Friendships that Saved Me from Friendships that Nearly Killed Me, How Do We Mark Their Passing?

A Memoir Writer’s Dilemma, living book three while writing book one.

Grieving and death have overwhelmed me this month. I have lost three close friends and my cat Sweetie, who I left with Matt when I left him in 2018.

My writing may be better because of it. But likewise, my memoir feels irrelevant here at the end of June, the second year into our glorious Covid Pandemic. What a chore to keep up with the pages every morning. Feels like it’s more of a job that still does not pay any bills.

I’m constantly wondering about the death of my mentor and inspirational fiddle teacher David A. Kaynor on June 1, 2021 from ALS. It has had a huge impact on our world-wide music and dance community. He was the only guy I knew who could lead an All-Comers band, call the contra dance, and play amazing harmonies all at the same time.

This grief ought to get me to write Part III of my book. The part where my 25 year friendship with David started. At Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp in the Hudson Valley. When I bought my first fiddle from him, then took the class his good friend Susan Conger taught. We were eight brand new, squeaky adult violin players, Fiddle From Scratch, where we…