Harp Column Blogs: Laura ByrneArchive

On January 9, 2009, I performed at the Inaugural Ball of North Carolina's first woman Governor Bev Perdue. She was sworn into office the next day by Sarah Parker, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. She shared the stage with Senator Kay Hagan, and 5 female members of the Council of State and several other high profile female leaders. This was a big deal in North Carolina, and it was played up in the media to underline the increasing power of women in leadership positions in our state.

It was a tremendous honor to be asked to perform at such an historic event and my flutist duo partner Mary Boone and I were both thrilled and delighted. We dressed in our finest attire and played for the opening reception. There were several other fine musicians from around the state who performed later in the evening including the famous jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

In her opening remarks at the reception the Governor thanked her many supporters, friends, and especially her family. She spoke of "change" and the importance of "women in leadership". I couldn't help but think of my mother and my own daughters. I also thought about the special women friends who have inspired and supported me in my life. These special friends taught me that successful women could be strong and beautiful, tough and compassionate, wise and fun, confident and grateful.

I looked at Mary, my flutist friend of 25 years, and smiled remembering our college days and our first gig together. We had so much fun playing together, we became great friends. We were so poor, but we were so inspired and filled with dreams of a life in music. If we only knew then, what we know now...oh the wisdom of experience!

After our performance we toasted each other over a glass of champagne, savoring the moment of this special evening. We were invited to attend the festivities after our performance, so we joined the party and mixed and mingled with an extraordinary group of people. The media said there were 5000 people in attendance and we marvelled at the beautifully dressed crowd. I saw many of the highest profile political and business leaders in the state, as well as several people I knew personally who were leaders in the Arts and Academic communities.

For all the performances in my career, I have to say this was one of the most extraordinary. What a spectacular event and a proud time in history, especially for women in North Carolina. I must admit, we had a ball at the "Inaugural Ball". Afterwards, I went home and was greeted by my gleeful daughters who were thrilled to have seen me on the television evening news. "Mommy, did you meet the Lady Governor", "did you play well", and most importantly, "did you get to eat and was the food good?" I laughed and shared the entire experience with them from the enormous security and the bomb-sniffing dog, to our private dressing room with guards, to the music, the food, the clothes, and the people. When I "tucked them in" that night, I looked into their shining adolescent faces and said: "Girls, don't ever let anything or anyone keep you from reaching for your dreams."
As Martina McBride sings so beautifully, "This One's For The Girls"!

Normally, I spend New Year's Eve reflecting on the previous year, setting new goals and looking ahead to a bright new year. However, this year has been anything but normal and I find myself affected on many levels as I consider my goals for the new year. As a professional harpist and teacher, I achieved many of my goals for the year, but had to make room for life's interruptions. Like everyone else, I was really affected by the sagging economy and felt the financial sting of the cost of everything! I had to make some sacrifices to keep things going and my family worked harder than ever before to keep things afloat. And so at the end of the year I found it ironic that I should have a bit of an interruption just when I thought I'd be getting a break.
As the late John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

This New Year's Eve I spent resting and recovering from a really nasty upper respiratory infection that got serious. Yuck, I hate being sick, especially this sick. In addition to being sick, I also had an unexpected and expensive home repair. Christmas week we had a plumbing issue that required my kitchen ceiling and wall to be ripped out completely. Right before New Year's Eve, all the kitchen, bathroom and entry way floors came out as well. What a Merry Christmas MESS and a Happy New Year HEADACHE! My dreams of home improvement included new kitchen cabinets with gleaming granite counter-tops with an attached screened-in porch etc........ instead, I get a new ceiling, a new wall, and eventually someday, new floors.
I saw my dreams of a beautiful kitchen drifting farther and farther into the abyss of rainy day dreams in the fog of the far away future.

Quarantined to my room to avoid spreading germs and inhaling construction dust, I decided to rest and watch TV. Wrapped in warm blankets and hugging my box of Kleenex, a bottle of water and my two dogs Sugar and Spike, I channel surfed and landed on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Great! Oprah is one of my "FAVES", surely she'll have something interesting to talk about today. Feeling totally miserable and financially depressed, I waited to hear the topic of her New Year's Eve show. Within minutes I found myself riveted to the compelling stories of her guests. Each of them shared their personal stories of overcoming real adversity, heartbreak, and tragedy. The theme of the show was "Resilience". Their true stories were gripping, heart wrenching, and a powerful reminder to anyone who has ever had to endure a great personal hardship or overcome a tragic loss. As these individuals shared their personal stories I was moved by their courage in facing real pain and crushing loss. I was especially moved by a woman who survived a plane crash while her husband and only child did not. She had to find the "will to live" after losing everyone she loved. She had to grieve her loss, and find the courage to believe in her own future. After accepting her loss, she slowly began rebuilding her life in hopes that there may be a day when she could find joy again.

What a powerful show and what an important reminder of our human potential for RESILIENCE. How especially poignant on New Year's Eve when people around the world are looking ahead and hoping for a brighter year. There is no doubt that 2009 will bring great change to our nation and to the world.
It will certainly take strength, courage, sacrifice, and perseverance to overcome the many difficulties that lay ahead in the future. But we will persevere and we will overcome and we will thrive again.

After watching the show I must say I put things into perspective rather quickly. I laughed at my pitiful kitchen knowing it is just a temporary inconvenience. "I hated those floors anyway" I thought .
I still hate being sick, but I will feel better in a week or two and in the meantime, I will rest and recover and regain my "RESILIENCE".

I hope 2009 brings you good health, joy in your harp playing, and resilience in your life.
CHEERS!