‘Juror number 20.’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Did the judge seriously call juror number 20?
Yes, he did.
Tuesday morning, I reported for jury duty, prepared to plead a hardship case on why I could not serve on a jury this week. Believe me, I had several really good reasons. In fact, you might even say that this week was the perfect storm of conditions that made one more commitment (much less one of this size) totally inconceivable.
166 people from all over the world came together over the last month in a showing of support for Kids of the Gulf and the belief that we can all make a difference if we choose to. There are hardly the words to describe how meaningful this support is to me personally.
Last year when the BP spill first started, I had this idea that people who couldn’t go to the Gulf themselves would be willing to support others who were willing to go and witness the disaster unfold, and help the situation in some way. That idea proved to be valid beyond my wildest dreams. Continue Reading…
It’s been a rough week. My friend’s passing was much more difficult than anything I was expecting. Not that this kind of thing is ever expected.
I eluded to the last conversation I had with him in my previous entry, but didn’t say what we talked about. The bottom line of the conversation was that his faith in humanity had been diminished over the years. At the same time, mine had been on the rise.
It was one of those conversations where I felt we were talking in circles, and I decided I wasn’t going to convince him right then and there. I wanted to show him, but either I didn’t have the time before he died, or maybe I did and just didn’t realize it. Continue Reading…
It’s in times of loss that we typically step back and think about the meaning of our own lives and our connections with loved ones. Thoughts of things we wish we had said or feelings we wish we had conveyed haunt us as we attempt the futile task of rewriting history in our minds.
Yesterday, I lost a friend, and right on queue, I’m replaying the last conversation I had with him in my mind. It’s not that I have any huge regrets, but there isn’t closure on that conversation, and it was on me to send an email to punctuate it.
A couple of days ago, a good friend sent me a text asking me if I would be interested in going to see K.D. Lang at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta. It was one of those moments where I couldn’t say yes fast enough – thank you Steven!
In 1992, K.D.’s album Ingénue was released and I remember playing it over and over again in the record store I worked in, listening in awe to her unbelievable vocal range. Her vocal talents are unmatched in any performer I have ever had the pleasure of watching live.
I’ll say it again – tonight’s performance was hands down the best vocal performance I have ever heard in my entire life. It was magical. Continue Reading…
