Love CAN Build a Bridge

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As soon as I heard that the Judds announced their Farewell Tour, I knew I wanted to be able to attend. I have been listening to this, my favorite, duo ever since they came onto the Country Music scene. I saw them in concert in 1986, I believe! Somewhere I have my concert ticket and one of Wynonna's guitar picks just like the one in the picture. I caught it at the end of the concert. It would have been fun to see them in Nashville because our daughter lives there, but it just made sense for us to travel in state so we opted for tickets in Fort Worth at the Dickies Arena. Unfortunately, the Judd family suffered a tragedy as Naomi Judd, the matriarch, took her life leaving not only her family heartbroken, but her fans as well. They were scheduled to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame the day after Naomi's death. I assumed that Wynonna would cancel the tour. How could she do a Judds Farewell Tour without her mom? We waited patiently to hear what was going to happen. To our surprise Wynonna decided to choose strength to help her cope with her loss and decided to go on with the tour with help from some wonderfully talented friends to lend her support as she expressed her love and gratitude to the many fans who shared in her grief. So as we were in attendance last Saturday, I contemplated Martina McBride opening for Wynonna singing her own powerful anthems about strong women and Trisha Yearwood collaborating with her on several songs, I could hear the Beatles' "I Get By with a Little Help From my Friends." It was amazing to see her friends step in to help. Other guests have done so on different dates and venues as well.

Wynonna delivered an incredibly powerful show through tears that probably flushed out a little bit of the sadness she must feel and as she took in how we, the audience, sang back to her on the song,"Grandpa." At one point during the concert, she talked about how country songs are about telling stories. It was moving to revisit so many of their "stories"—such a legacy they created. It was clear to me why I like their music so much. As the years went by, their songs were helping me form some of what makes me the strong woman that I believe I am. The belief that "Love Can Build a Bridge" between all of us is one of the strongest that I carry daily. They sang often of love and family and the importance of it.

I am so proud of Wynonna for choosing to use her "stage" as part of her healing process —sharing her amazing talent and raw emotions as reminders to all of us that we can't really do this (life) all by ourselves. We are part of each other, and when your neighbor is down, you step in and hold them up for as long as necessary. I feel blessed that I was able to experience the concert with my husband who fully understands the importance of the Judds in my life. It is almost as if we, and 12,000+ of our closest friends, were there to memorialize Naomi Judd and offer our condolences to Wynonna as we all embraced the circle of life. I pray that both Wynonna and Ashley, her sister, continue to find strength to go on with life. They can definitely honor their mother and all that she taught them by continuing their family traditions with their own families and with each other. An additional prayer is that we all choose to be there for each other in time of need and equally important... when we are "Rocking' with the Rhythm!" of the good times in life.