It’s hard to believe that another six weeks has slipped by me, and I’ve not managed to provide an updated post here! It has been quite a crazy time, and I’d say that’s putting it mildly…but hopefully I can cover much of what’s happened in a few brief paragraphs here.
September was a whirlwind, to put it in the kindest terms. On September 25th, I started a six month leave of absence from the job I so dearly love. It became apparent a few months after Shane’s passing, that I needed the flexibility to get away and heal, and just distance myself from everything for a while. I’m glad that the organization I work for was kind enough to grant me that space, and hope that the time helps me sort through who I am now…that seems to be the question of the hour most hours. So, needless to say, in order to be away for that much time, a hectic, concentrated effort had to be put into putting things in place for the person stepping into my role. It was a pretty challenging few weeks, especially with harvest in full swing here on the farm. I’ve needed that majority of the four weeks since just to catch my breath! But it’s slowly starting to happen.
Some big changes have happened on the farm as well. We’ve gotten rid of the cow herd….a very bitter sweet time to be sure. There has never been at time in my farming life where cattle were not part of the picture, but with everything else, times change. They’re no longer working for us in a way that’s either financially beneficial or personally fulfilling, and as we age, they’re a lot tougher on tired bodies. But I suppose the biggest factor was that we’d always said when Shane not here, we wouldn’t be tied to the farm because of the cattle…he just bumped up a plan that was already in place for the time he would have moved out on his own.
We survived Thanksgiving….another strange first….another tough day. Oh all these firsts, they can certainly shut you down and stop you in your tracks for a time…but I retained an attitude of gratitude the best that I could, and came out the other side of it.
So here I am…pretty much caught up, waiting for my next big adventure to begin, and twittling my thumbs because the change in weather has shut down what’s left of the harvest for the past couple of weeks! Oh this farming…to be so at the mercy of the weather is…..frustrating would be the gentlest word I can find! It’s a mere 130 acres of beans left to go…but in dollars it’s too much to walk away from for sure, so we wait, and we watch the snow fall, and we cross our fingers that the winds of change will blow our way and bring the sunshine we need. It’s starting to pay off.
Now….onto music! Well, the CD sales for “Just One Life” have been going well! It’s been nice to be in a position where I can truly concentrate on music. So often, it’s been secondary to a hundred other things, now…it’s pretty much front and center for a time. I’ve managed to take in a wee smidge of the WCMA’s in Brandon…but the timing was off for enjoying too much of the weekend. I also attended a songwriter’s session in Winnipeg that netted some good ideas and information. Lots of time has been spent just catching up on the administrative end of music here at home, and practicing for the events I do have lined up.
As I’d mentioned before, I didn’t think I had what it would take to participate in a large CD release party this go round, so instead we set up a few House Concerts to introduce the music. The first was held last Friday in Brandon and was graciously hosted by Paul and Mark in their home.
It was a wonderful evening, with a terrific , appreciative audience, and was exactly what I needed to get into the swing of things. Some tunes were tough…I knew they would be. Everything is too from the heart and personal for there not to be some raw areas at this stage of the game, but it all went well, now I’m preparing for the next one in Rossendale this Friday.
Saturday was a wonderful ‘Night of Miracles’ in Winnipeg. I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by the Children’s Rehabilitation Centre Foundation people to see if they could use the song “When you Look at Me (Shane’s Song)” as part of a power point presentation to show the funders and supporters the kids that their dollars support and the ways that lives are improved. Cec and I were invited to go as guests for the evening, and what an evening it was. Lots of it was very hard…the Rehab Centre was a place we spent countless hours of our lives having assessments, equipment fittings, chair adjustments…but over the course of a 17 year life, you meet a lot of wonderful people, and they become part of what your new world is. As hard as it might have been, it was an honor to have my music being used in the manner for which it was intended...to open eyes and hearts to those who do things just a little differently.
A strange thing happened at the event that night. There was a silent auction that we made a few bids on. There were getaways to places we’d wanted to see anyways, and if getting them also helped contribute to the Children’s Rehab Foundation, then it really made sense to go for it there. After losing several items to higher bidders, the night wound down, and I found myself the winner of a one night getaway to a hotel we’ve been trying to find time to try for about a year now. I thought the package I was bidding on included a couple of pieces of luggage…that I really had no use for, but the total price made it okay. However, when I won, they gave me a small bag with my certificate only. I was a little stumped, but thought in all the hullabaloo I must have been mistaken, so I was kinda scratching me head as to what to do about it. While we stood in the foyer we found ourselves having the chance to talk to another couple who’d shared both our table for the evening, and the life we had with Shane. As we chatted, I looked a little deeper into the bag I’d been given, and there at the bottom was a Swarovski Crystal gift box. I opened it up, and inside was the most beautiful pair of crystal butterfly earrings! I hadn’t noticed any such thing on the bidding tables! It could be just a very strange coincidence…but I wonder if it could have been someone peeking in to say “I’m here with you…. you’re doing fine.”?
And that brings us to where things are at right now. So until next time…
Take care,
Lynda
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