Dreamers!
We are at 70% complete rocking this weekend with several people finding their way to back the Ballad of Nod, and I am gratefull and excited to cover the stretch for the next 13 days. Being gratefull involved reminding yourself of who and what inspired you. today I am thinking about my older sister.
My older sister Tobie was a creative wonderful woman. She being my big sister was the person who introduced me to cool music, walked me home after a 2 hour bus ride, and talked to me about bullies. She read poetry to us at bed time, and stories about goblins. She was far more than all of those things, and when we lost her during covid I had to admit to myself how much she meant to us.
Tobie was super creative, but she had a drinking problem and later faced Schizophrenia. I knew she was mentally struggling bit she thought for a long time I was angry at her. Thats not what it was at all. It was a younger brother insisting that she be able to see herself through his eyes. I wanted her to value herself, and that was not something I new how to tell her.
But her creativity helped me find things like the Dark Crystal, Wendi Pini’s Elfquest, and she always encouraged me to be myself, she is the first person I can think of who ever said she was proud of me. and I will always lover her for that.
All of us struggle to be who we want to be and have to make our path there from who we are. some peoples path is far more convaluted like hers was. She still inspired me. that drawing is 100% from memory of the yuba river where we grew up. I have a ton of memories of her and Randy taking us around on that part of the river. How her life turned so dark is a good example of how things can be both full of wonder and go to such dark places in the next moment.
Working on my last 13 days
James Burton.
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