Labor Day was not a Holiday!

For so many of us, Labor Day is a wonderful holiday.  It cozies up to a weekend giving us 3 days to do what we want.  Sometimes what we want is to do nothing at all.

Except....sometimes life gets in the way!!  On this Labor Day I have done my best to be grateful for all that my labor has accomplished through the years, but for some reason it has been hard to see the joy of what I have accomplished when:

Wthout going into detail, I spent all weekend helping a couple with the loss of twins 18 weeks before their due date. Other issues: dealing with a sick pet that has a multitude of issues including cancer; a parent who is having difficulty recuperating from a major surgery;  elderly in-laws whose health is declining in front of my eyes; adult children who are struggling to find satisfactory employment in this terrible economy; a spouse who is having to deal with all of this (and more)

As I sit at this keyboard and look back at all that has transpired this holiday weekend, it would be easy to be depressed.  However, I choose to be strong.  I know that tomorrow is another day and that there is a good chance that I will find some tiny bit of joy....if only I look for it.

Tom Petty Tibute for Crisis Assistance Ministry

"Oh, my my, oh, hell yes"! 

Most Tom Petty fans are familiar with these lyrics.  They do a wonderful job of summing up the fabulous tribute concert that several local Charlotte musicians put on last night to help raise funds for Crisis Assistance Ministry. The venue was the Evening Muse; a small intimate venue in the NoDA district of Charlotte. My favorite performances were Jamie and Steve of the Spongetones who performed two hits .  Crisis and Crisis with Donna Duncan added another 4 great tunes.  The Cloers, a husband and wife acoustic act, were "da bomb".  The wife's singing led to the first time I've ever seen ALL of the patrons at the Muse stop talking and just listen.  It was a moving performance.  Transmission Fields and the gogoPilot each performed two TP songs and two of their own.  All was spectacular and both bands have a career as a TB tribute band as a back up if they ever need it!

A big thanks to Randy Franklin for putting this event together and to the Evening Muse for hosting it.  For those of you that missed it, there are plans for another show next year featuring music of the Rolling Stones.  I can't wait!