The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself
so you can be a rainbow in somebody else's cloud. Somebody who may not look
like you. May not call God the same name you call God - if they call God at
all. I may not dance your dances or speak your language. But be a blessing to
somebody. That's what I think.
-
Maya Angelou
In her 2011 appearance on ‘Oprah's Master Class’, Maya
Angelou explained where she first heard the ‘rainbow in the clouds’ metaphor,
which comes from a 19th-century African-American song ‘God put a Rainbow in the
Clouds’. In the video below from the episode, Dr Angelou sang the powerful
lyric that resonated so strongly with her and spoke about her rainbows.
When it looks like the sun wasn't going to shine anymore,
God put a rainbow in the clouds.
"Imagine!" she marvelled. "I've had so many
rainbows in my clouds. I had a lot of clouds, but I had so many rainbows."
Dr. Angelou said she always carried these ‘rainbows’ with
her to her speaking and teaching engagements, whether in a large venue or
intimate classroom. "I bring everyone who has ever been kind to me with
me," she said. "Black, white, Asian, Spanish-speaking, Native
American, gay, straight, everybody. I said, 'Come on with me. I'm going on the
stage. Come with me. I need you now.'"
Maya Angelou said she always felt and drew strength from her rainbows. "I
don't ever feel I have no help," she said. "I had rainbows in my
clouds."
She also encouraged people to apply the 'rainbow in the
clouds' philosophy to their own lives.
"The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare
yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else's cloud. Somebody who may not
look like you. May not call God the same name you call God -- if they call God
at all," she chuckled. "I may not dance your dances or speak your
language. But be a blessing to somebody. That's what I think."
Such inspiring words from a truly inspiring woman………it inspires
me to be a better me.
I too have had so many clouds, but I’ve also had so many
rainbows along the way.
Me, you…….everyone is dealing with their own clouds - their
own struggles, pains, grief, frustrations and difficulties. Just as so many
people have been rainbows in my clouds, it is my hope that my actions and
presence will be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.