Carter Dewberry

In 2009, my Christmas holiday started with a Christmas Eve TV performance in Los Angeles followed by a holiday party with my husband’s family in Corona. That evening we stayed at his mother’s house so that we could wake up early the next morning and share a quick breakfast. We then headed east to have (another!) brunch with my father and brother in Palm Springs on our way to Phoenix where we finished the day with Christmas dinner with my mother and sister.

Playing beautiful music. Creating community. Becoming inspired through inspiring others.

‘Tis the season. ‘Tis the joy of being a musician. And teacher.

Elation. Pride. Joy.

I’m not sure how to best describe how I felt tonight listening to my students band together and play holiday carols. They sounded great! To make it more impressive, this was their first time playing as a group.

I know nothing in life is free. Even so, when I got the cryptic voicemail, my heart beat just a bit faster.

It wasn’t the cold that initiated the latest round of goosebumps traveling towards my wrists. Reading the newly updated website for the Skywheel project, the phrase “to reclaim the sacred mystery of the night sky as a place that fills us with wonder, awe, and possibility” leapt from the screen. I remember many nights spent huddled under blankets looking for shooting stars and all that the night sky holds possible.

It’s the pockets of grime that remind me to stop. And reflect.

Saying these words to myself brought the beginnings of calm to my turbulent stomach.

No pedicure can dig out the dirt underneath Santa Ana’s toenails. Aptly branded as “Downtown Orange County,” Santa Ana has an alluring old world charm…or at least that of a different world than where I grew up in Michigan or lived in West L.A.

I am doing it again. I can’t help myself. Ever since my return from my travels, I have been examining everything from my current projects and commitments to my relationships to the books on my bookshelf with a magnifying glass.

I had to laugh when the girls came backstage and addressed me as Taylor Swift. It’s funny in this world how the biggest compliment one can think to bestow comes in the form of a comparison (however odd) to a star.