I just have no words after what I’ve seen and heard in these last several hours.
As I often do in times of stress and fear and sadness, I’ve turned to my fond memories, and to my family, and to music. So I thought I’d share a video with all of you of my dad and me playing one of my favorite songs. I’ve not performed this one in public since my grandfather passed away in 2015. He was a WWII veteran, and a coal miner. I am proud to be a coal miner’s granddaughter.
It’s hard to get through this song without tears now that he’s gone. But today, his legacy of strength and perseverance, of hard work and grace in difficult times, and his belief in a strong, fair and free America has kept me going.
Wherever you are in the world, whatever you’re going through, or dealing with, or healing from, I hope this brings you just a few minutes of joy and peace and comfort, as it has for me. Tonight, I’m sending all of the love I can out into the universe.
I hope tomorrow is a better, brighter day.
A Virginia Writer's Diary 
Love it. And tomorrow will be better.
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Thank you!
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Thank you for sharing Katie..
Have a great day
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Thank you!
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You’re always welcome
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Loved it! A reminder, too, that hard and uncertain times are nothing new in the world…
Sent from Meg’s iPhone
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Indeed, it is.
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Thank you, Katie. Was that your dad playing his Martin? 🙂
I think most of us were thrown for a loop today and not sure what to say. I sat out in the yard watching the men who have been stringing cable for the past several weeks and appreciating their efforts to keep things moving in spite of pandemics and insurrections. Your song was a perfect end to an imperfect day.
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It was. 🙂 That guitar is basically the sound of my childhood.
I’m glad you enjoyed the song! Like you, I have been so encouraged by seeing people just keep going. I’m part of a small community, and I’ve had the privilege of seeing my friends and neighbors continue to come together and do good work. It’s helped remind me that even on the darkest day, there is light.
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A lovely post, Katie.
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Thank you!
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Nice song and great performance. In the 80’s I did youth and community work in a mining community in Yorkshire England. We organised an evening of miners poetry and song in the wake of the big miners strike. We hired Isaac Gillory to play guitar between verses written by local miners. Magical evening. Your performance took me back to that. You did your Grandad proud!
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Thank you for the sweet comment! Honestly made me a little teary-eyed, in a good way. 🙂 I’d be fascinated hear those verses. Sounds like an amazing evening, and like a wonderful way to capture the miners’ experiences. Next time I see my dad – which could be a while, because of COVID – I’ll make sure we play a good coal song and record it. I’ll post it here and try to tell a couple of my grandfather’s stories.
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Sadly we didn’t keep any records of the event but if you google Yorkshire miners poetry and then images there are quite a few poems and photographs. I will look forward to hearing more of your songs sometime. Maybe you and your Dad have a new career in keeping mining folk music alive? All the best Mick
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I just found a few of them, and wow! I think I’ll be looking at this for a good part of today. And perhaps we do. 🙂 We don’t get together nearly as much as we’d like, but when we do, there’s always music.
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Yes the 80s were a rough time for the mining communities in the UK. You will find a lot about it on the internet. When the pits shut the towns were never the same again. The close community became run down and all that replaced the pits were warehouses. Most places have become dormitory towns for bigger cities. So keeping the folk law is important. As I’m sure it will be where you are. Stay safe Mick
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Now I really feel like there’s a lot of research I should do. I confess I don’t know a lot about mining culture in England, and I should, coming from a mining region myself. Thank you for commenting! I always love finding new opportunities to learn! Stay safe, as well.
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I think you might find this interesting to have a look round https://www.ncm.org.uk
Enjoy!
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Thanks for sending this! I certainly do, and also feel like I need to add a new place to my travel list (for one of these days when it’s safe to travel again).
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