I am so relieved that you didn’t allow your spirit or your voice to be quelled forever, Marlane. It takes courage to keep trying to be heard and be seen when all around us are narrow- minded, small -souled people too blinded by their own paltry offerings to have the compassion to nurture and respect others. Of such people, whom unfortunately we are all likely to be mistreated and undervalued by, I can only think of the tender words sung by Art Garfunkel in one of his songs “ And if you watch the stars at night/and they seem to be shining equally bright/then you may have seen Jesus and not known what you saw/and not noticed a gem in a five and dime store.”
You are a gem! Keep shining…and singing!