Surrounded By Women

Surrounded by women means surrounded by everything women are and everything women give. Life, love, friendship, family, warmth, safety, knowledge, wisdom, and so much more. 

Surrounded by women means no matter where I stand (or squat) there are women around who center me, women who have my back. 

Women like my aunt April. 

Growing up my aunt April was my favorite aunt. The cool Aunt. I would beg to go to her house. I used to beg to sit next to her in church, I just knew I was going to get some candy. I’d beg to stay with her after church for prayer, or to go out in the neighborhood, to speak to people and hand out tracks. I relished any chance to be with her. I loved the car rides home, I loved when she was around, it made things more fun. I loved how she sang, loved how she preached, loved her turkey wings, and her sweet plantains too. What often stands out most, is how often she prayed over me, speaking into my life, letting me know who I was and who I could become. I can’t forget the times we played church at her house. I got to preach and read the scriptures loud and wrong. 

Aunt April surrounded me. Still does. 

There's also my best friend Shantaé. Not only is she my best friend, but she also happens to be my cousin, and scientifically my sister, (since our mothers are identical twins). My bestie/cousin/sister is hugely responsible for my transformation from a person who didn’t read much of anything, to a person who wishes he could read almost everything. This also means she is hugely responsible for helping steer me in the path and leading me to the doors reading has opened up for me. She’s often the person I ask “What do you think? How’d I do? How can I do this? What does this mean? Can you help me understand this?”. 

She’s a bar for me. Her knowledge is wide and deep. 

And growing up when my sister and cousin picked on me, there she was, surrounding me.

Shantaé surrounds me. 

Surrounded by women. Always have been. Always will be.