By: Dr. Portia Lockett, PhDH
We all have received phones calls that we anticipated, wanted, and unwanted at some point in our lives.
However, on December 15, 2020, I received a call that I would not want any parent regardless of the relationship with their child to receive. This call informed me that me that my beloved son Azal Benne Lockett was no longer amongst the living. It was verbalized to me that he had been in an automobile accident, later to discover that he had been shot, and attempted to drive away and ran into the back of an EMT truck. As a mother, I immediately went into prayer mode trusting that what I was hearing was untrue. As it all unfolded, it was indeed the truth. All the years spent in my role as a hospital chaplain, spiritual advisor, prayer warrior, a grief recovery method specialist, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that this could be part of my life’s trajectory. How do I even begin to process a nightmare of this magnitude? #ButGod #peaceoverpain
Now here we were right in the midst of COVID 19, and unprecedented times of the world as a whole, my life was completely dismantled and compromised. Someone had the audacity to disrupt my peace and steal a mammoth portion of my joy! According to the detectives that handled this unsolved mystery the likelihood of my son’s murder ever being solved was slim. No one saw anything or they just adhered to the saying: snitches end up in ditches.
Due to the Corona Virus, funeral arrangements for his celebration of life, like many others were not the norm. Minimal family members were able to attend the service. However, my family was overwhelmed with love via calls, text messages, cards, meals, errands ran, and just being present when possible. While my son’s life had ended in the physical, God allowed a portion of Azal to remain with me. His beautiful girlfriend birthed thee most amazing gift that he could have left to live on his legacy, Azalea.
God also instructed me to start a foundation to honor Azal, and that was when the Azal Benne Lockett Foundation was launched. The goal of the foundation is to help the grieving heal, offer them hope and hold their hearts as they travel the grieving journey. As we know there a multiple ways, that one can grieve which include but not limited to the loss of a loved one, diagnosed with a chronic illness, divorce, loss of social life, losing a limb, and complete lifestyle changes.
So, with clarity, we ran with the vision and launched the Permission Series:
Permission To Grieve, 4/1/23
Permission To Heal, 7/8/23
Permission To Live and Laugh 11/4/23
Permission To Love Again 2/2024
These events are all free and open to the grieving public. We are intentional about supporting this community. Please come and joining us as we provide a night filled with joy, humor, and heartfelt stories that will uplift your spirits and powerful tools from professionals and life coaches to use on the journey from grief-loss to healing-restoration.
Get your tickets on EVENTBRITE:
Permission To Live and Laugh
Saturday, Nov. 4, 5-8 p.m.
Wayne County Community College District, NW Campus
For additional info go to: Azalbennelockettfoundation.org.
