When it comes to race, religion, belief, or gender, it doesn't matter; AMEN applies to ALL who allows it to.
THE PERCEPTION OF AMEN V.S. THE INTENTION & POWER OF THE WORD
AMEN; truly understanding this word will allow you to feel its power when used with good intentions. I suggest you take a moment to think of that thing in your life that you may be seeking or asking for; that healing you want; that job you applied for; that move you are making, or anything you're searching for. When I think of AMEN, I think of-
SURRENDERING. I THINK OF IT INTENTIONALLY AGREEING TO LET GO AND LET IT FLOW.
FLOWERS FOR CALLIE DAY, WHILE SHE CAN STILL SMELL THEM
This blog was meant to be just an Instagram post but turned into a blog about Ms. Day because, in reality, she deserves it, plus more for touching souls with her craft in the way that she is doing it.
Oh, how grateful I am for the beautiful rabbit hole I fell into of learning more about Calesta "Callie" Day, a powerful gospel singer from Atlanta, Georgia. This rabbit hole came about simply scrolling on Instagram and coming across the following video, some of you may or may not have seen. If you haven't, prepare your soul to be touched by a specific word that is "Amen," coming out of the mouth of a BEAUTIFUL art-filled vocalist and soul-being that goes by the name MS. CALLIE DAY:
After watching this video repeatedly, my vision became blurry with tears, my ears seemed to hear more precisely, and my soul was eating the meal it needed that night to be adequately nourished and blessed in the way it was by this one video. After successfully getting myself out of the peaceful hypnosis of rewatching her video, I decided to try and find this woman because she had just pricked my heart, and I wanted to give Ms. Callie her due honor. I was determined to find her and was hopeful that she had social media. I searched diligently for her name for about 45 minutes for an Instagram page behind this BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING VOICE. I had already decided that if I found her, My initial intention would be to be concise, tell her the impact she had just had on me, and thank her for it. Already feeling weird and awkward for going out of my way to find this woman just because of this one video, I decided to get out of my comfort zone; I took it a step further and asked her if I could repost her video on the Bounce Back Kid Instagram page out of respect and honor for her beautiful art! After sending the message, I wasn't sure if she would respond, but I was happy to see that she had answered the following morning, granting me the blessing of sharing her video on my page. Before I go on, I want to take this moment to thank the @theofficialcallieday Instagram page for allowing me to highlight someone as beautiful as Ms. Callie.
After getting permission to repost her video, I began researching, AKA exploring on her Instagram page; YES exploring. I needed to investigate and know more about this lady who had just taught me a lesson and made me cry from a 1-minute video and one-word phrase #NoShameInMyGame.
Besides her being a beautiful African American singer, here are some other facts I learned about Ms. Callie that I believe is admirable and worth sharing:
She has a website which you can visit by way of this link https://artistecard.com/callieday
The video is just a clip of a full rendition of "Hear My Prayer," which can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
She is a PROFESSIONAL opera singer who has been nominated for a grammy
Although eliminated, the hit TV show America's Got Talent had the honor of being in the presence of Ms. Callie on season 14 and hearing her perform
Celesta "Callie" Day is also a vocal instructor, along with a host of many other roles used to bless others
Overall, Ms. Day has made my day, night, evening, week, and weekend from a 1-minute video, and I don't regret coming across it. There's a lesson in everything, and the night I saw the short clip of her singing "Amen" in various ranges that I could/would never attempt, I was spiritually fed and received the message I needed with an open heart.
SO WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS "AMEN" THING?
I'll remain concise and straight to the point.
"AMEN"- A Hebrew biblically derived word. Often associated with the Christian religion. I grew up saying amen in church as a formality, but as I’ve put down religious ways and picked up true spirituality, I realize the word AMEN is so much more than just a “church thing” that is said without any real thought behind it.
As I type this, I am currently listening to Ms. Day's rendition of "Hear my Prayer" on repeat on Spotify, slowly losing my eyesight yet again because tears form as I listen to the lyrics of the entire song and the beautiful ending, which is "AMEN" continuously being sung. I understand that this word may not touch everyone the same way, and that's ok. It doesn't have to be the word AMEN because it is just a word expressing a mindset.
A mindset of agreement, faith, belief, truth, trust, surrendering, or letting go. We get to choose what we "AMEN" to and for.
I remember at my biological mother's funeral, the song "Let the church say Amen," and as I think of it now, I understand that it was just another way of saying "so be it" and "it is done."
AMEN. Simply a beautiful word to express unity and agreement. Often said after someone has shared or spoken.
MY PRAYERS
There are a lot of prayers I have prayed and ended with Amen that I see coming to fruition today, years later, and there are prayers I pray and need to pray that require Amens (in this case, "surrendering"). That video of Calesta "Callie" Day singing reminded me of how far I've come and how far I've got to go. That video was the AMEN I needed for this time in my life.
SO BE IT.
I pray whoever reads this and needs it receives it in the way it is meant for them. I pray that Ms. Callie Day continues to bless others with her voice and wisdom. I pray for many things. But most importantly, I pray a prayer of gratitude and mindfulness. I'm glad to be here right now, at this very second, and I am glad you're here reading this, whoever you are. I pray for love and light for YOU and your needs, healings, desires, and prayers. AMEN.