R. I. P. Minnie Riperton, November 8, 1947 - July 12, 1979

I knew Minnie Riperton from Rotary Connection. Not personally. I was stationed in Pearl Harbor in the Navy when I first heard them sing. That was 1968 or 1969. I heard her on the radio for years as she matured and developed. Then she was gone. I commemorate her on July 12th each year, but I think of her often throughout the year. I can't help it; I am a theologian. I cannot think of love, mercy, grace, and the beauty we are supposed to have without thinking of her. And whenever I do think of Minnie, I hear in my imagination:

"The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men (and women) are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil" (Isaiah 57:1 KJV, parenthesis mine).

She got away, but she died far too young, just thirty-one years old. I have no idea if there was any evil she was taken away from (though the tainting dogs of Isaiah 56:11-12 - corruption - might give one pause). Sometimes, it seems, God just wants the best to be there with Him. THAT's the Law of Attraction.

Here's to perfection. Not that Minnie was of herself perfect, but in Christ's forgiveness, we all are.

PS: If you listen to Rotary Connection, you might think, Whoa! That isn't good. That's an influence toward evil. And you would be right. The music of the 1960s influenced many toward Eastern religions, mystical philosophies, and occult practices. I rode that wave right into it. But God USED it to save me FROM it, just as He did many thousands of others in the Jesus Movement of the 1970s. If Minnie was used to get me baptized in the Holy Spirit, who am I to hold anything against her? We were all in our ignorance, and came around.