#TBT #2009 Band rehearsal in Brooklyn, NY. :-)

#TBT #2009 In L.A, 2 years before I moved out here I came out to visit and hang with my peeps. :-) (at Bar Marmont)

This is one of Bugsy’s favourite positions in her tree. And I love Annabel’s little glowing eyes in the background peeking out. :-D

http://irenemerring.tumblr.com I wrote a piece about my love and appreciation for my mother on this lovely Mother’s Day! I love you Mom!!!!

My Mother, My Goddess

 My mother is the most amazing human being on the planet. Never in my life so far have I met a more unconditionally nurturing, loving, caring, supportive, loyal, kind and extremely STRONG human being. Since the time I was young, my mother has always put the needs of my sister and I ahead of her own. She struggled and worked 3 jobs at a time to make ends meet and to be able to send us to the best schools available so that we would receive a top notch education regardless of our financial shortcomings. She spent her spare time sending us to dancing school, talent competitions, pageants and everything else that allowed for us to hone our skills in all of our passions. In doing this, she taught us that we could follow our dreams and that with hard work we could make them come true. We couldn’t afford much when I was young, but my mother always made sure to find the best sales in order to dress us well just to make sure that we wouldn’t be treated nor looked at as differently from anyone else. She taught us that women could be self-sufficient and strong and stand on their own two feet.

My mother taught me 3 very valuable lessons when I was a child that I have taken with me into my adulthood:

1-  You have the best of both worlds:

a.   I am a product of a bi-racial union. My Mother is from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia and my father is of Polish, German and a little bit of Irish decent. When I was a child, I was asked many times the question of “So what do you consider yourself?” I never understood this question because it was always followed by some inaccurate and absurd assumption that I was somehow confused about my race. One day, I was having a particularly hard time dealing with these accusations and I approached my Mom about how I was supposed to deal with this. My mother’s response was, “You have the best of both worlds”. It stuck with me. From that moment on, I knew I should be proud of who I am and embrace my diversity.  I realized that a person’s race has no bearing on who they are as a human being and people should be seen as individuals regardless of race, religion, financial status and sexual preference. My Mother is the reason for this!

2-  You can make the difference:

a.   We used to always watch Miss America/Miss USA/Miss Universe when I was a child. My mother has always had an affinity for pageants and put my sister in them from when we were very young. I excelled quite well in pageants and thought that maybe one day I might decide to compete for Miss America. The problem was, that so many of the women winning titles seems to be (at that time) either Caucasian or blonde or simply did not look like me. I asked my mother one day how I would have a chance at winning a pageant of this magnitude. My mother’s response to me was “You can make the difference”. And that stuck with me too. And since then, I have valued that lesson not only when it comes to breaking barriers with my music career but I also use that lesson as a way to be kind and helpful to humanity. Because of my mother’s lesson to me, I do not believe that pre-set societal barriers are permanent. I believe that they can be broken down. I believe they do not need to stand in the way of one’s goals. Also because of my mother’s lesson to me, I believe that I can actually make a difference in the world when it comes to human services. Because of my mother, I have not only followed my dream to become a successful musician but I am also pursuing a career in psychology. I believe that everyday we can ALL make a positive difference in each other’s lives. Because of my mother, I believe that we ALL can make a difference in this world!

3-  Treat Others As You Would Want To Be Treated:

a.   My Mother has always been a huge advocate of human kindness. While she taught us to protect ourselves from everyday predators which, when growing up in New York City comes with the territory; she also taught us that simple acts of kindness go a long way. The basic rule to all of this was to treat others the way you want to be treated. This is the way I have chosen to live my life. Admittedly, this lesson has been both a gift and a curse because not every human follows this rule and therefore it has led to a lot of heartbreak in my life. However, because this rule is the basic foundation of who I am, I never let my setbacks nor heartaches take away my pure soul. And while it has broken my mother’s own heart when I have cried on her shoulder, I would never take away this lesson she has taught me for the world! Because of my mother, I truly love who I am deep down!

On this Mother’s Day, I want everyone to know how thankful I am to have been blessed with such a beautiful human being as my Mother. There is no one on the planet that I love more than you Mom!!!! 

Laziest hairstyle everrrr! #Scruchie ???? #Really ???? :-:-D Haha.

I was in a Pompadour mood. ;-)