I can remember the day when my daddy's father George Washington passed away. I was inconsolable. We were very close. At my young age, no one had even told me that he was sick with cancer. So, it was a huge shock to my little system. My mom comforted me by telling me stories about her childhood. These were tales that I hadn't heard before. I was amused by the shenanigans of her and my aunts and uncle. There was the daring event where someone drank from the "White" fountain at a local department store and got caught. And there was that pretend beach party where they got cold weather blankets wet and stored them damp. Only for Grandma to pull them out mildewed months later. None of these situations resulted in a happy time for those mischievous Rogers kids. 

2020 hasn't been kind to any of us. And this loss will certainly be challenging for folks whether they were close to my mother or not. I encourage you all to relive and recount the stories about Janice Lynn Fleming that make you feel happy. She used to tell me that she was unbothered enough about things to have a sense of inner peace. She would talk about the song "Happy" by the artist Pharrell, and how she applied it to her life. My hope is you all will all be happy despite the circumstances. She would want that. I look forward to your contributions. Thank you to all who have been loving and supportive. I wouldn't have been able to make it without y'all otherwise. Let's celebrate the life of my mother as she would have wanted. Sing, dance, smile, and laugh. Live. Love. Be happy.