Dear Gwendolyn:

I was married to a wonderful man for 46 years. He is now deceased. I got involved with another man and after dating for about a year he had a heart attack. He underwent by-pass surgery. I took him in and took care of him. When he was able to take care of himself, he became distant towards me and moved out. He moved back to his apartment which was okay with me. He dropped all ties with me. I would call to check on him but he never returned the calls. He just said that he didn’t want to be a bother to anyone. He told me, “You live your life and I will live mine.”

In case you haven’t heard, Mabel Simmons (a.k.a. Madea) is coming to the Petersen Events Center Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. and she’s bringing quite a few relatives and even some friends.

“Madea’s Big Happy Family”—Tyler Perry’s 12th stage play—arrives in Pittsburgh, on the second leg of a nationwide road tour. After a five-year hiatus, the Hollywood A-list star will don wig and fat-suit to portray his original, masterful creation—Madea.

TYLER PERRY AS MADEA

Perry’s signature character always delivers her own brand of wisdom in a bold and brash, hilarious fashion. In his No. 1 New York Times Bestseller: “Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings—Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries On Life and Love,” he describes the matriarch whose name is commonly translated in the south as “mother dear:”

You hate leaving your kids.

It’s not that you don’t want a break from them sometimes, because you need that for your sanity. And it’s not the pitiful way they cry, ripping your heart out, even though you know they’ll be playing 10 seconds after you’re through the door.

No, you hate leaving your kids because of that nagging little voice in the back of your head. It says that nobody can care for them the way you do.

This week I visited Whim Pittsburgh in Station Square, The Melange Bristo Bar in Downtown, Pittsburgh, The Red Onion in the Hill District, The Drum Bar at the Rivers Casino on the North shore, Babylon aka The Yacht Club in the Strip District and Tim’s Bar in the Hill District.

My first stop was at the Red Onion in the Hill District where karaoke was in full effect with everyone coming out to show there skills on the microphone. People sang oldies, but goodies and the latest hits and it was a great time for everyone.

Casey Hampton fans came out in full force to wish him a happy birthday.