Lady Gaga -

Earlier, I said I would discuss why Lady Gaga's performance to open the Super Bowl LIX was so significant to me.

It, just like Kendrick's performance, came in layers that are personal and yet apply to everyone else in the collective just as much as they do me.

In July 2022, I lost my father. My Dad was an amazing person, and he was the only person who was there for me when the worst moments of my life happened - more times than I can count. When he died, I knew it was the end of me ever having a person who loved me unconditionally for the rest of my life, and that I would never, ever find someone who believed in me, saw how smart I was, and propelled me to never give up and keep fighting despite what came against me. I knew that I would never again have anyone who would hold my hand quite like my Dad did.

On May 28, 2022, I went to see the last movie I'd ever see in the cinema with my father, "Top Gun: Maverick. " You must understand that I come from a military family background. My father's father won two purple hearts and a gold star and served in WWII, boots on the ground in Germany fighting Notsees.

This song was dedicated to my father since it was the lead theme song on the soundtrack, and also because of the words when he died.

My Dad also worked for the National Park Service at the Everglades and the Grand Canyon North Rim. This experience led him to begin working on the Queen of the West in the Columbia Basin here in Oregon and eventually to the role of Navigation Watchman for the American and Delta queens in the early 2000s. 

When I went to New Orleans last year, I spread my Father's ashes in the Mississippi River by the Moonwalk and I had my fortieth birthday tarot reading done at Marie Laveau's on Bourbon - right where Lady Gaga set up her piano for this event.

I could never have foreseen this moment, but I can tell you I cried like a baby when I realized the many messages my ancestors were directly giving me at that moment.

Our ancestors hear us, and the significance of this happening in the Crescent City is very relevant. 

The ancestors have always heard us. 

They want us to hold on and be strong. 

New Orleans' principle power alone is crucial to note. 

Nola was our first real port in the United States and has held the blood of every race to step foot here. 

Every magic, religion, and spiritual path has been observed and practiced there.

Both Gaga and Kendrick brought messages to renew us tonight. 

Let us remember why we fight and how strong we truly are together.