Today marks the passing of Maya Angelou. The news touched a tender place in my heart. I was first aware of Dr. Angelou in college when I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Her courageous honesty about the world she knew growing up encouraged me greatly. We have lost a mighty woman of valor today.

Her words continue to inspire.

“I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God. When I understood that, when I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous. I dared to do anything that was a good thing. I dared to do things as distant from what seemed to be in my future. If God loves me, if God made everything from leaves to seals and oak trees, then what is it I can’t do?”

Maya Angelou