me arts ed

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything thy goodness sends

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882

In last Sunday’s Audience section of the Maine Sunday Telegram in the Audience section there was an article written by Bob Keyes called A literary thanks: Maine writers reflect on what they’re thankful for this year. Each of the stories were wonderfully reflective and touched me in some way. The story contributed by Tess Gerritsen touched my heart. With permission I re-print it below for you to enjoy from the Maine Sunday Telegram at http://www.pressherald.com/life/Maine_writers.html.

If I had to write my own I am thankful for the work that Maine visual and performing arts teachers do each day to educate students that they may have the arts as part of their lives forever! Thank you for making the world a better place by being the absolute finest group of arts educators!

Tess’ story:

Twenty years ago, I found my passion in a Rockland coffee shop. I’d stopped in for coffee one evening at the Second Read, where a weekly Celtic jam session was under way. It was love at first tune! I’d played classical violin as a child, but I’d never heard music like this, jigs and reels and hornpipes that made me want to jump up and dance. This was music I could learn by ear, music meant to be played with others.

I went home, dusted off my old violin, and started learning the tunes. And through those tunes, I’ve found some of my dearest friends. On Maine’s darkest, coldest nights, you’ll find us fiddling away together in our homes or in coffee shops or bars. We share tunes the way cooks share recipes and writers share stories. We squabble over tempo and rhythm, and we always seem to forget the name of whatever it is we’re playing, because we’re older and grayer now and our memories are starting to slip a bit – even if the tunes stay with us. Some of us are darn good musicians, some of us are rank amateurs, but who cares? It’s the music that brought us together. And keeps us together.

One night at a recent jam session, I looked around the room at friends I’ve now known for decades. There was a woodworker and a boat builder, a doctor and a massage therapist. How thankful I am that music – and Maine – helped us find each other.

– Tess Gerritsen is best known for her medical and suspense books, including “The Surgeon,” “Vanish” and her latest, “Last to Die.”