So many things are happening with the holidays coming up.  Last week, I went to see Anita Baker perform at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.  Once again, music is a miracle.  She is a singer/performer that brings so much love and emotion to her songs.  I love so many of them.  It was such a blessing to sit there with Natalie to hear her.  She reminds me of Sade, Nancy Wilson, Gladys Knight, and Barbra Streisand.  There are so many outstanding female vocalists out right now.  Most of them appeal to an individual on a certain level because of the songs they choose, the songs they write, and the way they perform.  The four singers I mentioned have a way of singing songs that tell universal stories that warm the heart and uplift the spirit.  The other singers are great in their own way, but something about a good song that tells a universal story and that sounds appealing and moving makes all the difference.  I wasn't feeling too good last week.  In fact, I missed an R Kelly concert earlier in the week.  God blessed me to heal me enough to make it to see Anita.  It was my first time at the theater and it made all the difference.  I was so thankful, so happy, and uplifted by the music.  I hope whenever you get a chance to see her, you do so and give her some support.  She deserves it!

My boy George Duke opened the show for her.  I haven't seen him in a while.  But I've seen him many times over the years.  He's one of the original, classic "jazz fusionists."  So much is being made of the smooth jazz being played on the wave radio station.  George is a good artist and a nice person.  I was blessed to make his acquaintance some time ago.  I'm happy to see him whenever I get a chance.  I hope I get a chance to thank him for the show at some point. 

What do you think about what my man Barack Obama is dealing with these days?  So much pressure on one person.  He's got so much class and dignity.  The way that he's handling things, his charisma, and his confidence are some things to behold.  All the problems with the economy and the war and he still has the time to steadfastly pursue health care for the rest of us citizens that have difficulty affording it.  With all the complaints and criticisms that he's been facing for not having solved all the problems in one year, it's amazing to watch him and his family and the gracious way that they go about serving us all and trying to represent a positive image and an optimistic point of view for our collective futures.  It's painful to see the criticisms that have been bestowed upon him in just months of having taken the job.  The way that he handles it, it appears that he and his team have expected the criticisms in the wake of the collective stress that so many of us are facing with current conditions.  He deals with international and domestic challenges in a calm and steadfast manner that should evoke pride and comfort in the majority of us given the instability that he's had to face.  It's hard for me to palate the disapproval ratings that he's been enduring.  He hasn't made any promises that he hasn't worked consciously and assertively to fulfill.  During the campaign, he constantly reminded us that there were no miracle cures for the difficulties that we face, but he promised change in the way that solutions were developed and implemented.  I believe he has fulfilled that promise.  He's expressed that it will take time to rectify the problems but that he's committed, able, and willing to come up with collective solutions and compromises.  I believe that he's fulfilling those promises and that we should give him a chance to fulfill his mission and give him the support and the time to utilize all his resources to come up with answers that will improve all our lives.  I know that's still his intention.  I have every reason to believe that he can still do it. 

What do you think about the mass killings?  We've discovered recently so much pressure and so much sickness in so many places -- Florida, Texas, California, and Ohio.  Life can be so much worse for so many of us.  We are still blessed to live in America and there are so many of us that are enduring and achieving great things.  I just hope that we'll be willing to take advantage of the blessings and the resources that exist to make this a better year coming up. 

I haven't seen the Michael Jackson movie but I hear good things about it.  I saw the Jackson family docudrama that was done some time ago.  It really made me miss Michael, but it gave me an appreciation for what he endured and what they accomplished as a family.  I'm sure we're all going to miss him, his family in particular.  He's left so much great music and I hear his concert film was an indication of who he was and what kind of performer that he remained right up to the end.  It's something that we, his true fans, and his family and friends can keep with us to remember him by.  God willing, he's in a better place now.  We'll all remember him for the magic and the passion that he brought to all of us through his talent and his heart.  I'll be checking out that movie and the movie "Precious," presented by Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.  I'll get back and report to you in my holiday message. 

Much love to all of you.  Thanks for your continued tolerance and support.