Everything I talk about involving friends seems to be in the million year ago category! Umpteen years ago, Atz was Terry's Counselor in the Homer Branch Presidency. His wife and I were the dearest friends. We loved them so much. Shane and Jewel were just little kids. I remember when Atz Lee was born and about his name. Atz LEE. Nancy LEE. Atz and Nedra were super talented. About the time we moved to Homer, Atz parents divorced. They lived out East End and drove cattle to the head of the Bay. The parents were true homesteaders and the father Yule was considered a little eccentric.
Atz and Nedra were both artists on many levels. They decided to go to Nashville and see if they could get a record deal. Atz had written some songs and they got a demo ready and then actually cut a record. We donated money as did all of their friends and family to get them to Tennessee. One of his songs was about Truck Wheels. About the men that drove the highways. Those big 18 wheelers. We were sure it would be a hit!!
here is the record jacket... (that is so blurry you can't read it!!)
Tennessee did not bare fruit and they wanted so much to sing at the Grand Ole Opry and make it bigtime but that was not on that particular horizon.
I listened to Jewel sing Friday night but first I heard her tell a bit about her life. I thought about making her french toast at our house and how sweet she was. One very short terse sentence grabbed my attention....My Mother left when I was 8. Just stated as a fact and the story just went right ahead with no detail or mention of anything. I thought to myself...how little we probably every really know of the details of others lives. How much pain is masked with a simple sentence? How many years can such a simple declaration cover?
Nedra is the one that made it possible for us to adopt our youngest son. At that time she was very active in the Church and as I said, we were the dearest of friends.
Somewhere along the line things started to unravel. They moved to Anchorage and our connection became more gossamer. Eventually they were not involved with Church and then divorced.
For some time Nedra was Jewel's manager and they lived in vans, so goes the press release, and then eventually that faded to nothing.
I remember Nedra and Jewel singing and Friday night I wondered where she was, what she was doing, how she is doing and what she thought about Atz actually made it to the Opry. Nedra is someone that I can't identify with any more. She has morphed into a very free spirit. Last I heard she has nothing to do with her family. I hope that isn't true. I have no idea where she is. for a long while she just moved from place to place and stayed with different folks along the way.
My own regrets are losing a friendship with a wonderful person. At that stage in my young life, I didn't know how to deal with someone that had been Temple sealed, divorced, excommunicated, no longer a believer. I was ill prepared. I didn't do good with knowing how to salvage what we had and focus on the love. This entire experience really helped me to start to understand that it's so important to have unconditional love for everyone. I was hurt, heartbroken, wounded, offended, and I just backed off crying my eyes out. Just being honest. I had a lot of hurt for a very long time. Way to long but it took time for me to figure it out. Nowadays I would not react or handle things as I did then. Such is life. well, my life anyhow!
Atz suffered a lot but he rallied, kept singing, taught school and now has that TV show that so many are watching. Jewel of course has made her own career. I remember the night she gave a concert in the Homer high school auditorium to raise funds as she was going to Julliard. Our entire town was so proud of her! Sitting there listening to her sing I had the thought-- if I had lots of money, I would love to support her, as she develops her talents and becomes famous. I thought that would be so much fun to do.
As an aside. I love when Jewel sings pure country or bluegrass or yodels or does opera. light opera? Not a wild fan of her breathy Marilyn Monroe style on some of her latest ones. She has a rather, strained at times, relationship with Homerites. It's fun to know someone who achieved their dreams and has magnified their talents.
Our family is so happy for Atz. It's been a long time coming. He looks great and it looks to me that he has on a shirt from one of the Russian villages, either Anchor Point way, Nikolaevsk or out East End Road to The Old Believers. I recognize that needle work and shirt style.
Somewhere, it is on my list, in the boxes of photos I will be going through, I have a couple of pictures of those days and I'll share when I find them.
I learned a lot from this entire scenario, in my earth sketch, that for me was bitter/sweet but it has helped me to grow and learn so much in life. Atz was sweet to contact Terry after he had his stroke.
(By the way, it's been one year ago since Terry had that stroke. A whole year!)
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| So Happy for Atz!!!! Singing with his Jewel. |
Have no idea who these people on the left are but wanted you to see Atz shirt and his wife Bonnie.
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| Jewel and Atz
After I wrote this blog I was so filled with nostalgia and love for that marvelous period of growth in my life and love for my old friends, that I sent Atz a little message (me being so modern!) such a teeny little picture of he and Bonnie!
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