Devonne Brown

I’ve been to two funerals this week. Two uncles, one from my dad, one from my mom. Dad’s brother had  a military funeral, Mom’s brother had a Masonic funeral. The military funeral had a twenty-one gun salute at the end of it. The Masons chanted and made hand signals. Both were dignified and sent the message that the men they were sending off were special. 

Their accomplishments were vast. They had built empires as community leaders from nothing. 

How do you share your message with the world?

Who are you, who do you want to be?

Do you put it in a bottle and throw it out to sea?

Am I deserving of a twenty-one gun salute?

What message do I have to share, what is it I’ve learned?

Show up for work.

Feed and clothe your kids.

Stay clean.

Don’t stress about the state of your house.

Don’t try to impress people; they either will be or they won’t.

You make it happen.

You can’t make people like or love you.

Be polite even when you don’t want to be, but don’t be afraid to get out of dodge.

It’s easier to stay out of something than to get out of it.

If you want to dress pretty, do it.

You can wear sweatpants if you want to too.

Rescue an animal or two. 

Take your medicine and be as kind as you can. Sometimes you’ll lose your shit though.

My message? Sometimes it takes a long time to find out what and who you are. Maybe a lifetime.