As an Army brat I had to deal with 'Goodbyes' often. Saying goodbye to my dad when I was five years old as he went off to a war zone for a year made me sensitive to the emotions surrounding 'goodbye'. The album begins with the worst of 'Goodbyes', forced by sudden tragedy with no opportunity to say goodbye face to face. No More Nicoles is dedicated to Denise Brown. She is an inspiration to me the way she handled the death of her sister Nicole and reached out to women who are in the same circumstances that Nicole found herself in. Today Denise continues to inspire at D-Talks Radio. The first verse of the song is my portrait of Denise hearing the verdict at the trial of her sister's batterer. The last verse is my prayer. The next two songs are dedicated to my daughters and acknowledge the normal goodbyes accompanying their growth through each stage of life. Being a parent makes you vulnerable to the potential loss of a child. Jeremy's Smile is dedicated to Nancy Makela who lost her son to cancer when he was 23. I observed her reaching out to others and me with true compassion. Jeremy's Smile like No More Nicoles speaks to a wholesome response to the loss of a loved one and both Denise and Nancy model positive response to loss after torturous upheaval. In the context of a lullaby to my very anxious Grey Mare a retired racehorse, I present the Chinese healing sounds that bring resiliency to the painful emotions of Goodbyes. Every goodbye brings in some mix of grief, anger, fear, anxiety and worry. I dedicate this song to Sara Storm my Medical Qigong instructor who taught me these healing sounds which go with special exercises for the Yin Organs of the body. Shang for the lungs, Chree for the kidneys, Shoo for the liver, Haa for the heart and Whooo for the Spleen. You're Just Magnificent, is a light way of saying Goodbye to internal negative feeling about ourselves with the hope that we will remember our Magnificence. Goodbye Before Hello arose from observing two shy people in a bookstore who never risked making a connection. Many of us miss opportunities due to our shyness. The song, Perfect Blend is dedicated to my wife who fortunately wasn't so shy. The 'P' and 'J' in the song come from the Myers Briggs Temperament Analysis inventory and are not peanut butter and jelly. Saying Goodbye to your spouse in death is another challenge we have to face. The spouse left behind still hold's the other in their heart. The song Moments is dedicated to my favorite college professor and anthropologist Nina Terebinski. She taught about the Netsilik people who lived in an extreme cold climate and when asked how old they were would reply that they were one day old. 'Tonight when I sleep I will die and wake up to a whole new life tomorrow.' Learning to live in the moment is the gift cancer brought me in the year 2000. I am still here in 2013. Learning to be grateful in the moment and to cherish our loved ones in each moment helps to mitigate the pain of goodbyes. The song Leisure is a reminder to take time to see the beauty that is around us. Thank you for taking a look at my album. If you buy the mp3 version and would like the album art and lyric booklet, email Will at Qigonglmt@gmail.com and we will send it to you. If you are interested in a concert, Will prefers small venues like a book club or friendly get together in your livingroom. Special thanks to Troy Austin and Jason Andersen who gave me the guitar that is used for every song on the album. Special thanks to Vic Sorisio from Quality Recording in Vancouver, WA. Special thanks to my grandfathers A.W.
Lowe and J.S. Tuhey for making singing cool. Special thanks to my parents Arthur and Joyce Lowe without whom this album wouldn't be.
