Carmen Loretta Tuitt

I actually started writing this on her birthday, but didn't get to finish it until now.
My first post of 2006 is for my Mother...

I look at my life sometimes and marvel at the fact that I have such a great outlook about life, considering the fact that like many people life hasn't always been a crystal stair. None-the less, I'm not cynical, but rather, in awe of the way things work in the world, and how we come to be who we are.
I truly owe my view ( narrow or wide as it may be) to a person who is my biggest, strongest and greatest inspiration: Carmen L. Tuitt, my mother. Today (September 12th) would have been her 84th birthday.
I know that many people had great mothers who were inspiring and etc., but my Mom took these things to such great levels that it's hard for me to paint a total picture of this very unique woman in one sitting.
If ever one could say truly that God blessed them with someone special, that someone would be me shouting from the rooftops about how great my Mom was. Aside from being a real parent, Ma was the kind of woman rarely knew a stranger,and she was always eager to meet people half way.
She had many mottos that were like mantras to her and she lived her life fearlessly and with dignity in the face of oftimes deep sorrow and pain. Among the mottos was one that I liked alot..."every cloud has a silver lining." For that statement she equated that the sky is not always filled with clouds and sometimes you have to travel to find out where yours lie, meaning that if you want something bad enough you must keep looking up and looking forward, and keep trying until that lining shows itself...I'm still looking.
Once when I was in college, I went home for Spring Break, when it was time to return she saw me off at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. While we were waiting, there was an older gentleman standing near the gate with a look of sheer panic on his face ( he was actually crying), my Mother asked what was wrong and he said that he had been ripped off out in the street, and what's more he had been in New York to bury his sister. Now here he was in a strange city, no money and no way home. As luck would have it, he too was traveling back to Charleston as I was, so Mom whips out her checkbook and bought him a bus ticket, plus gave him $50 dollars to eat with. Then she instructed me to make certain that when we got back to Charleston that he got home safely.
She told me years later that she did that because first "it's a damn shame, that he came all that way to her city, and someone would do this to this kindly guy," secondly, if that would have been her son she would hope that someone would be kind enough to extend the same favor."
It's so ironic that my entire family is musical except my Mom, but she provided us with the means to further our love for music, she would even take us to events that she didn't even especially like such as opera (which is one of my truest loves still today).Carmen felt that if it was useful to you then by all means you should be there in the front row.
Fast forward on this post...
It's now 1 something in the morning in January 2006, a brand new year to start fresh, try again, gain fervor, and to breathe new life, and I'm sitting here lost in thought about all that I have, all that I hope to have, and the changes I must make to see my goals to fruition.
I've truly and finally made up my mind to lose my weight this year and take control of my health. I've been overweight for too long and it's gonna kill me...but not without a fight.
Among my strategies is to enlist the help of my daughter Kendra. She is going to teach me how to exercise properly and make the most of my time to lose the weight. Secondly (which really is first...) I am going to emplore the help of Allah (God), for without him there's no reason to do anything.
I'm sharing this with you because it was my Mom who introduced me to good health in the first place, so I have the knowledge, now in her memory I'm going to do my level best to move myself from standing in the shadows of music to standing in the light of good health and music.
I want to wish everyone a happy new year this year and hope that as Ma said you find that silver lining whatever and wherever it may be.

This new post in the new year is dedicated to my Mother, Carmen L.Tuitt
If she were alive she would join me and say...
Support Live music today tomorrow and always.