I learned of Maya Angelou’s passing this morning while in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. It was at that precise moment in time when I realized just how much this remarkable woman meant to me. I never had the pleasure of meeting her in person. Maya Angelou was a stranger to me. And yet… I immediately began to cry.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

There was a long wait in that waiting room this morning (they are called that for a reason) so I had quite a bit of time to wipe my tears and reflect on this amazing woman. I had time to think about her beautiful spirit and the strength of her wisdom; I had time to remember her lovely poetry and inspirational writing; I had time to remember the peacefulness of her serenity and the strength of her femininity. I had time enough to know that I am feeling this loss personally.

I look around my office and I feel her presence everywhere. I see her quotes on my wall and in the books on my shelf. I see her name in the tags attached to my blog and on this post. My fourth post on WordPress was one of the quotes taken from her book, “Letter to My Daughter.”  [Be a Rainbow in Someone Else’s Cloud posted on 04/11/2014]  Her name is on the news, on your lips, and in my head. I feel her everywhere but, most especially, I feel her in my heart.

Maya Angelou taught me how to be a strong woman. Her words have lifted me on days when I didn’t even have the strength to raise my eyes in prayer or close them in meditation. In her writings, I have found the will to go on for just one more day and to love again even when all hope was lost. Maya Angelou taught me to find the joy in Life and in who I am — as a person, as an artist, as a woman, and as a Mother. Through her, I’ve learned the true definition of success.

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

I read this blog earlier when I was having trouble finding the words through my tears. The Daily Post | “When I am writing, I am trying to find out who I am.”  It helped.

Maya Angelou taught me how to be a creative writer and a hell of a lot about being a strong confidant woman. Maya Angelou showed all of us, though, how to be a compassionate, loving, wise, and supremely beautiful Human Being. What an incredible legacy.

Thank you Maya.