Happy Birthday Patti Labelle

I'm sorry but I am just a chatty kathy this morning.  Today is Patti Labelle's birthday and GIRL, I hope that you have a fabulous one because you deserve it.  You changed my life!  Well it wasn't exactly you, it was a drag queen dressed up like you, but it was your words coming out of her mouth that brought me out and changed me forever!   I was 20 years old, had just moved to the big city ( I grew up in a very small farm town of 2,000 people) and was just starting to experience gay life, the good (evil grin) and the bad.  I had come out to my parents and at the time that was an absolute disaster.  My life was a roller coaster then.

Two of my friends picked me up one Friday night and took me to one of the gay bars in Dallas.  I had only been to the bars a few times since I wasn't yet 21 and we had to sneak in.  But this particular bar didn't I.D.  We were dancing and having a great time when the music stopped, everyone got off the dance floor and my friends and i sat on the first step off the dance floor.  I had no idea what was going on.  Then suddenly the song started to play.  Now living in my 'white bread' world, I had heard this song a hundred times, but never like this.  When she started to sing, the most beautiful woman dressed in this gorgeous red sequined dress, red glittery shoes and feathers in her hair stepped out.  I was in shock!  She was beautiful, she was amazing and the words hit my soul.  Ms. Whitney Paige as Patti Labelle singing 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'.  When she asked, If birds fly over the rainbow, then why oh why can't I? Something snapped and I understood.  Everything I had been going thru, the struggle with my identity, the fighting with my parents.  If other people can be happy then why can't I?  I started to cry, tears streaming down my face.  Whitney saw me, stopped the music and walked over, knelt down and asked if I was ok?   I looked up at her and just said  "I now get it and I want to be over the rainbow too"  She stood me up, gave me a huge hug and whispered in my ear, "You will child, someday you will."  She held my hand through the rest of the song and when she kicked those heels off at the end...we were having church!!!  That was ummmmm...yesterday  LOL and Patti I wished upon your star and clouds have been far behind me for a long time now!!!  Thank you!!

Happy Birthday Patti!!   You are amazing!!!