Because Beccee has been on my mind so much lately, today's post is dedicated to her. One of the questions I have been asked probably more than any other in the past year is "how do you know Beccee?" ~ here ya go!
Hands down, one of the biggest influences in my life was my friend Beccee. Let's start at the beginning~first of all, I met her when she was still "Becky" (ha!) We both went to Horning Middle School. We must have been 12 or 13 when we met. What I remember most about her from that time was her outgoing personality. Yes, even back then :) I remember that even then, she was so comfortable in her own skin. She was so sure of herself. I am fortunate to have a group of very loving friends NOW, but back then ... not so much. I was kind of a loner. I was NOT popular by any stretch of the imagination. Beccee had this gift of making me feel good about myself. She didn't care about what other people thought. Not even a little. I never had a chance to tell her this, but her acceptance of me really helped shape me into the person I am today. I don't always succeed, but I honestly make a point of trying to be accepting of all people and make them feel special.
When it was time to move on to high school Beccee went to North and I went to South. In all honesty we lost touch for several years. This is where it gets interesting. One of those things you look back on and say, yep...that was meant to be.
This is the part where we get to the story within the story. Anyone who is currently reading this blog probably knows me well enough to know that my passion is music. More specifically - live music. When I turned 21 and was able to go out (ok let's be honest, go out LEGALLY), I was introduced to a band called LONDON USA. The guys in the band and their friends were a great group that I spent a lot of time with. A LOT of time with. I was at pretty much all of their shows. I have no idea where I found the money for that! Anyhooo, I digress.
At one of their shows at the City Club (for those of you too young to remember this club, it was downtown on Broadway and Wells) I remember running into Beccee (yes, now she was two cc's and two ee's). Turned out that we had a few mutual friends. It was so nice to see her. Because of this chance meeting, we managed to reconnect. Turns out that Beccee was in a band called GERARD. When she found out about my dream of working in the "biz", she said that the Gerard Office was looking for a secretary...she would hook me up.
And so it began. I have shared this sentiment many times. I give Beccee all of the credit for me getting introduced to the music business as well as introducing me to some wonderful people who in turn introduced me to more wonderful people. You've probably heard of that game where people trace their degrees of separation to Kevin Bacon? I can do that with Beccee. Seriously. I can also play the Kevin Bacon game but who really cares! ha!
I got the job at the Gerard Office and started going out to see the GERARD band. Gerard Entertainment booked many of the local bands. Through this job I met so many wonderful people... and no I'm not going to name drop all of them. Quite frankly there are just too many. However, I am going to name drop one of them ~ Keith Pulvermacher. You may have heard of him :) He is another very important piece in this puzzle. We'll get to that later.
There have been many bands and musicians that I have befriended over the last 20 years. Each and every one of them can be traced back to Beccee. I'm glad I had the chance to thank you for that Beccee. Not just musicians either. Let's not forget all of the wonderful people that I have met by going out to see said bands. The circle just gets bigger and bigger. It's really crazy.
Beccee and I managed to keep in touch over the years. I don't know this for certain but I think we had a special relationship because she knew I wasn't a "musician" and was not interested in getting knee deep into all of the drama. We were always very open and honest with each other.
There is a very distinct memory I have from -- gee it must be about 5 years ago? I was headed out to see Keith play at Rooters. I invited Beccee to come out. She hadn't seen Keith in years. I remember that night they were chattin' like crazy because Keith had recently moved to Oconomowoc. Beccee was telling him how she saw him riding his bike past their house. Beccee was telling Keith that they had lots of girls clothing that she could pass onto him and Tammy for Isabella. I believe that is the night that THEY reconnected after many years. It was cool to see.
Fast forward to 2009. We find out that Beccee has lung cancer. Keith had a vision to throw a benefit for Beccee and her Family. He enlisted some people to help him and the rest is history. The Love for Life Benefit was one of the most glorious days EVER. I have never literally felt such an outpouring of love. You could actually feel it in the air. It was amazing to see Beccee's face light up as she saw friends from all phases of her life. There was definitely something larger than any of us going on that day. I will NEVER forget that day or the smile on Beccee's face.
Due to my involvement with the Benefit, I was blessed to meet so many wonderful people. Once again, all can be traced back to Beccee. Funny how that works.
Beccee lost her very courageous fight on December 30, 2009. She continues to make an impact on my life through all of the people that I have met because of her. I cannot tell you how many people have shared with me that they have been inspired by her....some of those people never even had the chance to meet her face to face, they have been inspired by her story.
Beccee will always hold a very special place in my heart. She was a beautiful soul and I miss her very much. I will continue to draw inspiration from her and live my life with an open heart and an open mind. I love you Bec.
Here is where you can find her story....caring bridge
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