Remember me?  It's just me, Blondelle Hawkins!

I am still workin' at Cracker Barrel as a waitress, tryin' to put food on the table for me and my family.  It's not easy, but somehow, God's always provided!

When I'm not workin', I'm singin'.  I think God has gifted me with a good singing voice, so what can I do than to praise Him for all the blessin's he's bestowed on me and my family?  It's only right!

I am gettin' excited:  the tryouts for "America's Got Talent" is just a few weeks away.  I've been practicing hard!  I plan on singing "His Eye Is On The Sparrow", one of the all time classic gospel hymns, first made famous by the late Mahalia Jackson, so long ago.  I pray I make it, and I pray I can get past Piers Morgan, who can make Simon Cowell look like an angel at times!

(He has an acerbic tongue, too.  Another one that does is Nygel Lithgoe of "So You Think You Can Dance".)

I don't know why they have to have such rude people on these talent shows!  Some of the people trying out have such tender spirits, and if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's not to talk down to kids.

This is exactly what people like Simon, Nygel, or Piers are doing.  Some of the contestants trying out are just children, and I've seen them reduced to tears by their mean comments!  I've also seen adults cry because of something these terrible people have said to them!  It's ludicrous!

If I had my way, I'd fire all of them, find judges who know talent, but judges who respect people, no matter what they do or how old (or young) they happen to be!

I just thank God I still have my job at Cracker Barrel.  So many people are losing their jobs; there's no guarantee how long I will be among the employed.  Oh, well, if I do lose my job, I can always fall back on my music, or at least, try to get into college, apply for a grant, so I can go.

I will have to do some heavy duty praying to see if this is what God wants me to do.

I have a bit of sad news:  my cousin, LaShundra Michaels, was murdered last week.  A gang-related drive by; turns out LaShundra was wearin' the colors of a rival gang, and the b******s just shot her, in cold blood.  I never did find out about it until just a few days ago, and I've been cryin' my eyes out ever since.

I loved LaShundra:  she was only 18, just a young woman with her whole future mapped out in front of her; now she's gone, and a lot of her friends/family are left in disbelief, shaking their heads, and wondering one thing:  "Why?"

All I can do right now is lift her family up in prayer; they are going to need Jesus to hold them up in this terrible time of grief.  I need to ask Jesus to hold me up too; after all, she was my cousin, and I adored her!

Well, I am going to go; the tears are threatening to spill yet again.  Darn it, I hate this crying so much!  It doesn't seem fair that some stupid gang members didn't even check to see if she was a gangbanger or a regular person; they just cared about the color of her clothes, and now because of their misjudgement, an innocent young woman is dead!

Please keep me in your prayers in the days, weeks ahead; I really could use them, what with LaShundra being murdered and my upcoming audition for "America's Got Talent"!

~Love, your friend in Washington DC., Blondelle R. Hawkins.  :(