The godfather of soul less than ten feet away...

You know, I really love Memphis. I used to think of Wynne as my home and Memphis where I was living in between the time I grew up in Wynne and when I moved home. John and I were talking of moving home when we had our babies and there are such great schools there and those babies would need to be close to a great grandma, or as you liked to call your future self, Yia-Yia. After you left us, I knew I would never be able to go back. My life as I imagined it being is never going to happen so I have to create a new life for myself and my family-to-be, however strange that may be. In the time I have lived here, I have always felt a little emotional surge when I come over the bridge but I really am trying to fit myself into a niche here and find out where my new home base will take me. So, volunteering has been a big goal of mine. I have been doing volunteer work for the past year or so, every chance I get, but the last few months have made it even more desirable. When a coworker said she volunteered last year for Memphis in May, I went to the website and signed up immediately. I was so lucky to get enlisted in the hospitality committee. I had no idea how much fun it would be. I was so jealous of all the others that had done this for years. There are people that come from all over, Nashville, Little Rock, Jonesboro, to volunteer here for years because of the great fun. They all knew each other and what was going on but I caught on by the end of Sunday. I know now that I will be taking off on Friday and Monday, staying the entire time and getting a hotel room downtown from now on!!! And I am trying to convince Tara to join me.

I thought at first it was so boring, we just kind of sat back but I realized soon that I would never be able to go to the Music Fest again with the "other folk". Lots of room backstage, a tent, a chair, and not all that fuss. There were certainly the busy times, when we had to fulfill the "rider" the headliner sent, but it was great fun. Bands send a rider saying their requests for their trailer. Usually, only the headliner gets one, but today we had both Chicago and James Brown and they wanted a four page list fulfilled. It was hysterical! We had a buffet meal for the artists and their groups, usually consisting of the stage hands and the roadies, but I got to serve the members of Chicago ribs!!! I restrained myself from telling them that when I was a kid, we always listened to Jim Croche, Three Dog Night and Chicago on family vacations. I made that mistake once in college. We used to go to BJ's StarStudded Honky Tonk and one night Joe Klein was there and I told him how that I used to watch him play for the Hogs when I was a kid and he was like, yeah, great, I am so old. Looking about at his belly button, I tried to explain, no I didn't mean you were old, but it really did no good.

James Brown's group was there and had been for a while and when he finally arrived, it was all atwitter at the backstage area. While the others drove up in their band buses, he arrived in a white limo--driving over plywood to cover the mud! His personal assistant was waiting on him and the limo pulled up with a bodyguard opening the door. It was like a movie--this black boot came out, complete with the silver toes, and out he came. All five feet of him--seriously he did not weigh more than 120 pounds! It was hysterical. His wife obviously had no idea about Music Fest and the rain it always has since she had on her stiletto heels and floor length floral wrap dress. It was great! Stuff like this--I never would have imagined--getting ice and beer and ribs for famous folk; it is so exciting to me!

On Thursday night, we had a meeting down there prior to the festival. I got a ride on a golf cart back up to the parking area. As I rode on the back of the cart back towards the old bridge, I was looking back towards the new bridge and realized how I suddenly had the best vision and seat in the city at that moment. Seeing the river and the lights on the bridge, I was hit with the idea that you know, this can be a great town. It may not be what I wanted for a home, it may not hold all the things I wanted to give my family-to-be but it's mine and I love it. I am so lucky to have such a great second opportunity and I have to work even harder to make it the best it can ever be. I know you are watching all of this and I hope you are happy with it, every day is us only trying to figure out how to live again, More,