(peeking around the corner to make sure the coast it clear.............

musicman bravely steps into the open and says:.........)

Well Jackie........hmmmmmmmmm......... Well Done!!!!

For the record here...... I want you all to know a few things......

Jackie and i met on the Music therapy threads in the spring of '99 (she remembers the date, i don't, but i could look it up..... i think). We spent alot of time talking "chatting" through ICQ etc.....talking about our losses and our 'future', music, healing etc, etc., etc.,....

oh yeah. ... sailing too... although she didn't really understand what the heck i was talking about....... "Trapezee thingy??? you ain't getting me out on that!!!"

so.. the question came up... shall we meet.....??? sure.. why not...

I was planning a trip from Vancouver to Ontario, towing my boat and my daughter (well.. she was going to ride in the car not on the boat) who was 11 at the time.. and had just lost her mom about 6 month prior.....

soooo.. we were headed for Nelson, to visit relatives before heading off to ontario.... well.. the car didn't even make it into the mountains before it overheated and broke down.... Big confusion reighned for the next week while i sorted out the car thing, ending up buying a new (used) car and blowing out holiday money.... Emails to Jackie from nelson (my brother in laws place) told her i wouldn't be making it out. She was meeting me in ontario..... A few emails back and forth and i get the message.. "I'm coming out.. be there sunday!". Oh.. Ok... great! Coooooolllll... Sunday rolls around, jackie arrived safe and sound, we took her to the beach.. where she got to hang out, meet some friends etc........ and go sailing..... ( i have a picture of that somewhere here,, now where is it??? ) anyway..... moving on.....She stayed with us for a week and a half.. joining us at a regatta in Summerland BC for a weekend (that's another story, not to be mentioned here)before going home again.....

I did not know anything about the fire at this point ( don't remember when she told me either) I had no idea what she was going through and what it meant to her to be with us.... I just knew she was enjoying it... she got to meet a friend of mine who has horses and some other people who became good friends as well....

so we kept the conversations going after she left.. of course there was more to it this time..... phone calls... (i would hate to see her phone bills over the past 3 years!).. would usually end with "talk to you tomorrow!" and she'd giggle.. thinking i was kidding.. but then she'd call again...

we'd share music over the phone... talk .... say ummm alot.....share music through the computer....

I was accused many times over of having a hidden video cam in her house because of offering her just what she needed when she needed it..... i was just lucky i guess....

She was 'ordered' by her staff to holiday with us over new years that year.. ( i DO have a picture of that! check out the mudcat photo album) and she's hopefully planning another trip this summer......

her phone calls have never been an interruption, couple of times she would listen in on rehearsals i was having in my house.....

she would share her 'discoveries' and dissapointments, and her fears and hopes.... which i believe are more important when they are shared... because then you can start to believe them yourself when stated...

where am i going with all this???? I have no idea... really .. i don't..

i guess i'm just glad to have been the one with the big shoulders who has been on the recieving end as well...

i am glad to have been able to share my music, my family and my friends with you Jackie and know that will will continue to do so for many years to come........

"talk to you tomorrow!"

:)