taurus3

Hello Friends,

I got a call late Friday night from the former drummer of my former rock cover band. He was calling to let me know that the keyboard player has passed away a week ago. I went to the wake today and I'm emotionally drained and physically exhausted.

It's a wierd situation because four years ago, without much explanation, she and her husband "quit" the band. We had all been together for five years so it was like breaking up a family. She had been fighting breast cancer for a year but was beating it at the time.

After the band breakup I tried to stay in contact but things were wierd. I never got an answer but I was made to feel like she just didn't want to talk to me anymore. This was painful because she was a mentor and surrogate mother at times to me. We were very close for five years and then just cut off from each other.

So the fact that an old band member from Ohio called to tell me instead of any of the others who live here really made me angry. I hadn't been in touch with her for four years and didn't know that she had continued to fight that cancer off and on, this time losing quickly.

I was very nervous about even going to the wake. But the look on her daughters face when she saw me was worth whatever discomfort I had in the room. She was only 10 when I first became involved in their family and she had a little idol worship of me cause I was the "lead singer rocker chick". It was so good to see her all grown up and handling all of her troubles so well.

The former band mates were all thrilled to see me and all apologized for being so distant and not calling me. It turns out that their lives all kind of fell apart after the breakup as well. So it was healing in a big way. And now I'm just left with the overwhelming sadness that my friend, mentor, big sister, mother is gone. I'm glad she's free from all the pain but that doesn't make it hurt any less. It's just too fresh for me.

Other than the fact that my neck, shoulders and back have siezed up from the stress this has nothing to do with fibro but I had to talk to somebody. So thanks for listening gang.

Her name was Laura and even though she absolutely hated that Christopher Cross song called Laura, I keep hearing in my head "when you think of Laura, laugh don't cry, I know she'd want it that way." That's how she was.

So see...fibro's not so bad - Andy