With Heartfelt Gratitude...

Without a doubt, the last few weeks for me have been pretty nuts, with lots of major life changes happening. I am still in the process of getting my head wrapped around the fact that after over a decade, I find myself unemployed. There will be more changes in the next while as that chapter of my life ends and a new one starts.

I have been bombarded with questions about decisions that I have made with respect to my next steps. The real honest answer is that I do not know. Most of those decisions have yet to be made. I am not panicking about having all the answers yet. I have time to figure it all out, and I also do not know yet what opportunities are going to come my way. I am a firm believer that a path will be made available when the time is right. I am exploring options as I know I am going to have to make decisions as I move forward. 

Right now, honestly, I feel tired, as it has just felt like one large whirlwind the last couple of years. So, my main order of business is to de-compress and to look after myself. Secondary to that is seeing what opportunities are out there for my next move. I have full faith that the next door (or window) will open and I will start upon a new path. And it will come when all is ready, not before.

I really want to acknowledge the level of love, support, and compassion that I have received in the last few weeks. The number of people who have reached out to me in a multitude of ways has been heartwarming. As luck would have it, the end of my job happened to almost coincide with a milestone birthday, which I feel has just amplified the cushion of love and support. It has been such that I feel that I may have missed reaching out to thank everyone who has reached out to me, and I really have lost track of who I have missed. Since not everyone is connected to me through Facebook, I felt that expressing my gratitude solely through that medium would be inadequate. For I have appreciated all of it and I find that I do not have the words to truly express the depth of my gratitude.

I have had a life of many unexpected twists, turns, and lulls. The one thing I have learned is that I am willing and capable of doing a pivot and landing on my feet. So, I know that I will be okay. It is something that I believe with every fibre of my being.

Until the new path presents itself, I’m going to make use of the time that I have been given to do a couple of things that I had been wanting to do. I already started with one of the things on Remembrance Day weekend when I took the opportunity to attend the “Alberta in Harmony: Moving Mahler” production at the Winspear Centre. Mahler’s Symphony No 3 was performed with the combined talents of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the sopranos and altos from the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus, the Calgary Girls Choir, and the mezzo-soprano, Susan Platts. It was done under the direction of Rune Bergmann.

To say that the performance was pretty amazing would be an understatement. From where I sat at the back of one of the balconies, the sound was just amazing. The concert hall at the Winspear Centre was filled with sound. I was blown away by the opening note of the french horns. There were nine french horn players and they were all dead centre with the pitch!!

Mahler symphonies are noisy symphonies - lots of loud expressive passages, tons of brass, and instruments not commonly seen in smaller ensembles, such as a contrabass bassoon. I love a noisy symphony simply because I love the sound of brass instruments. I love the richness of tone that brass instruments add to the orchestra.

The mezzo-soprano, Susan Platts, was amazing. I was truly impressed with her ability to project her voice and have it be heard over the top of such a full orchestra. And it was cool to actually see performers in the choir loft!

It was an amazing evening of sound and I am so appreciative of having had the opportunity to experience it. Art of all forms feeds the soul. For me, music is even more satisfying, whether I am playing or experiencing a performance. It was the perfect follow-up weekend to my birthday weekend. It was the perfect birthday present to myself.

And now, it is my job to wrap around me this feeling of love and support that everyone has been so generous with. I move forward into the next phase of my life. I do so with the sincerest gratitude and appreciation for all the kind and supportive words and gestures. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.