The Power of Passion

I don’t know if passion can be taught or if it’s something that you’re born with; all I know is that I wake up with it every day. When I was a little girl, I saw passion in action through my Mom and Dad. They believed in putting their heart and soul in everything they did, whether it was cooking, painting, singing, repairing cars or caring for a neighbor. They did it with gusto. They said without saying, “love the things you do” and “do the things you love.”

People tell me that they feel my passion when I speak about my vision to create dolls, books, children’s shows, music and empowerment centers for youth and young adults. They say they feel it when I play drums, recite poetry, in books I write and in how I embrace life. Passion is electricity. It is power and it turns everything on.

The energy, excitement and enthusiasm that I felt when I first started on the “Here Comes Niya” journey some years ago, is that same passion that kept me on the path; even when I wanted to walk away. My passion is sparked out of a need—a need for all children to know that they matter and that they are enough!

--Darla Davenport-Powell 10/8/14