our perspective is what makes us brothers and sisters not what pumps in our veins. Today was a gift from God as is everyday and although I have said thank you many times today, it would be fitting to end this day with a reflective THANK YOU LORD FOR WHAT YOU HAVE GIVEN ME.

01.14.10 I was not able to write this day… so I am recapping a couple days post… so there is some ‘marinade’ on this… We left “Africa time” to the village of Boi (the child that in many ways has brought many of us together for this mission). This village is about 60km west but it might as well be 6000km away as the remoteness makes the daily travel something that would not make sense on water beaten roads that are like dusty waves.

Turning the corner after the journey with 2 vanloads of people into this village with the “native son” Boi with us, was like going to a family reunion. This village is on the map of the hearts of the people that are here with us on this journey. One of the things that you cannot help but to notice is the BRIGHT beautiful colors that are surrounding the bodies of the woman that we see. It is like taking a brown canvas and smearing the most VIBRANT colors all over its surface.

The next word that comes to mind is JOY… the energy and the sense of hope was there with us. As really the work that was done for Boi must truly be LEGEND in this village. As everyone went to do the work that they came to do, Barclay and I walked over to a little mud building that housed some of the MOST amazing faces that I have ever seen. Truly BRIGHT with blessings…

We worked with 2 groups of children… and it was a blessing indeed. The day was HOT but full, many things accomplished.

01.15.10 This last day served as a reminder of all of the blessings that have been shared on this trip… we visited in one after noon and I mean before 12pm 6 classes of children that probably totaled 500 children… we were EXAUSTED, at the end of that experience, we did the rounds of all of the schools that we went to and left all of the supplies that we brought to the head masters of the school. It was as full as any other full day that we had.

There were moments of realization for many throughout the day that this was the beginning of one end and the end to a beginning… that is how I view stories like this. There is not end or beginning just a continuum with chapters in a way.

As people packed and eyes connected, along with hands in shaking and bodies embracing you could hear the solemn joy amongst us. A connectedness of voices at a similar cadence and rhythm that was resonating wonderfully in the air. As the voices of children from around the compound shouted out there last “KARIM DUMBIA” (my Malian name) and I made my way to the giant bus back to Bamako… I could not help but to skip off to the side for a moment and take that moment to myself to just remember.

The ride back was filled with conversation, it was in many ways the first time that I heard was going on all around the village all week. A case that had doctors excited, having to shift on the fly because a piece of equipment was not working… or better yet… a still born child being revived after birth… it was the bus ride of reflection.

When we returned to our hotel that was a great joy for all, as people got their room keys and washed layers of dirt from their bodies in sheer delight I am sure. We all met for a group dinner at 8pm (African time) where I kid you not it was like meeting people all over again after just a week… it is amazing how dirt and water can be so transformative.

We moved on to a hotel and dinner location that was set on the Niger River and we rejoiced… we told stories and we bonded… it was amazing….

I kept the night going, until 3am going off to a local joint to listen to some AMAZING MUSIC… and here I am 7am… watching the sunrise….

01.16.10

7:11am The day that is a day given and blessed by God… may he watch over us all making sure that we get back home safely to all of our families so we can hug them and they can still feel the pulse of Africa beating in our hearts… blessings and good morning.

Sprung out of bed to be hit by the rhythm of packing broke off from the group as I didn’t sleep at all last night and I didn’t think my mind would be fully functioning, which I think was a good move for my peace of mind in the transition. Went out to the local merchants outside of the area and found the experience to be less brutal than the big market, I didn’t want to deal with that MADNESS either, the rhythm was much more HUMAN…

There were many details that struck me on this day… There was a big appreciation for time and looking at it in 2 ways… the way that my culture and I look at it, and looking at it in the culture that I was in presently. Making the most of the choices that were made seemed to be the balance and seeing the effects of the choices made more readily.

The practical day as it started to fold up brought all of the participants of this journey to a crescendo, voices gathering in a melody of excitement ready to move back towards families and homes that resonate familiar to the soul. The obstacles “in the way” would be details that would prove to bring some transitional stress but the reward would far outweigh the hassle.

After the loading of bags onto vans (African style) we pulled off in a chain of white vans turning the corner where I noticed the detail of a young man standing a turn holding up a green rug. I noticed him there at least 4 hours earlier in the same spot with the same resilient face of hope to sell that rug, (African style).

As the night drew us over the bridge over the Niger, I rested my head on the window watching the world go by and for a moment I drifted off into a deep, pensive sleep for what seemed like a an hour but in watch time was probably 7 minutes. We arrived at the airport to familiar faces we had seen throughout our journey and we took the moments needed to connect with the brothers that we had gained during our time.

The stress of travel seems to never change so going with the flow is the best way to go into that experience and that seemed to be the right attitude as all in our journey seemed to prevail in the first wave. Leaving the African continent by air began a journey that seemed to last a FULL day. We landed at 6am in Paris, still having Africa clearly vibrating in us, many took the 7-hour layover as an opportunity to see the classic city. As if planned in a script we all made it to our desired destination in a city that shines bright in so many ways, all watching the sun come over the horizon to reveal in many ways US… A day of blessing for all in the form of a walk down the Seine, a stroll into Notre Dam, Montmarte or simply a croissant, it was the perfect accent to our trip.

We all made it back to the plane, with time to spare, and stories to share, “re-tetrissing” into our seats for the transatlantic flight, landing some 8 hours later in the motor city and now onto Kansas City for most and others breaking off to their respective cities.

I can hear many plans of rest and some roaming up the start to the week, but I can also sense the moments being taking to reflect and to hold onto the space where we all just came from. ‘

In closing… I will add that I had a deep moment of reflection as all of the transitions were happening back to my culture. A moment that I observed in Boi’s village of a boy maybe 12 or 13 years of age, ailing from what the doctors thought might be malaria. He was in one of the classes that we were in and was pointed out to us. There was a moment that I recognized that a spirit was on the edge. His body being chased by flies because his physical strength could not vibrate them away. His eyes asked us as a team for help… I think it was perhaps one of the times that I recognized that look of truly, a NEED for help. As our day went forward, he stayed on my mind, and I made other connections one of which was that his father or father figure stood quietly off to the side waiting and watching our moves with the same look. I would imagine in that situation that many of us would consider getting on our knees and BEGGING for help… I did not sense this, I felt more of a sense of peace and patience and in a situation that for me seemed dire. It was the father and the son that touched me the most. As I recognized the LOVE that this man had for his child and anxious sense of him wanting more sunrises and sunsets in their lives together. It was one of the last conversations had, where we assured them that medicines would be sent back and nourishment to revive his body and there was a sense of RELIEF that glowed around the father. As our bags got packed a day later I noticed a good size bag of supplies, I asked what the bag contained and found that it was filled with supplies for the village and most important items that this young child needed. To be honest it was a great relief for me. I would have to say, that I do not know what the outcome of that story will be, it could be happy moments where in the upcoming months his body will be revived, but there is a chance that will not be the case. This is the human experience, this is what binds us together and allows us the space to recognize that life is ours… ours to waste or ours to utilize…

01.22.10 Picking up the end of this blog a number of days post. It was as if there was to much information to really keep speaking on the experience. At a glance I feel that I have expressed many points and feelings relative to the experience, but to truly close out this piece I will go through the last {OLUIZUMZ} 16 to 55 (1-15 are here are well) and recap the remainder of this journey in the truest way I know. Thank you all for tuning in… “be the blessing you have been set on earth to be…”

16) On our journey we passed a auto accident where 3 young men lost there lives, it was a jolt to the soul to see, and I thought about it for a while post seeing the accident.
17) If you have ever been to a world market you know there are no bonderies in negotiations, well it was very much that way in the market in Bamako, I found that simply getting back to humanity was the best way to negotiate from.
18) Ha… not to much you can say about that, there is truly something to be said about hard, “back breaking” work it is good for the soul.
19) One of my favorite parts about this culture is the capacity to create… a mobile store is how I see a young girl who is balancing cloth, or fruits on her head. It is such a graceful way to do commerce.
20) More joined us for the journey in the midst of the trip, it was good to see all of the doctors, nurses and volunteers coming to be changed and coming to help bring change.
21) OH YES… the poop journey… that was and always is something that one has to get used to. I think that as a kid, I thought that the ENTIRE WORLD pooped and peeded in a porcelain bowl like I did, NOPE. A good majority of the world still does the business in a whole and lets nature do the clean up. I can be an adjustment for sure.
22) WOW… that first day… not only the heat, but the intensity of the work, I am sure that many were feeling the effects of the difference and feeling the WORK that we were doing was a heavy lift we were not used to.
23) Language is such a funny thing… I though I was doing pretty well conjuring up my highschool French, but after while your brain really starts to get confused and keeping track of the most simple words become a chore.
24) Farm animals run about and it is ALL good… imagine a GOAT or a CHICKEN outside your office when you go out for lunch… might make you think twice about that BUCKET COMBO from KFC.
25) There is a mixture of African and Western attire, I am inspired by the beautiful clothing worn in Mali.
26) First couple nights of sleep in the village were hard ones, sleeping on a matte and a mosquito net, I guess being so tired at the end of everyday made sleep a gift.
27) We were moving around the village with our supplies and getting a perspective… we were working with MANY children of ALL ages… makes you very aware of all of the tools at your disposal, or what you don’t have.
28) This was SO important, to just go off to the side and take in what it was that you were experiencing, and really to get away and just take a walk by oneself. Some times it is a challenge to find yourself with out a young follower from the village who wanted to try out some words, but eventually you can find peace.
29) There is a natural break in the day that lasts for a couple hours, mainly because of the heat I imagine… I LIKED THAT BREAK!
30) Again… taking that moment… SOUL-RE-FRESH.
31) So many things in our lives we do not consider useful, an old water bottle and old t-shirt, etc. children would gladly value an item that we did not want.
32) We saw so many people, per classroom there were on average 60-80 children in a room and were seeing 4 to 6 classes of children a day. Overwhelming in a GOOD way.
33) The bucket shower… that is a wonderful experience, it is what it sounds like, a bucket some warm water, and get your wash on!
34) There were so many moments, that I just would stop and say thank you… thank you… thank you.
35) After going to so many schools and the heat… feeling ready to go to a new environment, without getting to process the day before could be overwhelming, but I would say that as much as you found yourself being drained by all around you, you were being filled with a blessing at the same time.
36) I don’t know how you collected information prior to digital, but I remember having maybe 5 rolls of fim back in the day and being very careful with it. Today there are so many WAYS to capture information and capture A LOT of it.
37) I am sure that this speaks for many, the amount of people that we all were working with, made us have to take a second look or a second deep breath before we got started on with the day.
38) A full belly of food is not always enough to get your through a day… your spirit needs a boost when you are experiencing change so deeply.
39) Taking moments to honor keeping up the voice and sharing what were experiencing, the challenging finding the moments for self.
40) Walking through the village was a journey, most of the time the children where out and they ALL wanted to hang out with you on a walk so at the end of a 2 block walk you would often times be surrounded by children… quite wonderful.
41) No Warabas on this trip… but I learned this sitting with some children, they taught me Lion in Bambara, I teaching in English.
42) A lot to think about…
43) You go through a place where you are wondering what more you can do, what more you can give and will you leave gifts in the right place… the answer is one you might not ever know… trust… faith.
44) We traveled in a direction that someone told me was east… but we could have been going in any direction….
45) The small village was RICH with visual impact.
46) Being in a place and working with people who are sick you see clearly the delicate nature of health, life and death.
47) Making strides is something that helps to inspire you to keep moving.
48) We sat in the classrooms and gave out the dream assignment to children as well as facilities to draw with. It was such a blessing to see young people enjoying a being creative… total meditation.
49) It is always amazing when you feel time slip by and before you know it, you are going from just getting comfortable to having to think about packing your bags.
50) We completed our work in the village and went back to Bamako, we all had an AMAZING SHOWER… took me 15 minutes to get my feet clean, we had an amazing dinner together and we got our AFRICAN DANCE ON!
51) Making sure that the final day that we had in Bamako was RICH… I started by watching the sun rise over the Niger River.
52) WOW… that is the best way to state the massive amount of items we had to get back with us, and SOMEHOW… it all worked… a wonderful thing.
53) Flying over the continent for a 6 to 7 hour layover in Paris… we went into the cities in small groups and it was quite a site to see McDonalds on a fancy corner in Paris…
54) Making your way back to the states was one of security checks and checks… and checks…
55) After a number of flights, bags of peanuts and comp drinks, we are all home. Families waiting to hear the stories and time to rest in our homes. Appreciating one another with a final glance and hug with the promises that we would see one another soon. Home… sweet.

{OLUIZUMZ}

Vivez votre rêves! (Bring these dreams to life).

First I want to apologies to all of my past English teachers for misspellings grammar errors etc. I am doing this in flow so I may not have time to read back on all of this so it is rather stream of conscious… I think that you will get the gist. so welcome…

The essence of this blog is to take you on a mission to MALI. The mission is driven by The Medical Missions Foundation and St. Lukes Hospital. If you recall last year I received a LIEAP GRANT which I utilized to kick off “AFRICA DREAM” a work that had me and artist Leroy Beasley working with over 300 youth in Lesotho through art. This year I was asked along with musician Barclay Martin to join a group of over 40 doctors, nurses and volunteers to journey to Mali and share the gift of healing and art. There will be hundreds of patients seen in this journey and the spirit of giving and dreaming will be around us.

I thought a good way to blog and keep the notions of the daily experience alive was to create a special edition of {OLUIZUMZ} for this journey. So please enjoy… pass this on to a friend… comment where possible and let this experience inspire the spirit of giving and exploration of the world to you all… blessings…

01.04.10 6:08pm.

First let me start by giving thanks to the ALL MIGHTY GOD… as he has lead me to the place and space where I am sitting right now. The JOURNEY of OLU in Africa has begun. I am present and in the space that is “travel”. I am recognizing all that is going on around me, from the red sunset to the young lady from Kansas sitting next to me that has never flown before (and was feeling VERY tense during the take off…). It is TYPICAL travel thus far, with some of the things that could “go wrong when you travel” have happened thus far. Like the moment where the airline could not find my continued itinerary and the representatives insisted that I was only booked to Detroit and not to Paris then Bamako Mali West Africa. Crowded hallways of people journeying from here to there and families loving one another, recognizing that someone or more than one person was leaving for some time. It is TRAVEL, like I said in ALL ITS GLORY.

Leading up to this trip in itself has been something! Rewarding is the word that comes to mind with many people coming together to make this travel even POSSIBLE. “We are here, we are now, we are together”, and if we did not have that, I would not be here. Like my neighbor Lashanda White a faith full “dream team member” who dropped me off at the airport and helped me process the depth of the weeks leading up to the event. Or Sherri White and her son (no blood relation to Lashanda, but sisters from other mothers that happen to have the same last name.) who has been the ROCK, and MORTAR, holding the foundation of the rhythm as we pulse forward. My family who (THANK GOD AGAIN) returned from a trip to Japan 2 days prior to me leaving on this journey, we all appreciated the work that I put into our home to fill the space with PURE LOVE for there return. I cleaned the house to the point where our home was TRULY new with an energy to start our lives and loves fresh. We just enjoyed EVERY minute of the 2 days that we had, the cliché of QUALITY vs. QUANTITY was fully embraced. We did more in 2 days than we are typically able to do during the courses of regular weeks, a lesson that every day every minute is precisions. Sitting with old friends and sharing loving moments and the appreciation of connections. And I could go on and on with this list of how people supported all of the moments to lead Olu and me to this MOMENT in time.

I will watch as the world changes every step of the way, I will land in Detroit and see all of the people from all over the world moving and flowing in the airport and that’s just domestic. I will watch as I move from that terminal to the international terminal where they will start to speak both English and French in preparation for our leg to Paris and so on… That is the blessing of travel… a change in perspective is actually a change in you. You recognize all of the work that it takes to get to that place. I mean even just the price that you paid to get the ticket to fly has a story, one could have saved for YEARS to make a trip like this and all of the time and energy to get that ticket one MUST honor every moment of travel and recognize every blessing. Just being able to travel is a privilege in many instances not a choice.

So here I am… aware, ready to do the work that it takes to showcase what the human spirit can do together… “SOUL FREEDOM AS ONE” voicing joy together… voicing creativity together, allowing OLU to create a bridge that links our worlds together.

Welcome… to the beginning.

01.05.10 2:55pm.

Had a wonderful flight over the sea from one land to another. I sat next to a woman named Britney and in the true sense of how God sets up life in our exploration of conversation we found many threads in common. I woman looking to connect the human story much like myself in a Germany. A writer of fiction based on the nuances of her life. It was good conformation that we do journey together as one.

So here I am in Paris… I am making a stop over and meeting up with friends Barclay Martin and Christine Eldrige on the leg of the journey that will lead us to Bamako. It is a wonder to be in a place that is a hub of the world as you watch all of the cultures pass by and co-mingle in presence of a goal… to get somewhere. I can see many have on there faces, the anxious grin of “home” or the weary frown of “business” or the bright eyed glow of “exploration”… but the common goal of getting to a destination. Starting… moving… journeying… landing… starting again… that is where we are.

01.06.10 9:58am.

We have landed… it is AFRICA… the smells, the movement… it is.

Time has called that we start the move… change is a blessing.
Give thanks…

01.07.10 9:37pm.

So many things to say because I have seen so many things. I am in that place where I am loosing what day it is… so I am finding that I am present instead of figuring out where I need to be which seems to be the rhythm of life at this moment. As life is still moving at home, I have to be here, looking people in the eye, communicating without the language that is familiar… just being.

We have been busy for the last 2 days such that it is hard to keep up with all of the information that is coming at us at once. FORTUNATELY, I have been keeping up with OLU on the move and it is keeping me to staying focused on what is happing around us.

Since this is the first time in this experience that I have gotten to share what is going on I decided to do a recap of all that has happened in the first 15 images that have flowed out since the beginning of the journey.

I will catch us up by just quickly breaking down what is going on in 1 to 15… this will might be sighted above. REMEMBER the hook for Olu is… “THIS IS MY ________ …FACE” so that is not just a simple “THIS IS MY, HAPPY… FACE” it gets more expressive than that.

1) Well we all know the stress of packing and this journey was no different making sure that you have every detail almost gets you to the point where you cannot see what is in front of you at some point you just gotta let go of what stuff you will bring and go…
2) Of course once you get it all done… then you have to get to the airport, and do it all over again in a way… travel is full of so many mini journeys… fortunately we had no big issues in travel.
3) A quick stop on my way to Mali to PARIS… the urge to get out of the airport and RUSH down to the Eiffel Tower to get a glimpse for the 3 hours that I had… but OF COURSE I was not that bold… stuck to the airport… that was nice.
4) HEY… you know when you are on the go… While in Paris… I met up with B.MARTIN www.barclaymartin.com, great friend and musician and friend and Christine Eldgride coordinator extraordinaire and we were off to the next part of our journey always good to connect with friends in transit.
5) Flight was all around smooth… I am sure there were moments where I was drooling in my complimentary beverage I was so tired…! but I caught some in-flight gems like MJ’s THIS IS IT MOVE… AWESOME by the way… recommend it!
6) Once we landed in Mali… MAN OH MAN!!! We were tired… on top of that 2 bags did not arrive (of course) so my mind just let it go cause my body was SO TIRED and we went to the hotel.
7) NEXT DAY… off into a new world and we hit it hard from the sun cutting through a sliver of my blinds close to the moon of that next night… we went and did a bit of all of it…
WOW… a lot to see… if you have been out of the country of if you have been to Africa, there is TRULY a lot to see… the world is BUSTLING around you like you have most likely never seen in the states and the rhythm is so different. Most of the time if you catch yourself you are staring so deep you have to remind yourself not to…
9) YES… the comfort food found world over is also in MALI as it is in many of the countries of the world… always with a local twist. To get the body acclimated, it is sometimes a good idea to get the food that the body knows. It was delicious and gave the belly a grin.
10) NEED I SAY MORE… there is SO MUCH going on and it is so unlike my regular day… one day is like five.
11) 1st day… was like a BLUR… sun coming into the window the 2nd day… we are on our toes… tipping around town… getting more supplies… quite a run… my head I will have to admit was bobbing around in fatigue from the days prior.
12) A big part of this project is looking to keep it simple… the expression of the young mind is so wonderful when you allow them the space to create. We got sheets of paper and colors for them to work with and we feel that that should open the door in a unique way.
13) MONEY… such and ODD unit of measure… some have it some don’t some want it… most need it… but often if you can find a common ground you can often change the value of money in the market place you find SO MANY conversation going on and money becomes such a sliding scale for value.
14) It is always amazing to me to see that kids can still pick up a stick and see the potential… that is what the creative spirit is all about… it is typically a quite stick that arouse the essence of youth… kid running up and down busy streets, 4 kids chasing the leader with the coolest stick shouting out “HEY LET ME HOLD IT NOW…” talk about getting back to the basics… the next level up from there is rolling an old tire down the road with the stick… keepin’ it simple.
15) The hints of music that we have caught here have been touching. Getting to experience the movement of music is like touching the essence of what music is.

Well there you have it… you should be caught up or confused… but that is all that is going on at the moment. Not sure the flow of the rest of the days others are coming in this evening and others will be joining the DOCTORS and NURSES will be joining the teams and they will be LITERALLY changing lives in the upcoming days and I am looking forward to seeing these transformations take place.

HAPPY POST THANKSGIVING to you all and for those of you who went out the next to stimulate the economy welcome back from that mind-blowing experience. As I have gotten older I have come to look at holidays so differently. In these past years for example, the concept of simply giving thanks. On the one-day that we celebrate “Thanksgiving” where we are collectively in a generous spirit of giving and sharing our time with others, both strangers and family, I reflect. This past year and the onset 2009, I was in southern Africa. I had spent a month traveling working with people, making amazing human connections, and that end of the trip, the one thing that had truly learned from my experience was THANKFULNESS… there was a moment in the beginning of 2009, I was in Lesotho and taking time to reflect on the amazing month that I had just experienced, and it was like I took a DEEP BREATH and for the exhale, I expressed….”THAAAAANK YOU GOD………….” and the next breath that I took was the breath of change…. this was on January 7th 2009 and the next 13 day would be an interesting time as you all know as on Jan 20, 2010 we swore in our first president of multiple cultures or as many like to say, our first African American President. (Just a side note but I think that distinction (multicultural) is very important. I have to acknowledge that Obama comes from multiple cultures (multiple stories) and I have to recognize that as that is how he recognizes himself and I identify myself.)

So I entered into this year with a SPIRIT of THANKFULNESS and CHANGE… think about it. I imagine that many of us entered into this year with one of these 2 feelings along with 100s of other emotions emanating from our spirits. So here we are, a couple weeks past thanksgiving a day that again is noted for the SPIRIT of GIVING, what did you do/give this year? That is a literal or rhetorical question, (literal if you comment on this blog below)… I would say that I took this season to REFLECT I GAVE myself the time to reflect … I looked upon this ENTIRE YEAR and first said, THANK YOU, thank you god for all of the goodness… I am looking at the choices that I have made and I have to say that I have made great strides towards change. Not only change in me, but change around me. I have recognized the efforts of many around me. How many have risen up to the challenges that are amongst us and also made true strides towards change, and let me tell you this people, CHANGE IS HARD!!! Let me say that again, CHANGE IS HARD!!! (can a get an amen)… It is hard because we are TIED to a story… we all have history, you have a past, I have a past… it is something that stays with us, it is something that can hold us back or move us forward. It is through this that many of us can look at ourselves in the mirror and say, “I am not perfect, but I can look back at all my imperfect brothers and sisters and learn how to take a bit of a different step forward in this length of the walk…” It is the old adage learning from the past, learning from our history or as I like to call it, OURSTORY.

I also took time to visit my family in Michigan; I took a 12-hour road trip with my 2 lap dogs (one a Jack Russell named “Weezler” and the other a Long Haired Chiwawa named “Snappy”). Taking a road trip has always been a way for me to catch up to myself, when you think about all of the time that you are on the road some might think that’s a waste of time, but time is just a moment that you segment for yourself if you think about it. I took that time to catch up to some old friends and their music, like the new album by MusiQsoulChild, Lewis Taylor, Kevin Sandbloom, Miles Davis and even met some new friends along the way… (the MP3 player is an amazing invention! I remember the days when I had a BOX OF TAPES I was scrounging through while motoring down the road… and DON’T laugh cause I know some of you were diggin’ through a jumbo size of box of 8 tracks.) Watching the landscape go by in itself is worth the trip breaking the boundaries of states and imagining the imaginary line that separates the land on a map. The sunrises, the sunsets, the passing motorists, the cows, the modest homes, the giant farms, the small town downtowns, the endless yellow arches in the sky (McD’s), the road kill, even the rain and how peaceful and warm you feel in your car rollin’ down new highways. These days we don’t even have to pull out the old trusty map folded 83 times jammed in the glove compartment, you simply listen to the GPS woman tell you “turn around when possible”… can’t even get lost if you wanted to… so all and all the time that I chose to give myself was well spent… rejuvenated by family, friends and time to myself.

So here we are entering into the Christmas season, another holiday coined by the SPIRIT of GIVING… When I look at this entire year, with an economy that they say is struggling and unrest in parts of the world, I have to look at this upcoming holiday with the question where am I? I mean where am I in my SPIRIT? Christmas represents the birth of a king on earth, Jesus… now, regardless how you celebrate it, that is what it is… whether you find yourself at church, with family, buying gifts, giving your time and resource to those in need, whatever it may be, just by the shear name CHRISTMAS we are celebrating the birth of Jesus. Now we all know the story to varying degrees, even if you only know it through song, like THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, “I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum 
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum 
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum” (which I realize just at this moment, is about a poor child who has NO GIFTS to bring (or so he thinks he has no gifts) but the boy offers to play his drum… HIS TRUE GIFT… and the KING JESUS smiles… “Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum 
Me and my drum.” Or joy to the world, Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. So all that to define what we are celebrating regardless of our modern day awareness. So all that said, it is back to my original question, WHERE AM I? Well I am working, I am at a place where I am moving towards being more like the reason we celebrate this holiday. I am recognizing where I fall, short in my gift giving… I am looking at the time that I spend (our most precious resource) and asking what have I done with it? Have I given enough? Could I give more? I am a father now, and I am to lead by example, yet I fall short, realizing that we all fall short, but I now recognize when I fall and look to not make that mistake again.

So this year, at Dream Studio we will celebrate KWANZAA at dream studio on DEC. 12th, a concept that blends many ideas, ideas that are based in the doctrine of community. I celebrated my first KWANZAA in Johannesburg South Africa, which was very uplifting for many reasons. Although KWANZAA is a concept started by an American man the message is universal. I found it to be inclusive, where it recognized us a world of many cultures, and how it is important for us to work together to live in peace. It is good feeling, it is a movement towards loving thy neighbor, and sharing your gifts… it is about community and working together to present joy. I am excited to share what GOD has given, me, I feel like the LITTLE DRUMMER BOY when I say that… I have a humble gift that I have been giving and it is up to me to share that gift.

I want to say to all that are reading, THANK YOU… thank you for your time in reading, in sharing, in helping to make what I am doing with “Olu’s Dream” possible. I am humbled to be able to share my dream with the world. It is not always an easy work, but it is one that I know is a GIFT and I know that gifts are given for a reason… TO UPLIFT OTHERS.

Share your blessings with someone this holiday.

With love and peace… blessings.

Wow… can you believe it… Halloween has come to mark off another segment of 2009, it seems this years has gone by as fast as the children come and gone having yelled “TRICK OR TREAT” and OFF they run to wrangle up more “Whoppers and Resses” from the neighbors.

Halloween is an interesting time and it brings up
interesting memories for me, it seems to be a holiday that I especially remember details about from my childhood.
I remember one Halloween where I wanted to be
DRACULA… “ha ha ha ha… (thunder sounds)…”

I must have been in the 3rd or 4th grade and I could not WAIT to dazzle my class mates with this classic, Sauvé, blood thirsty Transylvanian with the cool accent and the matter of fact slogan “I’ve come to suck your blood… ha ha ha ha… (thunder sounds)…” I recall putting the costume together getting all of the gear on… getting the clothing JUST RIGHT… then… we hit a snag… I had a visual concept of what, DRACULA… … “ha ha ha ha… (thunder sounds)…” looked like… my child mind choose what it was most familiar with the Bela Lugosi version of this smooth dude with a slicked back hairdo and smooth way about himself. Now… here is where the snag came in, I had an afro… now my hair texture is very curly on the thick side, so my mom gets a brush turns on the faucet and grabs some Crown Royal grease to start the processes of laying this afro down that when picked out must have been close to 7 inches of PUFF… So, standing in the mirror my mom take a dollop of grease runs the brush under some water and goes to work… combing, lathering in the grease, combing, coming, combing… and this fro would not fall to emulate my vision. I can recall the anxious feeling when my mom was going through the process of getting my hair to lay down, feeling like this costume would NOT BE COMPLETE without that feature… then I recall also the intense disappointment when my mom could not get nature to cooperate… I was straight up BUMMED!!! Well my mom must have seen a look in my eye of sadness because almost without missing a beat… she said “don’t worry there is BLACKCULA… I don’t remember what my face did, but I remember the feeling of a smile coming up in my heart… and I must have asked my mom more about it… “BLACKCULA???” and she just shared that one little fact about what would be now considered a B movie (on a good day) about this movie that gave the idea of DRACULA a face and hairstyle that I could relate to… I remember that little smile in my heart turning to pride and comfort… not being able to WAIT to say… “I am BLACKULA ha ha ha ha… (thunder sounds)…” and right post that moment… I was ready to face the world of Halloween. I will say that I do not remember how that day turned out beyond that moment but I will add I do not recall because it was a normal Halloween for me after that moment in the mirror. That I went to school comfortable and not self conscious about what I was portraying that I was being me and that was a great thing so “PASS THE CANDY BOWL… ha ha ha ha… (thunder sounds)…”

I hope that you all had a wonderful Halloween whether it was you re-living your youth at a costume party or marching behind a group of screaming children on a brisk fall evening, that you have a memory that will stay with you.

We have become SO accustomed to holding on and hording that many of us have forgotten what it is to give. THINK ABOUT IT… look at our, your, my current situation. There was all of this money that was saved in our storehouses ready for us to retire on… then ALL OF THE SUDDEN… something happens in the economy and we all watch the numbers in our accounts get smaller. Now I am sure that MANY of you said… “I WISH I WOULD HAVE pulled that money out and USED IT… instead of losing it…” Well if we had that kind of foresight we wouldn’t be in this current mess now… THINK ABOUT IT…

NOW IS THE TIME FOR CHANGE!!! You have to change up the way that your mind thinks about resources. We are at a time in history where it will be more important to give what you have then to hold onto it. We all have something that we have SO MUCH of that we need to review how much of it we are keeping… THINK ABOUT IT… you might have a plethora of money, time, food, water, talent, compassion, listening capacity, wisdom, abilities, and the list goes on that you are being stingy with. You are not giving in the FULLEST WAY THAT YOU CAN… we all have excuses why, but ultimately there is no excuse… if you do not start sharing the things that you have too much of that your neighbor does NOT have enough of… then you both suffer. The things that you think you have the least of I GAURANTEE, someone has less so until we acknowledge the blessings that we have we will always think we have nothing. Give the thing you think you have the least of, that is how you acknowledge a blessing.

This existence, our everyday routine is very fragile, you are seeing that now, BUT it is also one that can CHANGE almost OVER NIGHT… THINK ABOUT IT… we have a PRESIDENT that is of a woman of European decent and a man of Kenyan decent… RIGHT NOW!!! YES NOW… not 50 years from now or longer like many of us thought… AND OH YEAH!!! DIDN’T HE RUN A CAMPAIGN BASED ON THE NOTION OF CHANGE!!!…. huh…. THINK ABOUT IT…

“Make that change…” MJ “man in the mirror”

It is the AGE-old question plaguing us since what seems like the beginning of time… PEPSI OR COKE… but you know what… those 2 drinks have been around for under 200 years yet it is like they sprang from the wells of heaven the way we debate. Imagine, if we just drank water, and the juice of fruits and coconuts. Image if we took dried fruits and herbs and made a hot tea with the water you pulled from a beautiful spring in your backyard… THINK ABOUT IT… no… instead we are debating what BROWN fizzy, syrupy, odd tasting beverage we should choose from and ultimately, THEY TASTE THE SAME ENOUGH TO NOT EVEN MATTER THAT much… THINK ABOUT IT…

We have gotten so far away from nature we would have NO IDEA what to do if we couldn’t grab it out of the refrigerator out of a box… When I was a kid, I would go out and visit with my grandfather and they lived on a farm. It was one of the richest experiences of my life. My grandfather taught me how to be a man, how to watch a seed grow into a food that we could sit down and eat together. My grandfather taught me the value of dollar and the value of my time and how to get up early and enjoy God’s gifts.

We hinge our daily lives on making decisions about things that don’t even matter. Remember this, there are people still in this world that do not have clean water to drink let alone a choice of what soft drink from the 103 on display at 10 convenient stores in a 10 block radius from you right now.

Let’s start making decisions that matter… ahhhhh… now that’s TRUE refreshment.

This 10 represents CHANGE. This was given to me by a young black man age 19 or 20. It was a gift after he witnessed a show called the “The Strength of Woman” this represents that we as a people want CHANGE. We don’t want the change that comes when you taking this 10 dollar bill and you buy something useless and the cashier says, “here’s your change… NO. This is representing what we have needed to have happen for as LONG as I can remember in my life and I am sure that most of you reading this can relate. He represented by giving me this money that he is TIRED of seeing himself in images that DO NOT REPRESENT who he is… DO NOT REFLECT THE SPIRT THAT HE HOLDS INSIDE. He told me by giving me this 10 dollars that he wants to put his resource into something POSITIVE FOR HIM and something POSITIVE for his future. This 10-dollar bill represents CHANGE for me… GENUINE.. GROUND SHIFTING CHANGE. NOW IS THE TIME FOR CHANGE. Now is the time for you to invest in our future, not only of this country but also of this world! Take your resources and shift your focus. GIVE TO SOMEONE because you believe in what they are doing…support LOCAL BUSINESS, GIVE TO CHURCHES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, give to community organizations, boys & girls clubs, the pal, art focused community galleries, good will, salvation army, let all of those organizations know what you need in your community that is why they are there, and the list could go on.

Give to the things that you believe are making a difference. Support your neighbor first; there is something about strengthening those closest to us that stimulates growth. I have watched the neighborhood that I am in grow because I put my resources back into it. Not just my money but my time and my presence and deeper than that as a business I GIVE BACK. I make sure that the community feels welcome, that is growth.

The young man knew what he was doing cause I can see it in his eyes… he said in a glance “I support you brother, I need what you are doing right here!” that is a blessing… a true blessing. Thank you young brother, thank you.

Go out and buy something from a store in your neighborhood, go meet a neighbor that you don’t know, take a walk and pick up some trash… just give a little something and watch it grow.

Peace.

There is a track on a JILL SCOOT ALBUM the album is called WHO IS JILL SCOOT the track is called “Free-Epilogue”… after you read this… listen to that track.

I am going to try not to make this so long… because in our busy lives and most of you will be reading this at work I figure it best to keep it somewhat brief… but rich with content… (that is the whole basis for the web, correct…? LOL.)

We had a show at Dream Studio on the 3rd of July… the DAY before “Independence Day…” Now if you think that you saw explosions on the 4th… you don’t know what an explosion is compared to what I heard on the 3rd. A group of DYNAMIC woman… graced the stage… and when I say graced… I MEAN… GRACED!!! We started with a 6 year old and her mother (Karen and Zahairah…) the 2 tag teamed their way through words so beautifully it tangled the audience right into the evening. When then night began I only had 4 on the roster but soon realized the room was filled with more voices that needed to be heard. A young woman named M.V.on (that’s how I spelled it…) was brought to my attention by her brother Benson Curuthers one of the videographer/producers of Dream TV… He said, “if time permits she would like to do a piece”… Fortunately I made the time, because this young lady BROUGHT IT!!! I mean she got up and TOLD US who she was… she has a GIFT and it is her duty to BE THE GIFT SHE WAS GIVEN… a POET! That amazing performance was then followed by another woman that we have had perform at dream Shavon Standaford… It’s almost not right, writing about her… so check her out for yourself in the video below. Jessica Ayala next on the mic… BEAUTIFUL LATINA WOMAN… standing PROUD and strong. With a calming spirit she took over the room with words of wisdom beyond her years in the form of a poem… we were gripped better yet… we were hugged with her words. Next we had a lovely woman FAITH SCOTT (check her on my face book)… took the stage… OH MY did she take the stage… better yet… she COMMANDED the stage… “I AM THAT SHE”… “I AM THAT SHE”… “I AM THAT SHE”… “I AM THAT SHE”… at the end of her poem I joked on the mic “that I wanted to be a woman after that…” (I think I wasn’t joking now that I think about it… LOL.) It made me appreciate what woman go through to be them… and that is something special for a man… we need a KICK IN THE BUTT every once and while. Next was a woman who had made her way into the studio earlier that day. She lit up the room when she entered, that I remember. I told her later that night we were having an event and to come on back. Well, she did, and good thing, because she asked if she could bless the mic with a song… and loooooooord… she blessed it. The crowd was moved to their feet in ovation for Ms. Cat Johnson. Then we came to our featured acts. Natasha El-Scari took the stage first, BUT BEFORE I had her take the stage… we have this tradition at the studio called “GIVING THE THUNDER” typically we do it in the beginning of the show to kick off the event… but this night I forgot… or better yet… I was “told” to hold it till the introduction of this woman. I announce on the mic (paraphrasing)“Give up the thunder for this full time employee, full time mom, full time daughter, full time friend, full time woman and not to long ago full time student because she just got her masters…. NATASHA EL-SCARI——-“ and the CROWD WENT BANNANS!!!! It was nice as this was a celebration of woman and all that they do for us after Ms. El-Scari finished the grueling beat down of a masters degree and ALL THAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH to get it… she deserved at LEAST a “GIVE THE THUNDEROUS” applause. After hearing her work… the THUNDER was MORE THAN well deserved… her words LITERALLY shifted the room so hard that I saw a woman have to get up and walk away because she was moved to TEARS! Last but certainly not least… the BROWN SUGAR POET… Anastasia Tolbert our featured GIFT… It had been a ‘minute’ (slang for a while) since I had heard her deliver… and all that I can say is… “aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” refreshing… she closed the evening with so much information it was just the right amount and it was packaged SO RIGHT! Stacey and I closed the evening with a song that I wrote while I was in Africa called “Seeing”. I was excited to do this piece with her, not to mention with the AMAZING band made of up UNDER 20 year old young men rich with a pool of musical knowledge that shown all night in their playing called GROOVE 101. So I grab my guitar, and Stacy and I stand poised as I work through the cords on the neck of my steel string… the FLOW between us is a blessing as we follow the sway of the band and the drummer keeps time… we forge through verses and choruses and we engage the crowd at the end to sing the chorus, “SOUL FREEDOM as ONE… SOUL FREEDOM as ONE… SOUL FREEDOM as ONE… SOUL FREEDOM as ONE… the evening crescendos with the band filling up the room with music and the audiences is singing in harmony SOUL FREEDOM as ONE… SOUL FREEDOM as ONE… SOUL FREEDOM as ONE… SOUL FREEDOM as ONE… …..the music stops….. ……I turn up the studio sound system with my laptop and play…… “Human Nature” by MJ……

And that was the evening…

I hope that I did the evening a little justice in this write up… I said that I would keep it short but even with that commitment it still wound up being 2 pages long in WORD… so IMAGINE what you missed.

Do not miss the next event at Dream: Brooklyn Musician SPARLAH SWA JULY 10th, 2009, DOORS OPEN 7:30

Remember: JILL SCOOT ALBUM the album is called WHO IS JILL SCOOT the track is called “Free-Epilogue”…
also
Esther 9:29-31

Peace.

Blessings… BE THE GIFT YOU ARE GIVEN!

I typically do not do this… but I have thought about it often when someone that has affected our lives leaves the earth. Today, something moved me to type this email… and launch this idea that I have been working with for a while… Let me elaborate.

We lost a man they called THE KING OF POP… a man we watched grow from a boy to a man right in front of our eyes. A man that NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE… from the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES to a MEMBER OF THE KKK you know one of his songs and you have sang it OUT LOAD AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS… “BEAT IT… BEAT IT… NO ONE WANTS TO BE DEFEATED!!!”… how can I NOT acknowledge something this big leaving the earth, as we know it?

There are few dates that I remember the passing of a spirit from this earth… the one I recall next to this was the loss of Mr. Marvin Gaye… me and my dad were at an ice cream shop in Buffalo NY. And the man behind the counter said… “Did you hear, Marvin Gaye was shot, he’s dead…” I could feel from my father it was like he heard that he lost one of his BEST friends. Yesterday was one of those days for me. First I got a text from my wife, “Mike Jackson is dead”… in my mind I am like… who??? Do I know some guy named Mike Jackson cause she can’t be talking about Michael Jackson, but low and behold, a search on my phone started bringing electronic headlines of his passing… WOW… was all that I could think… wow… very much the same response my dad gave in 1984.

I am not sure that I have fully processed all of the information. The best way to sum up the loss is a light has gone out in the world. A creative light that had a gift… I have come to realize that gifts are truly from above we cannot determine who will have what gift, but we see them everywhere. When a child is born that child has the capacity to touch BILLIONS OF PEOPLE… you just NEVER KNOW… think about it… Barack Obama, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, JFK, Michael Jackson and the list could go ON and ON… when you look at your child you may be looking into the eyes of a person that can cure AIDS or solve our dilemma of global warming, the potential for the human mind and the spirit is boundless.

When I thought about what best to do to think through the loss of this creative spirit MJ… it seemed obvious… PULL OUT THRILLER… and man… me and my daughter JAMMED DOWN THE HIGHWAY… “you gotta be startin’ somethin’ you gotta be startin’ somethin’… “THRILLER THIRLER NIGHT…” “Billy Jean… is NOT MY lover…” and it was interesting… cause I think that for the FIRST time… I listened to the album… Yes… I have listened to THRILLER five thousand and four times… but this time… i …. listened … to the voice… to the gift.

You know… none of us on earth are perfect human beings… we ALL FAULTER… and that should NEVER overshadow, a gift… recognize the gift before you recognize the faults. Think about it this way… A VOICE has LEFT the Earth… but then again, MJ left so much of his gift hear with us (I meant to misspell that)… I can POP in that CD and I can watch a youtube video of a thousand people in a prison in the Philippines do Thriller in the prison courtyard… the light will always be here.

I am working on a character with a POSITIVE VOICE… one that can speak to us all… I have created a series of thoughts called {Oluizums} through this character a little voice will ring out that we can all relate to… when Olu speaks his mind or shows us his face… we will say… “YES… that is what I am feeling…” much like the music that MJ left us… I thought this would be the perfect day… TO START A NEW VOICE… goodbye for now MJ… rest in peace… finally.

Go start a new voice… a positive voice… today.