Her family called her “Nikki“…To everyone else she was known as “Ms. Ruth“… Her middle name was “Pearl“…To me she was my Mom and not a day goes by that I don’t think of her. She died at the young age of 61 from Diabetes related complications. Gone way too soon… Another anniversary of her death has just passed and I always wonder what else to do other than place flowers on her grave or casually mention her in conversation. I know that life goes on. I know that she’s in a better place. But knowing those things does nothing to help me keep the memory of her alive.

She wasn’t just my mother, she was my friend… my weekend coffee buddy. My bargain shopping buddy.. lol. She loved a good sale or a great bargain. My mother had impeccable taste and would” dress to the nines!” From the top of her head to the soles of her feet, she was the original fashionista. I didn’t inherit that..haha.. but I was blessed to have been crowned with her entrepreneurial spirit. A go-getter who was always on the grind..up before the sun rose and staying up past midnight  reading and feeding her mind. Ms. Ruth…she was something else!!

Kept to herself most of the times but if you asked her..haha.. she’d be all up in and through “yo” business. Words of wisdom flowed from her lips like a river of life. She’d even discern the lie someone attempted to tell her. Haha. Everyone loved her…she was the ultimate friend and would give you the shirt off of her back. I sooo miss her laughter, her fiesty ways and her wisdom.

Her health declined very rapidly and she didn’t even tell us that she was so ill. She always told us that she had high blood pressure. Had we known about the Diabetes, we would have made sure that she got proper care in time. But by the time we found out it was too late. See my mom was very private and never wanted to “burden” anyone..including us. She kept a lot to herself. She’d had a few light heart attacks that I found out about in her hospital room when the doctor asked about her first heart attack. I was shocked! That’s just how private she was. Diabetes is no joke..the seventh leading cause of death and early detection is very important to surviving it.

So I wanted to do something in her honor and as an eternal tribute to her life. Long after the flowers have wilted and the words on her tombstone have faded. What gift do I have to offer? The gift of song…Music! It lives forever! It can be passed on from generation to generation. It can be celebrated long after the writer is gone.

She loved Smooth Jazz ! So I thought I’d write and produce music that’s for her and about her. The title of the entire project is affectionately called “Nikki Ruth“…the first Single from that project is called “Pearl” and each subsequent track is written around her personality while incorporating parts of her life.

Next time I will tell you  the story behind the title of  each track. Oh you’re gonna laugh out loud, dance, celebrate and maybe even shed a few tears…but most importantly you will have found a new friend, a new confidante and of course she’s everybody’s cousin… in Nikki Ruth.

I will introduce you to the cast of players..musicians that I personally hand picked to be a part of this important project. I will tell you about  my  support to help stop Diabetes…one song at a time along with the American Diabetes Association. It’s great music…but the cause is greater! Stay tuned for more info and the the official release of “Pearl!” By the way, if you are a subscriber to my site, you automatically get the news FIRST!! So go ahead and sign-up TODAY! Smile with me ..