In Honor of Dr. Maya Angelou.. Thank you for Legacy

In Memory of Dr. Maya Angelou



When you lose someone who has lived a rich rewarding life...someone who has had a life well-spent..someone who has left a legacy of hope and determination...You feel the loss, but you celebrate the life.  To all who know and love her, her family and her friends we mourn with you, we celebrate the life and the legacy, and we are oh so thankful that Maya passed this way.


                  What Will Your Legacy Be?

When we look back on your life, what will we see?
What will your legacy be?
Will your memory live on
Long after you are gone?
Will you have lived in such a way
That someone has something good to say?
We have a dream to fulfill,
A foundation to build
Will you leave behind
A useful design?
Will your life be a tapestry
For generations to be?
Will your children respect what you have left?
Will they be able to follow in your steps,
Run with your shadow,
And learn all there is to know?
Are you living the proper lifestyle?
Are you doing something worthwhile?
Will your life be an open book
For anyone who wants to take a look?
Are you building a foundation that is secure,
One that will endure?
You don’t have to be a Queen or a King
To make you life count for something.
You don’t have to be a Rosa Parks.
To leave your own mark.
When we look back on your life what will we see?
What will your legacy be?
Is your life so set apart
That it can change someone’s heart?
Whose life will you have changed for the good?
Can someone be proud to stand where you once stood?
Can your children walk in your steps
Without regrets?
Will your words still speak
Will they inspire someone who grows weak?
Will your teachings live on
Long after you are gone?
Will your prayers see your family through the trying years?
Can they draw on your wisdom and your strength when you are no longer here?
If someone drinks from your cup
Will they be lifted up,
Challenged, and inspired
To go to a higher place?
Can they take your baton and win the race?
So again I ask,
Are you creating a history that will last?
From generation
To generation
Because as it is so shall it forever be
Your family’s legacy.
When we look back on your life, what will we see?
What will your legacy be?

Patricia Newman-Harris
from Living the Dream, 

Dr. Maya Angelou
We will miss you.

This was one of my father's favorite songs

Tribute to Those Who Lost Their Lives for the Greater Good

We give thanks and we pay tribute to the men and women who died while serving  our country and keeping us safe.  You sacrificed and died to secure a better future for us and for those to come.   We honor that sacrifice and we celebrate your life.  It is our prayer that one day, we will realize there is no need to war and fight one another, because we are all one on the tapestry of life.

One Heart, One Mind

When I think of the years

The unnecessary tears

The agony, the shame

The anger and the pain

That comes from being hurt again and again,

I wonder if we will ever live together peacefully.

Must we always war needlessly?

It doesn’t matter who we are or where we are from

Life is the same for everyone.

If we open our hearts we will find,

We have one spirit, one heart and one mind.

When time is no more,

Our differences won’t matter anymore.

Regardless of what language we speak,

There is a commonality in what we seek.

No matter where we live our goals and our aims

Are the same

Everybody cries

When someone they love dies.

There is no difference in our tears

We share the same fears

We have different faces and different names,

But inside we are the same.

It’s time we realize

We have common ties.

When we get down to the heart of the matter,

That’s all that matters.

Not the color of our skin,

Not where we have been,

Whether we are a King or a Queen

Or where we live in the world.

One day, we must leave this world.

If we continue to hate,

This will be our shared fate,

Wars on every hand

And the deterioration of man.

We brag about how far we have come,

But if we never learn to live as one,

Our accomplishments will be as dung

They will have no significance for anyone.

We must live as a people, undefined by station or place

Inseparable by color or race.

We can’t rewrite history

But we can change what is to be

When we  realize that we are not just kindred spirits,

But a perfect fit

On the tapestry of mankind.

With one heart and one mind,

Peace will finally be ours to find.

Copyright 2010, Matters of the Heart

Patricia Newman-Harris

I dedicate this song as a Memorial on this Memorial Day

Congratulations Graduates --Believe in You

Believe in You

Young boy, young girl,

You can change the world

To make your dreams come true

You have to believe in you

It does not matter what people say

God can make a way out of no way.

If you have a dream to pursue

Don’t let anything discourage you.

Because other’s cannot see what you see

Doesn’t mean it cannot be.

I may say it is a waste of time,

But it’s your dream not mine.

Your vision doesn’t belong to me.

It’s more than my eyes can see.

Through the winds of doubt, persevere.

Don’t run away and disappear.

The way may be cloudy, but one day it will

Become clear.

Believe in your heart that your dream is near.

When others say it is not so,

Believe and know.

If you keep pressing until you break through,

You dreams can come true.

copyright Patricia Newman-Harris

from Living the Dream

Happy Mother's Day to the Phenomenal Women in My Life

Couldn't let the day go by, first by remembering my own Mother for her strength, courage, and for all the love she tirelessly poured into our family.  Then, to all the women, aunts, cousins, friends that were there to encourage and support throughout the years....  Happy Mother's Day to you all.

Sometimes, we forgot those women who aren't mothers, but who have given of their time and their love to the children in their family.  We celebrate you too on this Mother's Day.

For you all, I dedicate this song.

I Could Count on You

Mama I always knew

I could count on you

You were there when I took my first breath

You helped me to make my first step

You held my hand

Until I could stand

You took me to school on the first day

You helped form the first words I tried to say

You bandaged up every little nick

You sat with me when I was sick

You sang to me when I was a child

You brightened my days with your smile

You taught me what I needed to know

You took me to my first show

When life became too much

You soothed me with you touch

When I was angry

You loved me unconditionally

You saw me through the difficult years

When I cried, you wiped my tears

Mama I always knew I could count on you

To see me through

You are life and breath to me

Without you where would I be?

You tucked me in at night

You taught me how to live right

When I said, “I can’t “

You said, “You can”

You gave me good advice

You led me to Christ

When I was in trouble

You were there on the double

By design

You were always on time

Thank you for being the woman you are

My bright and shining star

My inspiration

And my motivation

Mother I always knew

I could count on you

For peace and understanding

I could count on you

For love and trust

I could count on you

For courage and strength

I could count on you

You are life and breath to me

Without you where would I be?

People like you are precious and few

My whole life through

Mama I always knew

I could count on you

copyright Patricia Newman-Harris

In memory of my mother:

Mama, I will always love you

Through time and space,

my love can never be erased.

Your daughter

Happy Mother's Day to the Mothers

A Mother’s Love Never Dies

A mother’s love never dies.

From the moment she lays eyes on you,

Her love is faithful and true.

There is nothing you can do

To make her stop loving you.

Through the ups and downs

She’s always around

Encouraging and uplifting.

That is her special gift.

Her love is without condition.

She is always willing to hear your petitions.

She loves without fear or restraint.

Her love never falters or faints.

She knows her advice you may not heed,

Nevertheless, she plants her seed;

Tirelessly, pouring her wisdom

into the family until she creates

the perfect tapestry

For generations to come.

Through time and space,

Her love can never be erased.

Her love will go on and on

Long after she is gone

Long after her last goodbyes,

Long after your last cries

Because a mother’s love never dies.