Losing a loved one is never easy, especially a mother—or the woman (or women) who stood in the gap of said mother. Recently the Roberta Baines Wheeler (RBW) Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Group hosted its inaugural ‘Her Life, Our Legacy Jazz Brunch’ honoring mothers who have passed.
Visionary Dr. Katherine Y. Brown, the group’s executive director, expressed her joy at the event being well received. Held at Nashville’s Alive Hospice Center, nearly 100 mothers who have passed away were honored. Harriet Wallace (Fox 17 Nashville) gave a powerful keynote speech, which inspired and helped to heal all within earshot. The release of live butterflies; a White Rose tribute; the sumptuous Jazz-themed’ brunch; and the sensational sounds of the Tyronn Hamilton Trio were all a part of this well comprised tapestry.
Mothers who have transitioned of all categories were acknowledged, and attendees were asked to stand and speak about the powerful woman who made a difference in their lives during the White Rose tribute.
“After the recent loss of my mother in November 2016, I reached out to several friends with the idea of honoring our mothers and having a brunch to build a community that included people who had the shared experience of losing a mother,” said Dr. Brown. “It’s what my mother would have wanted and it felt like something was needed and the right thing to do. It’s important to have healthy coping mechanisms and not isolate from others during the grief process. The idea was well received by each person I contacted to join the RBW planning Her Life, Our Legacy committee—and the event was brought to life. The rose ceremony we created was beautiful and some participants described it as an opportunity for them to find some closure of their own. It was wonderful.”
A memorable post Jazz-brunch quote from supporter Luvenia Harrison categorized the event: “Many times when we lose someone who is monumental in our lives, we can become sad and begin a mourning process. My mom passed in November of 2014. However, after attending the inaugural, ‘Her Life…Our Legacy’ brunch this morning hosted by Roberta Baines Wheeler Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Group, I was truly inspired. The music and fellowship were great. But the positive feeling came when I saw the butterflies released. It was beautiful.
“I was reminded of the multiple change process they go through to become that beautiful. I thought, if they can bear tremendous change and come out on the other end so perfect, so must we bear life changes. Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous in the end, just like the butterfly. So as I left the luncheon, I took a new prospective mindset and hope with me.”
The planning committee consisted of some of Music City U.S.A.’s finest, including visionary Dr. Katherine Y. Brown, Luvenia Harrison, Angela Mitchell, Tammy Hines and Allison Young. FOX 17 News Nashville’s own Toni Fitzgerald was on point as a key presenter. The event could not have been as successful without the support of the sponsors. They included: The Roberta Baines Wheeler Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Group, NaSah’s Nails and Spa, Alive Hospice, Ross Behavioral Group, Guardian Angel Communications Services, LRH Enterprises, Learn CPR America, C. Hamilton Funeral Homes and YMG Enterprises, LLC.
For future RBW events, contact Dr. Katherine Y. Brown via e-mail at drkatherineandassociates@yahoo.com or visit the official website www.DrKatherineY
Brown.com
