Anybody expecting a long dirge here today will be disappointed. I just don’t have it in me to express the pain with dark words. I am not at all burned out, just badly burned.
As we mark the one year anniversary of the day that the JadeMermaid Princess left us, the temptation to be overcome by paralyzing pain and sadness is powerful. Counseling the avoidance of such feelings is easy, abiding that counsel is hard.
In the past year, those who love AJW have made great progress in helping to assure that the true legend of her life and music will long survive, and that her philanthropic legacy will grow for many generations. Yet, I must admit, the only bright spot I can clearly ascertain in her absence is that she is now forever safe from the hurt of the words and deeds of others that lacked her sublime decency.
We will continue to abide AJW’s call to “live the dream,” and we will keep moving forward. The notion of tears drying on their own has been given the lie, but we are grown and we will get through this desperately hurtful and empty time.
It is easy to allow the crushing sadness to wipe away the great memories. At the end of the day, we must be less sad that the magnificent adventure has ended than we are glad that we had a chance to experience that adventure. It’s not easy, but it’s doable; it must be.
We will never be the same after feeling a part of her life and suffering at her departure. We will always be better for having received the message she delivered, and we will always lament the brevity of her time with us. Fate dealt the hand ordained and we will play it.
If AJW returned to our realm, her first word to you would be, “Alright?” We have a duty to always maintain strong minds and bodies, to assure that our resounding answer would be, “Alright!”
I often acknowledge that I am the luckiest human on the planet; my entire life has been charmed. As I count good fortune, I place my discovery of AJW’s music – and seeing her perform it – at the top of my chip stack. No artist ever delivered more joy, to me. Now, harsh and lasting grief is simply the price I must pay. I will handle it, and you will, too.
Please celebrate AJW’s life responsibly today and be ready for the September birthday anniversary fun that is being planned everywhere. Thanks!
…………………………………….
For updates on Amy Winehouse Foundation activity in the USA, visit:
For an AANPN overview of the history of the AWF, visit:
.
Amy's Army Now 