Categories: Hazel Rosetta Smith,
By Hazel Rosetta Smith
The first time I gave thought to what I had in my hand was after listening to a recording of a 1967 speech given by Congressman Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in which he asked a profound question and answered it himself.
“And what is in your hands tonight, people of Cambridge? You’ve got GOD in your hand, and He’ll let you win! Because He’s on your side, and one with God is always in the majority….And with God’s hand in your hand, the victory will be accomplished sooner than you dreamed, sooner than you hoped, sooner than you prayed for, sooner than you imagined…”
The same principle was sent to me in the form of an anonymous poem: What is that you hold in your hand? Nothing, you may say. Look again.
Every hand holds a special gift: a hammer, a scalpel, the strength to lift, an artist’s brush, or a writing pen. It is up to you to know what to do, and you will know when. Maybe you hold a microphone, a violin’s bow, or a microscope. Maybe a way of giving faith and offering hope. What is that you hold in your hand? Whatever your gift may be, God is waiting for you to open the door. What you hold in your hand…is the key.
If you are wondering where I am going with this pondering, let me explain. From an early age, I began to write with passion. Short stories, small skits, poetry, and sometimes lines that could have been songs. My first joy, writing, was what I wanted to do more than anything else, though I was a performing artist in a children’s touring company.
Without laying out the journey it took to become a journalist, a published writer, a playwright, and a Managing Editor of a newspaper, let me simply say, that God has put a wealth of writing in my hand. I cannot give it up!
With my portfolio of five original plays with rave reviews and two more waiting to manifest on stage, I am proud of the array of amazingly talented actors and musicians who continue to bring my words to life and season them with their flavor. I am eternally thankful for each of them.
In 2020, when COVID-19 came to town, mandates demanded churches and theatres shut down, and contracts were cancelled. I asked myself, “What do you have in your hand?
Long ago, someone said to me “Opportunities do not come to you sitting at home. One has to take the initiative. Dream, and make sure you chase it because it will not chase you.”
Come and see what God has put in my hand. The Greater Hood AME Zion Church is presenting a performance of THE FLIP SIDE OF THE COIN – THE BROTHERS SPEAK! on Saturday, February 17, 2024.
[Hazel Rosetta Smith is a journalist, playwright, and artistic director for Help Somebody Theatrical Ministries. Contact: misshazel@twc.com and online at www.hazelrosettasmith.com]
