A Mini Vacation

When I awoke yesterday morning, I began to look upon the day like a mini-vacation. Since I had to do a poem and a song on a program later in the afternoon,  we opted to spend the entire day in Memphis, and that is how I came to spend the day in my city of birth, Memphis, Tennessee.

And I had made some plans to meet an old college roommate of mine at the program. And, too, while in the city, I stopped by to see a favorite cousin of mine, Essie, whom I had not seen in almost twenty years.

I also sold several of my books at the places that we frequented. When I finished my song on the program, one person asked me for my autograph. We had a good laugh about that, but I can say that I had a stress-free day.

Yep, just one day away from the usual grind and I felt like a new person. I really must say that I was not prepared for people's reaction to the poem of mine, a portion of which, I had set to music. (No, I do not read nor write music, but I hummed that song of mine and hit the corresponding keys, to my ear anyway, that sounded like what I sang.)  The end result was a catchy little tune that the audience grabbed a hold of. Y'all, they sang along with me and stood and clapped and clapped.

I had a very enjoyable day, and I thank God for providing it for me. God's grace in providing a one-day mini vacation. His providential love knows no bounds.

The poem that I did was my poem, Ultimately, from pages 31 - 34 of my book, Chopping My Row. I won't bother to type the whole poem for you because you can look it up in the book, but I will type the introductory verse that I wrote for the poem on yesterday.

Imagine the dead of winter with no lights, water or gas

With a charcoal bucket as the only way of heating and cooking

Imagine grass two-feet high in the frint yard in the summertime

And nothing you could do about it but heave a sigh

Now imagine a loving mother's words always saying to you

'Baby, always reach for the sky.'

That was my life from about eleven years old to 18 years old

And since those years, y'all, I have traveled a winding and mountainous road.

In the poem, I talked about my years after turning 18, graduating high school and heading off to college. I told the audience yesterday that it was on that winding and mountainous road that I became acquainted with ultimately.

When I finished that poem and my two snippets of songs, as I told you earlier, the applause was deafening and almost every heart in the place, I held for a few moments in my hand. God's grace.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,

Alma L. Grateful Stepping On Carr-Jones