When I was growing up, we often visited an uncle, who was a great admirer of the African-American singer Marian Anderson. He would sit me down, and make me listen to recordings of this woman. I was impressed by her voice, but I was too little to remember the songs.
From humble beginnings, Ms. Anderson eventually became a celebrity. She sang with Leonard Bernstein, and on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. On one occasion she said:
"It is easy to look back, self-indulgently, feeling pleasantly sorry for oneself and saying I didn't have this and I didn't have that. But it is only the grown woman regretting the hardships of a little girl, who never thought they were hardships at all."
May we all have the humility and the insight into ourselves, to be able to say this, when we grow old, and look back on our lives!
No comments:
Post a Comment