What a spectacular and unforgettable weekend!

I am still reeling from everything that happened on May 19-20th in VA. Although I have been described by others as a connoisseur of the written word, I have not been able to find enough meaningful words to express all the emotions that cascaded over me from the moment the Diva first stepped onto the stage at the Birchmere Saturday night to the last auction item and final note sung at the “Shop With Suede” event on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Suffice it to say that even The Bard, William Shakespeare himself, would have been daunted by the endeavor. This persistent state of speechlessness and pervasive descriptive-word challenge are the only reasons I have not been here on the Community Forum to share everything with other Diva Devotees until now. I am still trying to “wrap my brain around” all that transpired.

Where do I begin to tell this amazing once-in-a-lifetime birthday celebration? Well, with apologizes in advance for the ineptness and inadequacy of this written account of overwhelming emotions and joyous celebration, I will proceed to try despite all the shortcomings of Roget, Webster, and the OED to even come close to the real deal:

Saturday evening began with Bea’s warm welcome, followed by Jere’s “so-glad-to-finally-meet-you” escort to a reserved table for my small family group of 5 and a big ”Hello, Mint Julep” hug from Sallie whose effervescence immediately reminded me of my late sister. I was already giddy and stunned with my spirits soaring from all the attention before the Diva even entered the room, but I was soon to discover that it was just the beginning of so much more to come.

Toward the end of her first set, Suede introduced “Emily Remembers” by dedicating it to my late sister, Sharon (May 19th was her birthday), making the lyrics even more poignant, and followed it immediately with a new song, “Here’s To Life,” dedicated to me. My birthday is May 20th, but I had not celebrated my birthday since Sharon died in 2002 as it was simply too difficult because I was overwhelmed each year with a sense of profound and painful loss. However, I had decided that it was time to move forward with my life as my sister would have wanted me to and thought the best way to honor that was to celebrate it with the Diva. I was a mass of joyful and grateful tears by the time Suede sang the last refrain, “Here’s to life, here’s to love, here’s to you!” Suede had chosen a song that said all the things I needed to hear that night to take the first soul-healing step of moving on with renewed energy and joy for Life. During the break between sets, I found out that my brother had made covert arrangements to pick up our dinner tab for the evening, but had insisted that I not be told until afterward since he knew I would not order much to eat or I would adamantly refuse to accept his gift if I knew about it ahead of time. What a gift from a man, my “baby” brother, who works 3 different jobs to keep a roof over his head and food on the table for his family. Absolutely my hero!

Sunday was the day of the fundraising auction for the LGCW. My partner and I bid on the Dinner With Suede until it climbed up past our combined limit. We had been graciously seated in the front row by Jill in honor of my birthday, so we could not see who was still bidding after we had to drop out. I think the eventual highest bidder, who had the advantage of seeing us and knowing that we had stopped bidding, started bidding after we dropped out. After the winning bid got a thunderous applause from the rest of us, this incredibly generous woman came up from behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around, she said, “Happy Birthday, Mint Julep!” I was overjoyed with what I thought was an invitation to join her for the dinner with Suede and made a mental note that we needed to get her full name and address so we could contact her when the date and time for the dinner were arranged. Suede then returned to the makeshift stage and, along with other songs, once again sang “Here’s To Life” in honor of my official birthday. As we were getting ready to leave, the winning bidder of the dinner came up to me, and just as I was about to ask her for contact information, she said, “This dinner with Suede is entirely for you.” I was stunned into speechlessness! As I later told Suede and my benefactor (who I have chosen not to name here out of respect for her privacy), I don’t have any idea what I did to deserve such an outpouring of love, attention, support, and generosity from the most amazingly incredible people, but I would gladly do it again!

To all those Diva Devotees who come to this Community Forum and those who planned and shared the events of this past weekend with me: Please accept my humble thanks to all of you for being a part of the rebirth, renewal, and restoration of a life filled with the understanding and support of so many wonderful people.

With gratitude,
Mint Julep

Mint Julep
You have said it all. The Diva made the weekend for me as well as you. It was an honor to share your birthday with you and your partner. Please remember all the great times you had with your sister while she was here. We are only loaned to this earth so live it to the most while you can. It was indeed a pleasure to meet you in person and share the fanastic music both on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The new songs Suede is performing are outstanding. When the new CD is ready it will be a sell out. I will be looking forward to seeing you again at a future Diva concert.

Hi, Mint Julep!

What a WONDERFUL experience you shared with us!! So moved to tears, as I reflect upon ALL you've whole-heartedly expressed. Your faith, wisdom and spirit are commendable. The following quote made me think of you (and Suede) today.... enjoy and share:

"Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark." -Rabindranath Tagore

Cheers to you, your "moments" and another year of LIVING LIFE!!!!

TR

TR,

I continue to marvel at the events surrounding my birthday with a dash of disbelief that it really happened to a rather ordinary person like me. Isn't life grand and just full of surprises about how our lives are interwoven like a fine tapestry that can't be fully appreciated until you step back a bit to look at the entire fabric that has been created!

Thank you for your kind thoughts and the quote. I just printed it out to frame it for my office.

Why, THANK YOU, Mint Julep!

I firmly believe, in my "heart-gut", YOU are no "ordinary person". From what I've read of your writings/insights/experiences on Suede's message board, YOU are quite remarkable. Now, look in the mirror and smile... "own" YOU... THOSE "moments" in life!!

"I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path." -Dalai Lama

"Life is a game...play it.
Life is a challenge...meet it.
Life is a dream...realize it.
Life is a sacrifice...offer it.
Life is love...enjoy it." -Sai Baba

Mint Julep, bask in the "karma" surrounding your B-day month!!!

TR