As the veil thins…

Last night while working at the Gothic Theatre for a Todd Snider show, I kept feeling the thinness of the veil. To be honest, the veil is very thin in that building at any time of year, and the place always connects me to my mom. I grew up hearing stories about how the Gothic evolved through her lifetime and then into adulthood, being able to share multiple concert experiences. Now, as it is full circle, I have been working there once in a while, but that only began after her passing.

Cut back to last night, Todd Snider is a gem of a live experience because of how he incorporates storytelling into not only his music, but in the in between the songs. I hadn’t seen or heard him live rather, since prior to his Hard Working Americans band days. Listening to his stories and recalling some musicians he has worked with that have now passed on to the other side, got me thinking. How perfect a moment of time is? This time of year, is so precious as we honor the beginning of coming into the dark part of the year. As Samhain approaches as it begins tonight at sunset, we honor our ancestors, and we have gratitude for the harvest.

Last night, I sat and listened and began to think about all the past versions of myself that I have lived in this lifetime. I decided that this year I will honor not just my ancestors on the other side, but also those parts of myself that I have let die. What would it look like to honor all of it and celebrate this day/night as a beautiful, fleeting moment that I couldn’t have reached without the assistance of my ancestors AND my past selves?

If you so choose, light a candle tonight and just sit with the flame, as an honoring to not only your ancestors, but all the past versions of you that got you to this very moment.