Dear Family & Friends!

I have a lot to share with you. First up I want to thank you for your
support, it means the world to me. Okay, how do I tell you this?

A few of you were part of the corporate fast and prayer that I requested
for my family and me recently. Thank you so much for your prayers. We
still need prayers. Please send your prayers.



I need to share this because if I don't express it, I'll scream.
I'm going to be leaving for Chicago ASAP. It is not the trip I
wanted to make under these circumstances, but now I will be making.
Anyway, the twist is, I'm not sure if I'm insane or what. It
feels like I'm in a daze. My grand mother (Big Mama) was scheduled
to move out to California to live. Big Ma and my mom were going to live
together in a nice little house. She was due to come Saturday (3-15-08).
Now that has all changed, just like that, no notice. She's not
coming; she…she passed away. It happened early Friday (3-14-08),
just one day before her flight scheduled to come here. No one seemed to
know what happened. My uncle just told me that he thinks she might have
had heart disease because she had a couple black outs at home and once
outside walking. But, no one ever put two and two together. She was
recently rushed to the hospital for the flu or possibly bronchitis. She
had shortness of breath and was coughing really bad they told me. The
doctors tested her and said she would need a heart-pacer. She had the
surgery this past Monday was recovering fine, no one ever imagined that
anything could be wrong with her heart. She's always been healthy.
When my mom called and told me what happened, it was like I couldn't
hear her. Time stood still. I kept asking her, `what?... what?'
It is the most shocking thing for anyone to ever tell you. I'm
trying to deal and hold it together. My Big Ma was going to meet her
great-great grand son, he's one year and two months. She got to
speak with him the day after her surgery on the phone. My grand mother
is the one who raised me; she took care of me growing up. I'm
hurting so bad, at moments I feel angry, I don't understand this,
however as I write and share a little bit about this special woman, its
helping me some how. I did get a chance to talk with my grand mother and
we both said `I love you' to one another. My grandma… Big Ma
was 88 and so young, beautiful, loving and an awesome woman in everyway.
She would cook you a meal no matter what time of day. Big Ma believed in
good old fashion down home cookin'… she said to me in a very gentle
voice, `I love you Gigi'. I still hear the sound as I write this
letter. It's strange, because even with everything that has been
thrown at me, I feel deep inside that my Big Mama is at peace and happy,
I just wasn't ready to let her go. My aunt said that when she got to
the hospital after she was called by the nurse to get there right
away… the doctors said my grand mother was found
`unresponsive' with no pulse… My aunt said Big Ma was still
warm and had a smile on her face, that she looked peaceful. My Big Ma
just had a birthday this past leap year, February 29th. Her birthdays
are always so special because they only come every four years. If you
see me, I may cry, however, I want you to know that I celebrate my Big
Mama. I celebrate her life, love and spirit. Mrs. Mildred M. Hope. She
was so good to me.





I know many of you have been looking forward to our Feb/March
newsletter. I apologize; it's a little behind, however here it is.
This is an important issue. The world needs to know that there are
people doing their best to make something of themselves and contribute
to society. We are a beautiful people. There are great things going on
in the world, life is so very precious.



Kindly forward link to everyone you know.

http://www.gigiinc.net/gigiinchotnewsletter_march_may_2008issue.htm
<http://www.gigiinc.net/gigiinchotnewsletter_march_may_2008issue.htm>



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