Recording and producing my debut album has been a labor of love and a dream fulfilled. “Echoes of Life” tells stories that reflect my life experiences. In these last several months, just as this album was being released, several people close to me have been diagnosed with cancer. I am immediately transported back to the summer my Dad died of liver cancer and my Mom died from complications of COPD. My brother and I shuffled back and forth between their hospital rooms and tried to comfort them as they each knew how sick the other was. I was numb for a long time after planning two funerals just 3 weeks apart.
And now that dreaded “C” word is back touching my life and the lives of people I love. My Brother in Law is fighting appendix cancer currently and a close friend was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer on Christmas Eve. The panic and helplessness takes over every conversation. My husband and I ask, “What can we do to help?” Music has always been my celebration in good times and my solace in bad times, so I found myself sitting at the piano and looking for answers in the music. Then the idea came to us to let the music help others also. Several other friends and family have battled cancer over the recent years and we really want to contribute something meaningful to research to find cures and treatments for all forms of cancers. What we settled on is to donate a dollar from each album purchased, both digital download or hard copy, to Cancer Research at the Karmanos Cancer Institute.
So now a challenge to other musicians. Many people along the way, both family members and friends, have supported and encouraged our love of music. I am eternally grateful to God for all the music he has brought to my life and my prayer is that I am a grateful steward of his gifts and blessings. Let us all look for ways to pay it forward. Maybe it is to donate our time and talents to teach, or participate in a benefit that raises money for something or someone. In giving we receive, so look for ways to give.