THIS IS WHERE I SPENT MY EARLY YEARS...NATALIE STREET...ME, MOM AND DAD...AND FREY...AND EVERYBODY ELSE...THIS IS WHERE I REALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH MUSIC...AS AN INFANT ONE OF THE FIRST REACTIONS MY FAMILY GOT OUT OF ME WAS WHEN MY MOM AND AUNT PLAYED A SONG ON THE VINYL RECORD PLAYER(IT WAS EITHER JAMES BROWN-"SAY IT LOUD, I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD" OR SOMETHING FROM THE TEMPTATIONS OR MOTOWN)AND THEY SAY I BEGAN TO ROCK BACK AND FORTH AND BOB MY HEAD IN AMAZEMENT OF THE MUSIC...I GUESS(I WAS A CRAWLING INFANT) AND IT HAD TO BE A BIG DEAL BECAUSE EVERYBODY IN THE FAMILY KNOWS ABOUT IT, MENTIONS IT TO THIS DAY AND IT APPEARS TO STICK OUT VIVIDLY IN ALL THEIR MEMORIES(EVEN FAMILY MEMBERS THAT WEREN'T PRESENT) WE HAD THE BIGGEST HEARTS IN THE WORLD; IN THE SMALLEST HOUSE ON THE BLOCK(SEE THE PICTURE) THE BLUE DOTS TELL THE TALE...I HAD RICK JAMES, MICHAEL JACKSON, PRINCE, THE TIME, HALL & OATES AND MORE ALBUMS AT AGE 3-5 YEARS OLD!(WHEN MUSIC...WAS MUSIC!!!) I WOULD DANCE AROUND IN THE LIVING ROOM ALL DAY AND NIGHT IF MY PARENTS LET ME!...I HAD A BIKE THAT GOT "STOLEN AND RETURNED"...I WAS STAYING HOME ALONE...SOMETIMES(WHEN MY WATCHER WASN'T AVAILABLE-"LOCK THE DOOR AND KEEP IT THAT WAY!!!!!!!") GOD PROTECTED ME IN THIS CRAZY WORLD...FREY WAS COMING OVER EVERY WEEKEND AND WHEN SCHOOL WAS OUT...WE WRESTLED, PLAYED THE ATARI TO DEATH, PLAYED FOOTBALL, WATCHED B.E.T.(VIDEO SOUL WITH DONNIE SIMPSON), MTV, CARTOONS, SOLID GOLD AND BANDSTAND ALL THE TIME!...THESE WERE MY EARLY FOOTBALL YEARS...WE HAD A NICE BACKYARD AND SOME GOOD NATIVE AMERICAN NEIGHBORS...MY SCHOOL WAS ABOUT 5 CITY BLOCKS NORTH FROM THE HOUSE..."AFTER AND ONLY AFTER" I FINISHED MY HOMEWORK COULD I LISTEN TO MY MUSIC...MY MOM AND/OR DAD TOOK ME TO SCHOOL EVERYDAY...WE LIVED ON NATALIE STREET FROM MY PRESCHOOL TO MY THIRD GRADE YEAR...
...THIS IS THE APARTMENT WE MOVED INTO FROM NATALIE STREET IN MY THIRD GRADE YEAR...I REMEBER THE NEW SMELL OF THE APARTMENTS AND EVERYTHING...THEY HAD JUST BUILT THEM...SO WE ADJUSTED TO THE MOVE...APARTMENT NUMBER 214...IN THE THIRD GRADE I WALKED TO SCHOOL ALONE...THIS IS WHERE I GOT DEEPER INTO MUSICAL/FILM/ART PRODUCTIONS AND MOLDED MY MORE ARTISTIC CONSCIENCE AND CREATIVE ASPECTS AND SHARED THEM WITH THOSE CLOSE TO ME AND GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE CREATOR AND MYSELF...WHICH MEANT SOUL SEARCHING SOMETIMES(THOUGH I WAS YOUNG) LIKE TUNING AN AUDIO PLAYER...FINDING THE DIVINE CONNECTION AND AMPLIFYING THE SIGNALS FROM ABOVE...IT HAD TO BE TOUGH TO BE OUR DOWNSTAIRS NEIGHBORS!(IT WAS-ESPECIALLY FROM FRIDAYS TO LATE SUNDAYS!) THE BLUE DOTS ARE ABOVE THE APARTMENT WE LIVED IN...MY DAD RAN THIS COMPLEX LOL!(BEING ONE OF FEW DADS THAT LOOKED OUT FOR THE ENTIRE YOUTH IN THE COMMUNITY, HE HAD TO!!!) THERE WAS A BASKETBALL COURT IN THE BACK THAT I WOULD SCHOOL 'EM ON...THE CANDY LADY LIVED RIGHT ACROSS WAGGONER FROM THE APARTMENTS...THE BIG BUILDING IN THE BACKGROUND HIGHLIGHTED IN RED HAD A HUGE PARKING LOT WITH ALOT OF SMOOTH CONCRETE AND WE WOULD SKATEBOARD THERE ON WEEKENDS, HOLIDAYS AND WHENEVER ELSE WE WOULD FIND THE LOT TOTALLY EMPTY...THERE WAS A BREAD STORE IN FRONT OF IT FOR QUICK SNACKS AND THE LAUNDROMAT WAS NEXT TO IT...THE BIG GROCERY STORE WAS RIGHT ACROSS THE DITCH ON HEARNE...THE CHURCH WAS ABOUT 7 CITY BLOCKS SOUTH IN FRONT OF BURGER KING...THERE WAS ALSO A SMALL COLLEGE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER...ME, BYRD, FREY AND CED WOULD GO THERE FOR BETTER BASKETBALL COMPETITION AND TO LEARN FROM THOSE OLDER THAN US...THESE WHERE THE BASKETBALL YEARS AS FAR AS MY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GOES...MIND YOU...WE WERE IN OUR LATE MIDDLE SCHOOL TO EARLY HIGH SCHOOL YEARS SHOOTING HOOPS WITH COLLEGE PLAYERS...WE WERE COLD...ASK SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS US...TWENTY-SEVEN FIFTY WAGGONER AVENUE...APARTMENT TWO FOURTEEN...WE STAYED HERE UNTIL WE DECIDED TO MOVE TO NATCHITOCHES, LOUISIANA TO HELP MY ELDERLY GRANDMOTHER IN MY SENIOR YEAR AND TAKE A BREAK FROM THE HUSSLE AND BUSSLE OF THE CITY LIFE...I WANTED TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL WHILE LIVING WITH MY GRANDMOTHER SO SHE COULD SEE ME SUCCEED RIGHT BEFORE HER EYES...I WALKED ACROSS THE STAGE IN HER HOMETOWN(WHICH MEANT NO TRAVELING HASSLES FOR HER TO ATTEND MY GRADUATION) SO SHE COULD BE EXTRA PROUD OF ME...FOR SAVING HER GAS MONEY!...MY PARENTS AGREED TO RELOCATE TO HELP HER...AND WE DID...
Ecclesiastes 3:15
That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
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