Mother Jane... the last night.

There is a time at which everything you know changes

We all go through it… the ups and downs of life

The ins and outs of our minds

The souls we try so desperately to keep under our hats

Change is only a small part of it all

Because you hope that whatever comes your way

There are other souls around you that will

Help to carry your spirit when it cannot fly on its own

A true testament to the love of your life

When you realize you have made it this far

Knowing full well that your spirit

Has been broken more than once

Your penance for this amazing passage through time?

It is to be that carriage for someone else’s spirit

When they too have found themselves

With a set of broken wings

To all of my friends whom I dearly love

My back is always there

When your load is too much to bear

When you find yourself under too much weight to carry

I met Lisa and Beth in the summer of 2000.  I was just a scared and helpless soul that needed a ride to the other side.  Mother Jane was my first real contact into a world in which I was terrified to realize that I was a part of and their love, kindness, generosity, and friendship helped see that I made it through.  I remember the first night I saw them… I remember the night they saved my life.  I remember the hundreds of nights at Mia’s and the road trips to parts unknown with all of my friends just to watch them play.  I will never forget all of the good times they made for me and all of the hard times they helped me through.

For the times when we were apart, they were always in my heart.  And as difficult as it is for me to believe, that just when I found them again, they aren’t going to be Mother Jane anymore, I know that the chapter of their lives that is Mother Jane was one of great impact.  Not only on me, but by the sight of all of you here tonight, I have to believe that it reaches places we never dreamed of. 

So now, I would like to raise my glass to Beth and to Lisa and wish them the best of luck as they begin to write the next chapter in their lives and I hope that they get a sense of just how important the last chapter really was to everyone who was privileged enough to get to read it.