I had a great birthday today and I am appreciative of all my friends and fans and all my “family” in the music scene. But you know, I’ve just been reflecting at how lucky I was to get the parents that I had. The people who actually birthed me on my birthday! I didn’t get to choose them, but I feel like I won the lotto when I got Harman Dickerson as my dad and Kitty Dickerson as my mom. They were the best parents you could possibly imagine. I lost my mom back in 2017, but am lucky to still have my pop and stepmom Marion Mace-Jeffers Dickerson in my home town of Columbia, Missouri, as well as my little sister Donya Dickerson and her family (husband Travis, kids Diora and Everett) who live in Brooklyn.
I’ve known lots of people over the years who had rotten parents, and if there’s one thing I’ve seen time and time again, kids are so influenced by who their parents were, throughout their entire lifetimes, even long after those parents are gone. I’ve seen friends who suffered emotional abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, or who never got a hug or any kind of support. Some grew up with alcohol and addiction in their family. Some of those kids turned out all right (although scarred), and some of them turned out to be child molesters and criminals and mean drunks and addicts who lost everything. Man, it’s heartbreaking what I’ve seen and how the cycle of abuse can continue generation after generation.
I had truly great parents and that is what allowed me to be the goofy, carefree, happy kid that you see in the photo below. I had no idea how lucky I was. And as I grew up, that happy kid was able to let creativity blossom and grow, and eventually creativity became my vocation. That never would’ve happened without my folks, and I’m truly grateful for them. I miss you, Mom, and I love you, Pop! Thanks for having me! And hey sister, didn’t we get lucky?
