Wow, how our world has turned. Like most of my fellow performing artists, plans, gigs, events have been crushed under the weight of this pandemic. As a moonlighting clinical social worker, I am in close touch with how this is impacting so many folks in my community who are truly struggling with very serious health, financial, housing and in some cases, immigration challenges. I count myself among those fortunate to have a roof over my head, food in my cabinet and a health plan to help cover costs if they are incurred. To say these are trying times is an understatement.
But there are sweet moments. I witness and hear stories every day of acts of kindness, some heroic, some everyday examples of humanity - people at our best and feel renewed hope. I will try to use available time to continue to hone skills, write new material and stream live performances from my living room when I can.
A few high notes of late:
- I learned last week that my song "Saving You" won First Place in the 2019 Great American Song Contest's Singer/Songwriter category.
- My song "Look At Us Marching Now", written with Dan Berggren, has been nominated to receive an emPower Positive Music Award.
- My co-write "Too Much Crying" with my wonderful trio "Us!" mates Glen Roethel and Amy Soucy won a Gold award in the 30th Annual Mid Atlantic Song Contest (Open Category)
So, we keep going, staying open, living in the moment, looking for opportunities to connect in meaningful (although virtual) ways with others, and ride these challenging waves till we can be together again.
Sending out wishes for wellness and comfort to all,
Judy