(this space for rent)

I don’t know how much I will be able to write on this over the next two weeks. We will be leaving on vacation after work Thursday, May 8, and will not be getting back ‘til Monday, May 19. We will be heading to Gatlinburg TN, taking the trip we were planning 18 months ago when Mom turned sick. We are hoping to do some exploring/sightseeing in the Smokey Mountains, and I am hoping to find some local traditional music/musicians. If anyone has any suggestions for places to go or things to do that we have not considered or heard about, they would be much appreciated.

Two quick points, FWIW:

I will probably talk to Scott about those guitar lessons, either this Sunday, or after we get back. We may find that, for one reason or another, it would not work out, but even discussing it is one more step outside my comfort zone.

For those offering words of encouragement and support, they are appreciated. However, my problem is that I have heard the words before, and they have not change my self-image, and THAT is the fundamental issue I have to address. I am not totally sure why I am addressing this in a public forum, (actually, I do know part of the reason for the public forum: this is me facing my fear that I have nothing to offer other than my voice.)but taking things out of the dark and exposing them in the light is almost always a good thing. Besides, now I have witnesses to what I say I am going to do, so I am less inclined to back off. And if what I say and do can help someone else face the mirror, so much the better.