How can it be that another two months have slipped past, and I've not managed to find myself here in all of that time? That should be rephrased...I've found myself here on several occasions, but the stops have been so brief, and the time not available to spill out what's on my mind, so the window closes until a more suitable time comes along. And with so many other things...a more suitable time does not make itself known. I've also struggled with a lot of frustration on getting this sight to open as it's supposed to, and once again today, it's a scrambled version of what I should be able to access, and I'm not certain why (of course, now after all my whining, I've come back in to edit a spelling mistake I found and lo and behold it's working beautifully....sheesh!) ...but it frustrates me, and so lots of time I just say to heck with it...but today, I need to actually move ahead and write something, so here I am.
The last two months have been a blur for the most part. Christmas came and went...likely a little better than we'd thought it might, but still a tough season to endure with all the firsts that came with it. December 20th would have been my parents 50th wedding anniversary, our first Christmas without Dad or Mom Turner to share the season with , January 2nd was Dad's birthday...so there were a lot of firsts..all tough ones to walk through, all so close together. But we linked arms and hearts as a family, and came through it somehow, and now find ourselves on the other side.
We decided to start 2009 off differently, so after a little surfing on 'SellOffVacations.Com' on Christmas eve, we landed a great winter holiday at a great resort at a great price, and stole away for the first week of January. We'd never been on a hot winter vacation before, so it may have been a mistake on our part, because I can't see not doing that again each year, if at all possible. It certainly broke up the winter for us here, and got us away from all the things that were challenging us, at least for a little while.
We ended up going to Cuba..for no particular reason other than that's where the best deal seemed to be for the week we had free. It was a great opportunity to see a world, so removed from our own that it was like we were in another time. We also met some incredible people that were also on vacation, and developed friendships that I know will last for years to come. It was exactly the break that we needed. It was wonderful to get away for a few days, and break from the cold and the snow...but truthfully...it was also really good to get home. I don't know what it is about me this last several months, but home is so incredibly important for me, and when I'm away, I can hardly wait to get back to it...even though when we boarded the plane to come the temperature in Varadero was +30 celcius...when we landed 4 hours later in Winnipeg it was -30! Its' those little things that do make me questions why it is I continually are called to to return!
January also saw my son turning 17....and starts the countdown for a
new life for him on the horizon, mere months away. 2010 seems to be a year I've been working towards for a long time, and here we are on the cusp of it. It's exciting, and scarey...all at the same time. It seems like I've left so much to ride on the time when he'll be eligible for the adult supports that will allow me to return to some of the freedom and flexibility I knew before his birth. I wonder now if I'll follow through on the promises I've been making to myself, or whether I'll be able to 'let go' of the roles that I've assumed over 17 years of being his main caregiver. It's funny. In my job, working with people with disabilities and developing networks for them to live full lives, it seems we're always looking for ways to support parents to 'let go' or 'hold on differently' so that other people can assume more of the responsibility, and prepare for the time when they won't be around to do it all. Now that I'm inching so close to that myself...I wonder if I'll be able to walk the walk. It's going to be a very interesting year ahead to be sure!
So now we're into February. So where am I, let me see....I've got the final cuts of 12 songs done for my new CD. Now the time comes to concentrate on packaging and presentation...and we're ready to move forward into production. It's kinda like readying your child to go out into the world...a little scary, but exciting. Of course, I'm still struggling with the name of the next CD...sheesh, the challenges of summing it all up. Oh well, there's time, and it will come.
For now my spare time is spent practicing for a House Concert I'm performing at next weekend. Typically, in the recent past, I've been on the other side of the fence, hosting and presenting them, and although getting back more into the limelight is on my agenda for 2010 (like everything else!), it was a great honor to be asked to perform at one...and it's been good for me to get off the fence and back into the saddle. I needed the little boost up that this has given me, and am really looking forward to it, and all the ones that will follow. I do a lot of performing where I may be asked to do a few songs, or fill in a set, but it's been awhile since the entire evening's entertainment hinged on me, so this is taking a little more preparation. It's neat though, how thinking about the songs, and figuring out the introductions, leads you on that journey down memory lane, reminding you just how long music has been part of who you are, and revisiting the milestones that marked the various points along that journey. It's so great to be back to the place where music is once again a defining characteristic of who I am...there were too many years spent treading water without it.
I'd like to go on, but another day is slipping through my fingers, so I'll add more next time.
Until then, take care,
Lynda
http://www.musicwriter.ca/
The last two months have been a blur for the most part. Christmas came and went...likely a little better than we'd thought it might, but still a tough season to endure with all the firsts that came with it. December 20th would have been my parents 50th wedding anniversary, our first Christmas without Dad or Mom Turner to share the season with , January 2nd was Dad's birthday...so there were a lot of firsts..all tough ones to walk through, all so close together. But we linked arms and hearts as a family, and came through it somehow, and now find ourselves on the other side.
We decided to start 2009 off differently, so after a little surfing on 'SellOffVacations.Com' on Christmas eve, we landed a great winter holiday at a great resort at a great price, and stole away for the first week of January. We'd never been on a hot winter vacation before, so it may have been a mistake on our part, because I can't see not doing that again each year, if at all possible. It certainly broke up the winter for us here, and got us away from all the things that were challenging us, at least for a little while.
We ended up going to Cuba..for no particular reason other than that's where the best deal seemed to be for the week we had free. It was a great opportunity to see a world, so removed from our own that it was like we were in another time. We also met some incredible people that were also on vacation, and developed friendships that I know will last for years to come. It was exactly the break that we needed. It was wonderful to get away for a few days, and break from the cold and the snow...but truthfully...it was also really good to get home. I don't know what it is about me this last several months, but home is so incredibly important for me, and when I'm away, I can hardly wait to get back to it...even though when we boarded the plane to come the temperature in Varadero was +30 celcius...when we landed 4 hours later in Winnipeg it was -30! Its' those little things that do make me questions why it is I continually are called to to return!
January also saw my son turning 17....and starts the countdown for a
new life for him on the horizon, mere months away. 2010 seems to be a year I've been working towards for a long time, and here we are on the cusp of it. It's exciting, and scarey...all at the same time. It seems like I've left so much to ride on the time when he'll be eligible for the adult supports that will allow me to return to some of the freedom and flexibility I knew before his birth. I wonder now if I'll follow through on the promises I've been making to myself, or whether I'll be able to 'let go' of the roles that I've assumed over 17 years of being his main caregiver. It's funny. In my job, working with people with disabilities and developing networks for them to live full lives, it seems we're always looking for ways to support parents to 'let go' or 'hold on differently' so that other people can assume more of the responsibility, and prepare for the time when they won't be around to do it all. Now that I'm inching so close to that myself...I wonder if I'll be able to walk the walk. It's going to be a very interesting year ahead to be sure!So now we're into February. So where am I, let me see....I've got the final cuts of 12 songs done for my new CD. Now the time comes to concentrate on packaging and presentation...and we're ready to move forward into production. It's kinda like readying your child to go out into the world...a little scary, but exciting. Of course, I'm still struggling with the name of the next CD...sheesh, the challenges of summing it all up. Oh well, there's time, and it will come.
For now my spare time is spent practicing for a House Concert I'm performing at next weekend. Typically, in the recent past, I've been on the other side of the fence, hosting and presenting them, and although getting back more into the limelight is on my agenda for 2010 (like everything else!), it was a great honor to be asked to perform at one...and it's been good for me to get off the fence and back into the saddle. I needed the little boost up that this has given me, and am really looking forward to it, and all the ones that will follow. I do a lot of performing where I may be asked to do a few songs, or fill in a set, but it's been awhile since the entire evening's entertainment hinged on me, so this is taking a little more preparation. It's neat though, how thinking about the songs, and figuring out the introductions, leads you on that journey down memory lane, reminding you just how long music has been part of who you are, and revisiting the milestones that marked the various points along that journey. It's so great to be back to the place where music is once again a defining characteristic of who I am...there were too many years spent treading water without it.
I'd like to go on, but another day is slipping through my fingers, so I'll add more next time.
Until then, take care,
Lynda
http://www.musicwriter.ca/
