You've got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for anybody's sermon on how to behave. Billie Holiday
She was an amazing blues singer. A black woman who wowed audiences. Raped at ten and then again in her teens, Billie never dealt with her issues.....never learned she didn't deserve what happened. Her singing....full of passion...full of soul - she poured her pain into every song......connecting with audiences that kept them coming back for more.
But Billie couldn't put the dope down. It held her a prisoner to the past...even though she used it to forget. It became a doubled edged sword...not doing what she needed. And in the end it brought her down....took her life......killed her.
Billie Holiday knew.....professionals...preachers telling you how you should act...and live...what you should do.....and if you don't...something wasn't wrong with the message....something was wrong with you.
I heard that all the time. I was told I didn't want help if I didn't do what 'they' said. But when you're hungry...starving....and your soul is growling to be filled.....not for food....but for a touch of love.....you can't hear nothing. Words become meaningless....empty. And like listening to a dripping faucet....over time they just becomes annoying.
Touched by love....feeling safe.....being accepted has greater power than any words. I had a radio interview yesterday. When asked what made the difference in turning my life around - I knew - the touch of His love.....love made a difference....love that waited....love that never forced me to be or do anything. A gentle and accepting love that met me right where I was....in the dark....in the pain....in the shame.
Love had the power to do what no amount of words could. It was like cortisone for my soul....a healing ointment...that removed the infection, the pain and eventually even the scars.
His love made the difference. It gave me what nothing else did. It became an anchor to hold onto and fight back.
