Friday evening my life changed. I was to come face to face with a woman who has changed my life. I was hours away from touching her, hugging her and finally saying thank you. It has been several years sense Iyanla Vanzant has released a book. After going through heart ache she has come back as she only knows how, transformed! Iyanla's brand is about transformation, finding peace within, knowing who you are, and knowing your ancestors. In fact she is from who I learned to look at my mother and my grandmother and my grandmother's mother for help! In order to learn who we are we must know where we come from says Iyanla. As she said on BET award show Black Girls Rock, "If I stand tall it's because I stand on the back of Maya Angelou". And if I am standing tall it's because I am standing on the back of Ms. Iyanla Vanzant.
If you have heard Iyanla speak you know she LOVES to tell stories. In the mist of her stories are many truths. In the small intimate setting of Montgomery College Art Center I sat in the back row with my girlfriends and listened to Iyanla's every word. One of my friends is Ramunda who owns an online book store with her husband called mahogany books. Ramunda was asked to help Iyanla by selling Iyanla's books at the event. Pretty big deal! When Ramunda asked me to volunteer for Friday night I said yes without knowing who the author of the book was. I was just supporting my friend. She then calls me and says the book signing event is for Iyanla Vanzant. I screamed! What she did not know at the time is one of the reasons I moved to the DMV area is because of Iyanla Vanzant. Iyanla trains spiritual life coaches in Silver Spring MD. As an aspiring spiritual life coach I knew it would be the ideal place to relocate too. So with some fear , confusion, and Faith I moved knowing one day I would meet my mentor and she would give me peace about my decision to make Washington DC my home.
Stories from Iyanla's past were the theme for the night. In order for us to know how she arrived at this point in her life we had to understand where she comes from. Like most of Iyanla's supporters we know her story. Or so we thought we did. Iyanla opened up to us like never before. She spoke of a drunken mother who died when she was 9 and no one told her. She then moved with her grandmother only to become abused. Then her father and step mom came to her rescue only for her to then get raped from her drunken uncle. Sitting in my chair crying I thought about my own family. I began to think about my own drunken mother and grandmother. Not feeling LOVED for my entire life I felt Iyanla's pain. At 33 I felt alive because it was ok to tell your truth, your story. Iyanla in her fifties felt alive too as she moved acrossed the stage laughing, dancing and showing off her womanly figure. She was an inspiration as she spoke her truth.
What came as a shock to me was the sudden death of her daughter Gemmia. Not so much of her death because I heard about her death back in 2005, but what Iyanla learned from it. Iyanla said the death of her daughter taught her about her own mess. Reading her daughters journals she had to face the truth. The women with a long list of self help books, that are New York bestsellers might I add did not know herself! My hero I thought? Wait, my Iyanla? The women who has all this insight and wisdom? How could she not know who she is? She simply said "I knew what I was good at, but I did not know who I was".
The story did not end there as Iyanla spoke briefly about losing her home and then spoke of her husband. She fell in LOVE with him at 13 and many years and many relationships later between the two if them they decided to get married. Iyanla's husband was a married man, but she prayed for him. He left his wife for Iyanla to turn around and leave Iyanla for another woman. There were many lessons that I learned that night.
At the end of the night Iyanla said the book was written because she finally LOVES herself now. She is at peace. Iyanla found strength in her daughter's death by looking within. She encourages us all to do the same. To look within and not just stop with ourselves but go deep in our souls and find the spirit of our mother and mothers mother and mother mothers mother there! It's healing time!
I went back to the area where I was volunteering to sell books to the many people who had yet to buy a book and wanted it signed. When the line went down Mochca the promoter for the event told us to come get our books signed and take a group photo with Iyanla. Being in the last group gave me a chance to talk with Iyanla. I could not speak in depth as I wished but I told her about my mothers and grandmothers drinking habits. And Iyanla looked at me surprised. I then told her that Acts of Faith healed me and I thanked her. I gave her many hugs and kisses before we walked to our cars. I went home feeling tall because I was standing on my own legacy. Ready to walk into my own destiny! Finally I have found my PEACE from Broken Pieces.
This is beautiful. I wish I had made it on Friday. I will however be sure to get that book. It seems to offer great inspiration. I'm all for that.
ReplyDeleteThanks Natasha, we will meet each other one day.
Thank you so much Patrice! Yes, I am excited to read it. I have not started yet, I know she has many lessons in it! Also, GOD willing we will meet one day I am sure your just down the street:)
ReplyDeleteExcellent. I did not know this much about Iyanla. I keep saying I will read one of her books but have not found the time. I will make some soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you Steph:) Yes, you have to read her work Steph expecially if you are in a place of transition in your life. She gives you tools to do what you need to do to make your dreams a reality. She is the truth!
ReplyDeleteJust finished reading this book, and was inspired to read more of her work, so much so, that I recently purchased "Yesterday I Cried" (another good read). I have decided to turn my life around after almost 20 years of drugs, abuse (self inflicted abuse), denial, etc....
ReplyDeleteGOD is truely an awesome GOD! GOD bless your recovery sis. All of Iyanla's book are great. My favorite is "Acts Of Faith" because it is a daily reading. I bought the book in 2003 and I still read it! The process is not the reading, but the doing! Pray for me and I will pray for you sis. Thank you for stopping by:)
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