Hers was ‘The Voice of God’
“What’s your favorite book you have ever read?” is nearly impossible to answer. One’s honest response may change if asked again even an hour later.
May Angelou: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
And yet if you alter the question ever so slightly – “What is your favorite book you have ever listened to?” – I can answer with certainty and sincerity and consistency: “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” on audio book narrated by its author, Maya Angelou.
On the written page, this memoir is a modern classic. Read aloud by Angelou, it is poetry.
Decades ago, James Facenda gained fame as the bass narrator of NFL Films and earned the nickname “The Voice of God.” With apologies to the late, great Facenda, Maya Angelou made you believe god is a She.
The great writer and poet, who passed away on May 28 at age 86, could have read a phonebook aloud and made it enthralling. Or the nutritional facts on a cereal box. Yes, hers was “The Voice of God.”
Too, Angelou seemed to have Her wisdom and grace.
I saw Angelou speak in person only once, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. It was about a decade ago, but I vividly remember her sitting regally in an overstuffed chair on stage and magically making it seem like she was having a one-on-one visit with each of the 3,000-plus in attendance.
In essence, she was our elegant host for the evening and yet one of the stories she shared that has stayed with me was about the importance of being a gracious guest.
I forget precisely what impoverished village she was visiting in a distant land, but her hosts served a fancy porridge for dinner. Upon taking her first spoonful, Angelou realized the “raisins” were alive.
The second impulse in such a situation – the first being to gag – is to spit out the wriggling intruders. Angelou did a third thing, an amazing and rare thing: she swallowed that unappetizing mouthful and then the next until it was all gone.
You see, Angelou realized she had been given an honorary meal that her host considered a delicacy. To decline, even politely, would be an insult. And so Maya Angelou behaved as if she were dining on her favorite five-star cuisine.
I have thought of this life lesson from Angelou over the years when hearing people complain to a hostess that they can’t eat this or that or the other. I mean, if Angelou could affably eat some squirming “raisins” perhaps those of us who are particular about what we do – and don’t – eat could (unless we have a true medical restriction) politely tolerate a smidgen of dairy, gluten, sugar or whatever.
And yet, the opposite also holds true: I believe Angelou would have gracefully wanted to provide a gluten-free, lactose-free or a vegetarian dish to her guests. To be sure, one gets the feeling Angelou lived the words she preached, such as:
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
“When you leave home, you take home with you.”
“As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.”
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing.”
“A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.”
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
“When you learn, teach; when you get, give.”
And: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Somewhere, in some distant land, there are people who feel like Maya Angelou loved the authentic local meal they served her. Actually, all around the globe are people who remember feeling her rare grace.
Indeed, the quote from Maya Angelou that seems most fitting in the wake of her passing are the words she said upon Nelson Mandela’s death: “Our planet has lost a friend.”
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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.
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