Author Archives: Judy

About Judy

I'm an illustrator by profession. At this juncture in my life, I am pursuing my dream of writing and composing music. Every day of my life is precious!

LONELINESS FILLED MY DREAMS

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Judy

I was definitely wearing a “Super daughter cape” as I left my mother following her appointment. I wrestled with the “demon of dementia” and had won. My mother went from tears to joy as I steadily convinced her of the reality. As I drove home, however, I still had the familiar gnawing pain inside me. I wondered why I wasn’t more joyful that she had beaten the odds and survived her hip fracture without having surgery!
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Tagged "sandwich generation", Advocacy, Aging Parents, broken hip, composing, dementia, fractured hip, Friendship, grief, GRIEF RELATED, hip fracture, hip fracture without surgery, inspiration, loss, lyric development, lyrics, manicure, manicurist, not having hip surgery | Leave a comment

IN QUIET SHADE OF SYCAMORES

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Judy

Foraging was definitely a slower pace than simply hiking. Carol shared with Joni and a lot of her knowledge. There were many kinds of “greens” and certain ones were older and bitterer, even if they were edible. Here were the plants that we gathered to create the most unbelievably, delicious salad: Miner’s Lettuce, Chickweed, Sow Thistle, Dandelion, Mustard, and Fennel. I have to be honest; I was wary at first. Would the fennel impart a taste strong enough to make the salad taste like licorice? Would mustard greens be bitter? My wariness melted away with each bite. The greens were juicy, sweet, and flavorful. Continue reading →

Tagged "sandwich generation", acoustic guitar, baby boomers, childhood friendship, composing, creativity, Daily Life, forage, foraging, friends, guitar, hiking, lovesong, lyric development, lyric writing, lyrics, Music, Ordinary Life, original songs, performing, salad greens, salad herbs, singing, songwriting, voice lessons, wild salad, writing | Leave a comment

EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT AWARE

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Judy

My friend, Sam, wrote: Do the best that you can for your Mom, but primarily spend time with her and try to enjoy the awareness that she still does have. Keep her comfortable and happy…but please don’t tear yourselves up over this. Professional advocacy, or adversarial relations probably won’t change much for your mom in the long run, but will significantly increase your own stress and discomfort. Continue reading →

Tagged "sandwich generation", Advocacy, Aging Parents, broken hip, Caregiving, Daily Life, dementia, hip fracture without surgery | Leave a comment

SOMEHOW I’M STILL PLAYING

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Judy

There was certain, young man who I noticed was definitely connecting with my songs. He said, “You might have reached millions of people with your beautiful songs when you were younger, but it wouldn’t have been the same. Your life experience is what makes your songs so touching. Instead of reaching a million people, you could have a great impact on a few and change lives.” I stepped into the night air, and a vision came over me. I was playing my music for a lot of people on a large stage.
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