Another Fest Come and Gone Again...

                                           Rolling no more...

 Sometimes I think my body may be deteriorating like my poor bag. My short-term travel case, the one I used for short trips here and there, finally stopped rolling whereas I have begun again. I had to put the brakes on a bit last year to deal with a serious health issue. Now freshly neutered & fitted with new luggage, I'm back on the trail. I bade a tearful goodbye to Lisbon where I lived most of last year and headed to Montreux Jazz for the 4th time since I was first there in the Summer '08.

                              Tristan gearing up for a Lakeside session

This year was special for our musical family. Mark & I presented five new songs each on our CD Best Friends, Tristan O'Meara had a new CD too Southern Breezes, Red showed up in Red form, and we shared our spot with many other wonderful musician friends including Trippin', Mick Mennogucci, Micha Sportelli, Baum, Auralie, and Nino. We rocked Montreux once again. I had never imagined doing any of these things when I left the States nearly 5 years ago. What an amazing adventure!

My music is sounding a little bit country. I have no idea how this is happening. Just feel the songs in this way now. There's a ton of joy and healing for me in writing. Many friends have encouraged me along the way. Grateful? Hell yea! Now what to do with it? I'm singing full-time, writing, healing myself and others thru music. All fantastic. Time to record in a different way. It's not easy to do when I'm moving around so much, but I'm ever forging ahead.

As I reflect on life I'm filled with awe. So much has happened since I decided to wander. People close to me have passed on others have just dropped off the radar and still family given and chosen are filling my world with love. I've enjoyed the recent visits from close friends. I've learned to cherish each moment. It's difficult to put a value on what I've gained since the beginning of this voyage, but I know I wouldn't change a thing. I'm happy to be living and to be alive. More opportunities in the air... As my friend Tristan says in his song, Sunsets Over the Ocean, "just look for grace, don't over try... cause I believe it's flowing as we're growing". Here's to new growth and continued grace...

Enjoy life.
See you around the planet...

                                Me and Myra In Sintra, Portugal

Dramatic Pause... Angels Present

"the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true..."

It's difficult to live on the road long term. Well into the third year of wandering the globe to sing and experience life, I realized my health had taken a back seat to everything else. Most of us don't think about preventative care; we see the doctor when we have a problem. Factor in language & cultural differences, cost,  plus lack of insurance and we seek medical attention even less. Such was my case. I was traveling with a tumor that was supposed to shrink--or so I was informed. Actually, truth be told... the advice was it could go either way and I chose to believe it would shrink rather than grow to the enormous size it eventually did. Often my faith-based upbringing makes me more optimistic than practical. (That's my story and I'm clinging to it.) Late Spring last year, it became clear I had a serious issue: I looked 4 months pregnant. Yikes! So it was time to take on overhead, get some keys, settle down for a moment, and figure out if I was dying. I'm not being dramatic. Things got pretty scary, but I'm still here. Meanwhile... one of my dearest friends on the planet, Leah, actually was dying... from cancer.

Leah Siegel had been like a sister to me since we were kids. In fact we'd tell people we were sisters. We had even concocted elaborate tales to explain why one of us was white and the other black. As adults we'd often laugh about those stories. She was one of the few who knew I was leaving the States indefinitely. Leah smiled and said, "If you get stuck, call me." I was in a cyber cafe in Zurich when I got the email she had stage 4 breast cancer. It was August 2008. She had just delivered a healthy baby boy, Oliver, when doctors discovered she was ill. It was overwhelming news...so bittersweet. Trying to keep the tears out of my voice, I phoned Leah.  True to form, she was spirited, uplifted and optimistic. When I suggested returning to be with her she protested. She was gonna live vicariously through my wanderings and fight the odds BIG TIME. Leah did just that... She fought, wrote about it and endured with more courage, integrity, and humor than anyone I know, but finally the cancer won. Leah died last Summer. I mourned her passing on a deserted beach in Portugal. It's a special beach with super high iodine levels in the water. The ocean was so calm I floated weightlessly remembering my dear friend...feeling her angel present all around me.

Me and my angel, Leah... Dallas 2007...sisters in spirit.

As I approach my 4th year on the road, I'm reflective. So much has happened. There have been really fantastic times and some scary ones too. Sometimes I ponder how have I made it thus far? My life is a wonder! Each day I'm certain that patient, generous angels keep me afloat. More is to be done on this journey I've chosen. In the difficult moments I remember the courage and strength of my angels so I can look up again with gratitude for another day to continue my story. So much love is all around keeping me buoyantly moving along singing my songs.


Here's to finding your joy, your passion, the thing that makes you happy to be alive...dare to dream & have your dreams come true!
See you around the planet...
Love, Joy, & Loads of Laughter!