I is for In Times of Great Stress, Be Inspired

“In times of great stress or adversity,

it’s always best to keep busy,

to plow your anger and your energy

into something positive”

(Lee Iacocca)

Yesterday, I heard some really, horrible news. A musical mentor of mine whom I loved dearly has left the earth to be with the Lord.

I can’t tell you how sad I am to know that someone I was so dramatically interconnected

with as Wayne Holmes has lived out all the days that had been ordained for him on this earth. He meant a lot to me and I am definitely experiencing a valley today that I didn’t expect to be sinking into.

His Life

He always attacked everything on his plate with grace, enthusiasm and joy.  He always had a big smile on his face whether he was playing his organ at church on Sunday mornings or at various musical venues playing jazz and other genres of music. 

He always seemed to brighten the lives of others with his cheerful demeanor as he applied love and wisdom to everything that he did. I would call him a positive influencer because he served as a positive role model in my life and won my respect and admiration. Who knew that he would fall into a heavy sleep that he would never again awaken from; so suddenly and unexpected at that.

His Death

Last night, I tried not to take captive every thought about the reality of Wayne Holmes no longer being with us. But instead, my mind ran a million miles through the dead of night all the way up until the morning with good memories and sorrowful thoughts about the world ahead without him. A story of woe I guess as I find myself adjusting to the circumstance of the end of a life.

A sad reality it is indeed that in his present plight, all who were affected will now weed in the silence in between the threads of what used to be his voice of valiance speaking wisdom. 

He was such a giving person that every hat that he wore that I loved, he would let me go home with. No more cool hats. :/ 

No more phenomenal chords or great solos by this musical genius. No more worthy advice or words that he'd share that made me happy to hear. 

But nonetheless, I am thankful for having ever crossed paths with him because I learned a few things from him.

His Legacy

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,

as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

since you know that you will receive

an inheritance from the Lord as a reward;

it is the Lord Christ you are serving”

(Colossians 3:24)

It never took too much for him to get in gear. He sacrificed his time to do what he could to help people and if he decided to brave a situation, he gave all that he had to give. He was always on time and worked with pride and showed he cared about others concerns. He approached life like a warrior in battle and fought a good fight to the end.

I can saturate my mind with good thoughts about him because he was such a humble being. He was a friend. He was a mentor. He was someone who encouraged me to be more because he had so much faith in me. He pushed me into singing jazz and helped me to articulate myself better as an artist. He inspired me to believe in my own talent because he knew that there was so much greater out there for me. 

 And he played musical sets at his gigs that were so irresistible, you could not help but want to watch; especially when he did his tributes to Ray Charles and portrayed the role like none else could with professionalism and gracefulness. He taught me that simply adding a smile to what you do invites people in and has the power to transform someone’s day. The brightness on his face that he was so willing to share with everyone will definitely be missed. 

I smile with pure joy at the fact that he was in my life even though he has left me behind. He took the world by storm, remained in focus of doing his due diligence to make the work that he was on this earth to complete, a meaningful experience. Please smile with me as I pay tribute to his life covering Charlie Chapman’s tune “Smile” performed live with the recently deceased Wayne Holmes on piano and Donald Nicks on bass here: https://youtu.be/neI_I0zgkJ8

I guess I’m rattling off a bit but, now that he is not here with us to receive the flowers he deserved when he was alive, put a damper on my weekend; more than the dampness of the torrential rains hitting New York. 

The death of my good friend has affected my thinking and I can’t help but wrestle with the idea that this musical mentor of mine who would tell everyone that I was like his daughter is gone. It is sad to think we will never again share the musical stage together. He trusted me so much to add me to his musical experiences and got me into singing outside of my comfort zone. 

If it were not for him, I would not sing jazz. If it were not for him, I probably would not have pursued musical pedagogies so that I could know more. His death is a true loss to this world and to my life.  

Today I sit here reflecting and smiling at the good old times of a man who was a like a father figure to me. Thank you for everything. 

Well done Wayne Holmes! RIP!