Recently I've had a couple friends dealing with the death of a loved one. Both are grieving their loss in their own ways. It's got me thinking about loss and being remembered. How do you want to be remembered? I know that I've been wrestling with this question for some time and I've come up with my own answer.

1. I want to be remembered. A part of me wants to know that I have friends and loved ones that will remember my life and that I was here.

2. I want to make a difference. I want to leave the place better than I found it. I'm not talking about world peace difference (although that would be nice) but just any little thing that is shinier than when I arrived.

3. I hope that the music I make will outlive me. It would be a shame if the songs I'm singing would cease to be heard with my passing. I try to make music that is accessible so that this goal will be met.

4. And lastly, I want my friends (and loved ones) to be comforted knowing that I'm going up to heaven singing! That my life is lived without regrets and with passion. I've been lucky enough to achieve many dreams in my time so far and God willing I'll get to do some more before my time comes. So when it does, I'll have no complaints and no regrets.

Okay enough morbidity...

I've been getting ready for the Ukulele Ceilidh Oct 6th in Liverpool, NS. I had the brainstorm that folks there might be interested in the music from my latest ukulele CD (Ukulele Bluesman) so I've been busy charting out the songs and transcribing the playing so that people can learn the songs. It's been a learning experience and I'm pleased with the results so far. I think I'll package the book two ways; first just as a songbook. 2nd as a book and CD combination. I'll see which does better. The book will have selections from the CD and some other exercises for playing the blues on a ukulele. Stay tuned for more on this product!