Aretha Franklin’s life was celebrated this weekend at her home-going celebration (what many call a funeral service). We call it a celebration because although we mourn her departure, we celebrate her life and how she lived it. We celebrate the many ways she touched us, educated us, and carried us through some of the darkest moments in our lives and in our history.

We are grateful for having had the opportunity to have existed on this planet at the same time as her. We are grateful to have been directly and indirectly influenced by her character, her music, and her matriarchal presence.

But her home-going celebration was also a way for us to remember our values and all that we hold dear. To remember those things that has anchored us during the toughest storms that we have had to endure individually and as a community.

Many of us have lost sight of what is important, but even more, we’ve lost sight of what we stand for. That is because our line of vision has been eclipsed by the temporary cares that speak so loudly that it makes them difficult to ignore.

We were reminded this weekend that there are far greater things to put our focus on. We were reminded that we have come a very long way and that we can and must keep moving forward, without regard to those who would attempt to stop us. We were reminded that we are worthy of dignity and respect. This is true both on an individual level as well as on a community level.

Aretha, her music, and her spirit are forever woven in the tapestry of this country and the world.  She permanently and deeply etched the anthems of our lives onto our souls, and replaying the soundtrack of our lives brings us back full circle to the values we should all hold dear, the values that we should fight for and take a stand for and never back down.