This 4th of July seemed like a lot of death going on in the background rather than nonstop celebration and partying. Mind you, the Essence Festival was one big party and Nawlins felt like it had no room for sadness in that city... Life was being celebrated bigtime!! But then we heard the news of Luther Vandross passing away. My friend KR told me that Aretha did a very moving tribute to Luther at the Superdome. She sang a gospel song that held everyone together in prayer and gratitude for having experienced the gift that was Luther's voice... And then as I made my return back home to Cali I learned of an old friend passing the night before. A barber named Larry who cut hair since before I was born over on Washington Blvd. near Arlington Ave. Larry will be missed mostly because of his gentle spirit. He may not have touched millions like Luther did but I can assure you he had folks feeling like a million bucks after they left his barber chair with a fresh cut and the whole experience of being in that shop. I remember Larry dreaming and speaking proudly of returning home to Jackson, Mississippi to live out his retirement years. Sadly, his dream was interrupted by cancer and he fought as long as he was able...
I cruised around town tonight on this 4th of July. I thought about Larry and I thought about my weekend that just passed. I drove through neighborhoods that looked and sounded like Iraq at night when they used to show images of anti aircraft missiles being shot into the air. People seemed to have stocked up on some powerful fireworks. I felt like I was driving through war zones but at the same time, I saw some beautiful colors in the sky. The last part of my drive was near Marina Del Rey where I caught the last bit of a fireworks show over the water. There was a row of cars on the side of the road and a row of cellphone cameras too... A sign of the times... One last explosion left behind clouds of smoke that drifted out to sea... A prayer goes out to Luther, Larry and others that passed away this weekend. Their memories will linger long after the smoke has cleared....