On November 30th is the official ceremony honouring the recipient of the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, who this year is Suzan-Lori Parks. The prize is bestowed on artists who's accomplishment and distinction deserve recognition, "to bring attention to their contributions to society and encourage others to follow in their path", as explained in Lillian Gish's will, upon when the foundation was established. 

So who exactly is Suzan-Lori Parks? Well, for starters she's the first African-American female to win a Pulitzer Prize for her play “Topdog/Underdog” in 2002. She's also a screenwriter having written Spike Lee's "Girl 6", and Oprah's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" and "The Great Debaters."

Parks enjoyed writing from a young age, and it was at the encouragement of James Baldwin, who taught a writing class at Mount Holyoke College which she attended, that she gave playwriting a go. She was later on given the opportunity to be a playwright in residence at a certain theatre hoping that her plays too would be performed on their stage. Reality however was quite contrary, and the job mainly consisted of secretarial work.

Rather than quitting however, Parks felt that the experience would teach her a great lesson, and though she felt shut down at first, she came to the realization that she was only as shut down as she allowed herself to be. Oprah.com shares this story where Parks also proclaimed:

“I am a playwright; I will write a play. This won't make me stop writing, because I am a writer and no one can take that away from me.”

So she sat down at her desk and did just that, wrote. Three days later the play “Topdog/Underdog” was done.

Can you only imagine if Suzan-Lori had decided to let her external circumstances dictate what she could or could not do? No Pulitzer Prize for you. No matter your circumstances there are opportunities there if you're willing enough to seek and realize them. There's a quote that says "Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect." The same holds true if you switch out the word moment for opportunity. 

Yesterday I shared that your opportunities don't depend on the colour of your skin unless you make it a hinderance. Your outer appearance or outer circumstances are what you perceive them to be. The difference between a glass being half-empty vs. half-full is merely a change in perception. "But Violette I'm broke" you say. Tony Robbins said that "it's not resources, but resourcefulness that ultimately makes the difference." Get creative! Being broke can have that effect on people. And while we're on the subject, stop declaring that you're broke, "you're overcoming a cash-flow problem." :)

In closing, Parks says "if we embrace what's happening, we are also embracing what is possible — and a road opens up for God to meet us halfway." Allow God to work a miracle in you and through you. You deserve it. 

Be blessed!