Journey To The Center  

It’s been a long while – a very long while – since I posted anything here. No real explanation for my absence other than that I seem to have been preoccupied by a good many things and not in the mood for writing. However, tonight happens to be the 15th anniversary of my dad’s death so I wanted to put something down in words. As some of you may know, I was his caregiver during the final couple of months of his life. He died in the arms of myself and my husband Don, who is also now gone. It’s sometimes difficult to think of a way to remember someone – a suitable ritual. I’ve been playing a lot of music with my friends down here — a group of musicians who enjoy playing celtic music together a couple of times a week. Tonight, we’ll be playing music together, and that seems like it might be one of the best ways to remember my dad.

Music brings a lot to my life these days. It’s nice to get together with a bunch of good friends to play tunes for a couple of hours. We do it not just for the music, but for the camaraderie, I think. Music has always meant a lot to me – I began playing guitar at a young age, inspired by my parents who also played instruments. I first picked up the guitar after listening to my mom singing and playing folk songs during the 1960s. Both my parents loved to sing and I have many good memories of our musical household. I will dedicate this evening’s music making in memory of my father.