Rembrance...

Well, I didn’t forget - and I do know Remembrance Day / Veterans Day is not November 12th - it just took me till late last night to finish this and thought it better to way until this morning to send. So pretend it’s still the 11th so that the following will be relevant. 

My father was a Lt. Col. in the US Army Air Corp in WWII. According to my sister, who recently discovered the photo above, he was made an officer upon enlisting because of his high IQ. (Trust me - it skipped a generation!). He was stationed in India & China, planning strategy behind the front lines. He’s the one everyone is listening to in the photo. My mother always said “he was a great communicator”. 

I know that’s not your classic grizzly war hero story but it’s a glimpse into a time most of us can’t really imagine. 

I don’t recall him talking about his experiences but I was only 10 when he died of throat cancer at 54. I do remember pouring over the B&W photos he took, as he was an avid photographer, and the subjects ranged from water buffalo to the floating body of a soldier body. And though his letters were screened, he wrote his wife every day and I have those letters. In these times when a soldier can Facetime his family daily from Kuwait, in 1944 the only contact would be via a letter that would take weeks to arrive. My father was a wonderful writer, and though his job was in banking, (a VP at Wells Fargo in San Francisco) I learned decades later that his real passion, along with photography, was journalism. So I may not have inherited his brains, but his love of photography and words somehow got passed down. 

We had a LIFE magazine book of photos of WWII whose images remain imprinted on my memory. They both fascinated and horrified me. And though the list of immoral, debased, heartless comments and acts by the outgoing US president is staggeringly long, his more recent reference to POW’s and fallen soldiers was beyond galling. Especially his dissing of John McCain who suffered with incomprehensible courage as a POW. 

On that subject, I, like so many of you, enjoyed a blissful day of liberation, hope, and sweet sweet relief on Nov. 7th. So many expressed what I felt - a palpable lightening of an oppressive weight we didn’t even realize we were carrying until it was lifted. Short lived, of course, knowing that a trashing of the joint on the way out with executive orders and lawsuits was likely. But I refuse to think there could be any resultant questioning of the results. There has to be a point where democracy stands up to the bully. And really, there is only one “side” to be on, for any leader, any citizen, which politics seems to completely lose sight of - that of humanity and the planet we live on. I’m such a Pollyanna. 

By the way, if you get a chance to find “Coastal Elites” on Netflix or HBO, it’s 81 minutes of exceptional theatre - and not as much of a non sequitur as it seems! I am comforted by great creative works that come from such troubled times. 

There are a few events coming up I’ll tell you about below. But in the meantime I have been finding solace and inspiration in rather pedestrian ways. In an activity I would characterize as re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, I dove into a major re-organization of my home. Dimestore analysis easily reveals that in all the chaos and uncertainty leading up the election it’s been a way to feel a sense of control over something - anything! To balance out this frivolous activity I’ve been taking in various masterclasses and concerts for inspiration, including 3 sessions with Chris Thile on listening, writing, and performance. So interesting! These have accelerated my progress of inching my way towards the muse to a veritable caterpillar pace. Whoo hoo!!! 

Though this has been an interesting break from touring, which inevitably has led to pondering if this is what retiring would be like, the thought remains unimaginable. What?? Retire from music? Who does that? Oh, Arlo Guthrie just did. Well yes, we are indeed at the mercy of our aging bodies. Mine’s holding up very well I dare say. But I’m trusting that if my vibrato turns Ethel Merman on me someone will tell me and get me the hell off the stage. Otherwise, it’s simply not going to happen. 

So my friend - I will stop moving the furniture around and cleaning out 23 years of clutter from my drawers, and aim to do another solo concert before Christmas. I do miss you. 

In the meantime, enjoy your bubble, stay healthy, be patient and kind, and go for a walk in the woods. It truly helps. 

Happy Sequestering!

Shari