Alright now, lean in close. Let me take y’all down to the Delta for a minute—'cause some things just gotta be said. I don’t write about everything. Hell, most things don’t move me enough to bother. But every now and then, you see somethin’ so right, so rare, you gotta testify.
Let me tell you 'bout a lady named Ms Candice Dolls. Now, I don’t know her whole title over there at the Delta Cultural Center—might be Education director, coordinator, or just the glue holdin' the thing together. But what I do know is this: she brought me in to work with a group of kids for a week, and baby, it was good. Not just good like sweet tea on a hot day. I mean good like soul-healin', spirit-liftin', ancestors-smilin’ kinda good.
The kids dug it. The parents too. When it came time for the activity, you could feel the buzz in the air like a storm about to break—but in the best way. But this ain’t just about me showin’ up and doin’ my blues thang. Naw. This is about how Ms Dolls ran that ship.
Now, I hate to sound surprised—but y’all know how it is. Grown folks be losin’ their minds tryin’ to wrangle a room full of sugar-high, attitude-havin', moody lil’ firecrackers. And these kids? Every one of 'em had a personality louder than a church tambourine. But Ms Dolls? She handled it like a bluesman handles heartbreak—cool, calm, and damn near poetic.
Every spat. Every eye-roll. Every meltdown. She stayed locked in, steady as a freight train, never lost the thread. That takes real skill. That ain’t just babysittin'. That’s leadership. That’s heart. That’s a ministry.
Sure, she had help—Ms Brenda from the church was there, sweet spirit that she is, and another queen I saw movin’ through the crowd, Ms Pride. But the vision? The tone? The steady hand on the wheel? That was all Ms Dolls.
So I just wanna give this lady her flowers while she can still smell 'em. Job well done, sis. Real talk.
When’s the last time you seen somebody workin' that kind of magic with our babies? Let’s talk about it.