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| "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.
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| 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!
