April | 2016 | Holly C Barker

I was shocked. Utterly shocked. It was out of the blue for all of us fans. I had been listening to Prince lately. I had played several of his memorable songs recently and was contemplating how to incorporate them into a journal because his words and talents, skills and abilities to dive deep into the human condition resonate with me so much~ not just the words of his songs~ but the music itself was a language of its own.

Prince was a Light Worker. His gift was communication through music. His goal was for all of us to LOVE one another. Pay attention. Bridge gaps. Question and rise up against that which we know is not true and is unjust. He changed his name. It’s hard to download his songs due to how corrupt the music industry is right now. He wasn’t just standing up for himself. He was standing up for all people with gifts like his.

I so admire that in him.

He spoke of seeing Angels. He believed in God. He lived in gratitude. Said his prayers. And never asked for much. He was a huge philanthropist. And did so anonymously. His love and his passion came out in the form of music and he shared it with everyone. He was a crowd swayer. We vibed to his melody, his voice, and his instruments. He was a part of our younger days and remained a favorite for so many of us.

I feel a real loss though. I think many of us do. We danced 8th grade slow dances with our first crushes to Purple Rain. We had posters of him. We went to his concerts and watched him turn a disastrous, rainy Super Bowl into a classic amazing show. How fitting for him to show us in the midst of discomfort and life’s uncertainties~ we can dance and sing our asses off!! And he helped us understand how it was okay to be unique, fun, and different.

I feel I took his presence in music for granted. Its an odd feeling. I never really felt like this about a famous musician. We didn’t see the sum total of what he was doing; how he was living his life, how he was helping humanity on a large and small scale. His good actions and deeds, his purpose and life should have been more in the forefront of what gets attention these days. He was a model human being. I wish he would have known the magnitude of love we all had for him. Maybe he would still be with us mesmerizing us with his guitar and his eccentric ways.

Rest in Peace, Prince. You were a kind, soft-spoken, generous, genius, amazingly talented gift to humanity. You deserve to be remembered wearing the highest color of divinity.

You’re darn right I brainwash my son. He goes through a cleansing often and it’s a powerful process…See, we as parents have a obligation to our children. We show them right and wrong. We need to expose them just enough to this world so that they have a healthy respect for what’s out there. This goes for the good and the bad. They do need to know. But then here is where the brainwashing begins for my son. He has a mind of his own. He is his own person. He has learned and seen and been impacted by so many things in his young life (as many of our children have); and instead of expecting him to accept it and give away his power, I wash away that expectation and he is allowed to think and decide for himself. He can question what he has heard. Question what he has seen. And ultimately~ question what he knows. He is also allowed to speak his mind, his truth, and to ask. Children are often taught to not question authority. They need some brainwashing from this line of thinking if they are to build confidence in themselves. I want him to think independently and become confident in what he knows to be true by arriving at his own conclusions and make decisions about how he feels about his own experience. How else is he going to grow up and think on his feet as an adult man?

As a young girl this brainwashing was the gift my Mom gave me. She brainwashed out of my mind the negative side of expectations of how children communicate in their world. “Use your voice” is something my mother said to my sister and I constantly as we were growing up. “Stand up for yourself, Holly.” Use your intuition and let your heart guide you. Speak your mind. It was the most valuable gift she ever gave me. And I am passing it on to my son. So, thank you, Mom!