"After the Storm... Monica is Still Standing"

Story by: luminoUS
luminoUS@eXcapethmatriX.com

Be it Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, each year around the Winter Solstice each religion practices their respective holidays. One thing that remains the same in each religious celebration is the exchange of gifts. Most children scramble to list all of the things that they wish to receive for the holidays and it is a wonderful feeling to know that you will receive what it is that you asked for. This past December, I received the gift of being able to chat with one of my favorite R&B singers.

Flashback: The year was 1995 and I was looking forward to prom and all of the new social events that came along with the title of being a junior. Midway through the year, I broke up with my first love and it was the sultry voice of Monica that got me through the breakup. Her debut album, Miss Thang, became my saving grace and I sang the words to “Let’s Straighten It Out” like they were my personal anthem.

I walked into the Boys and Girls Club #2 in Washington, D.C. as giddy as a child with a new toy. Not only was I elated, but so were the children that streamed across the gymnasium turned concert hall. Outside on the cold windy streets of D.C., the average passerby would have never guessed that Monica was inside about to perform for a crowd of 30 preteens and their parents. There were no limousines or bodyguards; it was “just the three of us,” Monica later stated when speaking on living up to what it is that she wants to represent and having to weed out certain people around her who don’t adhere to those standards.

The DJ announced Monica, who then emerged and graced the stage with a great big smile. Now a mother, she makes it a priority to perform at family-oriented functions. She kicked the show off with “Don’t Take It Personal” and to my surprise the teens in the audience sang along. I didn’t think that they would know the lyrics to the same songs that nursed me through a breakup nearly 13 years ago. Monica sang each song as soulfully as she would have in front of a crowd of millions and she closed out her set with a dance contest amongst the children. I truly felt like I was communing with family and Monica made the feeling more surreal by offering a gift from her purse to the winner of the contest.

As fast as she graced the stage, she retreated into her dressing room and it was here that we were able to talk about motherhood, her reality show, clothing line and her testimony. Monica revealed that she grew up in a family that nurtured her musical talents. She was taught that she could do whatever it was that she put her mind to and she found it hard to fathom that many children today don’t have the same support system. Monica conveys that her stepson has aspirations to become an architect and she supports him in his dreams one hundred percent.

Growing up in the public eye has its pros and cons and even during times of grief, her fans are still in fan mode. When talking about her grandmother’s funeral and being asked to autograph an obituary she states, “You can never step outside of who you’ve become to deal with situations.” With the bigger picture in view, Monica views this as simply a part of her test and contributes it to what her testimony will be in another ten to fifteen years.

To read the full story, visit the Etm's homepage: http://www.etmmagazine.info/freeyourmind/2009/02/2009_02_stillstanding.html