Sitting here happily working away at The Grand Hotel in Torquay, and probably as it is only two days away from the commemoration of Armistice Day, the music playing in the background is all 1940s…

Several of the songs being played were favourites of my great-grandmother who largely raised me – and as such, I knew all the words and could hear her voice in my head as I sang along… and living here in England for half of the year each year, I am more and more gaining an understanding of just how profound and impactful an experience was WWII on the people here…

Add to that, I am in the process of writing cards of thanks and appreciation for Books Two and Three of my Quantum Lace series – with Book Two being focused on WWI (in particular the sinking on the Lancastria – still Britain’s worst maritime disaster)…

I began thinking how much I love the music of that era; how much my Nan (my great-grandmother) loved it; and the fact that there are still people living to whom that music meant so much…

…and then my mind floated to the fact that the people we are still blessed to have with us are well into their years and will not be with us much longer…

…and after that, thought about how much I love that music; that at one point I made my living singing but no longer sing professionally (and hardly ever even in the shower!)…

Sooooo…

I decided to follow several of my passions and have already just today set up several small concerts at senior citizens homes and facilities where I can live my passions of loving the music and sharing my voice and inspiration with others – and the guests can sing along to their heart’s content – and hopefully together we can bring back many happy memories of loved ones and times gone by… and I can honour the memory of my great-grandmother…

“Following your passion” doesn’t have to mean dropping everything and taking a completely different path…

It can simply mean doing a small concert for a group of seniors, singing songs that mean ever so much to both of you…

When an opportunity to follow your passion comes up, please consider embracing it with both hands…

~ Bella

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