Check-in on the Base #9: The Return Home
the back deck at the ranch, the Moose Mountain Pro Rodeo and the obligation to finish
Howdy Readers,
Today’s check-in is another free-flow. My son and I jumped in the vehicle and headed back down to the ranch to spend some time with his grandma and allow his mother the space to dig into all things Belle Plaine.
There is a pleasant ambiance to this check-in as my recording equipment is set up on the back deck. You are able to hear the birds, crickets and wind. It’s a nice juxtaposition to the sound dampening and dead space I’ve created in my studio in the city.
#9 picks up from where #8 left off. We are continuing to process the loss of my Dad.
I recognize that the country music culture war is in full force with the ownership over what it means to be from a small town but I have to say, there has been a mighty difference between support in Regina versus support in Kennedy. My wife and I have experienced our small yet generous community coming to the door and checking in on us while we are at our suite in the city but how rural Saskatchewan has stepped up for my family is astounding. This has been one of the more profound realizations through the last month. I’ve reconnected with childhood friends, classmates, teammates and their families. All around, my heart is overwhelmed with a love that couldn’t have been discovered otherwise.
We celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Moose Mountain Pro Rodeo a week after Dad’s funeral. No event has been more closely connected and meaningful to our family - it was surreal to be a part of it without Dad. Melanie and I helped kick the weekend off with a performance to filled grandstands Friday night. On Sunday, they honoured Dad as the pick-up men rode with an unmanned horse. It was unintentional but my sister Casey’s name was left out in recognition. It contributed to a moment of exclusion but forgiven for its fortuitous nature.
This check-in will be in tandem with an entry titled “My Father’s Eulogy”. This is my active participation in the process. Almost all the kindness I’ve received has gone unanswered - mostly out of the need for solitude. A radical career shift with the pandemic, the birth of a son, the death of my dear Uncle John, turning 40, and now the passing of my father has tempered my character into unforeseen strength.
I think, write, pray and train.
My heart doesn’t know how to repay the love I’ve received other than to live as honest as possible.
BB
❤️👊🏻