As I’ve relayed in previous posts, in February I traveled from Florida to my brother’s home in New York State with the urgent news that my mother was not doing well. I understood that this would most likely be my last visit with her. Unfortunately, I learned of her passing while on a layover in Charlotte, NC while waiting to board my second flight to Albany. It’s a short flight, so I made some calls to steady myself, put myself in what I’ve come to call a Self-Induced Grief Shielding Coma and carried on with calm acceptance boarding that flight resigned to the fact that this was the way it was meant to be.
Later that evening while reading my e-mails, I came across one from Sydney Cope, a young actress and filmmaker inquiring about using my log home and property for a film shoot. She explained that she was graduating from Full Sail University’s Film Making Program in Florida and wanted to shoot some scenes on-site for her final school project.
I’d nearly forgotten that I’d registered this place with the Florida Film Commission on a whim back in November. The timing was tricky. I was far from home and despite my “Grief Shielding Coma” the reality of the day and its profound sadness was sinking in. But, I knew that my mother would’ve encouraged me to help out a young person on her creative journey as she had done with me in my early twenties.
I responded that I was open to discussion and after some back and forth emailing, an agreement was reached and Sydney and her crew came to town last Monday for an all day filming session. The young cast and crew arrived by 10:30 that morning. The weather was perfect and I think they all looked forward to spending a spring day in a log home on a lake greeted by a couple of happy dogs eager to meet some new people.
Our pack piled in to the car and headed further South that day where we found some dog-friendly places in Sanford and New Smyrna Beach. We had a lot of ground to cover as the filming would span 8 hours.
It takes some faith and a bit of courage to entrust your home to 15 or so people you’ve never met. But the energy was positive, and I looked at this as a learning experience in the event that more of this lies in our future. It was also nice to meet and “work with” Sydney who is originally from Texas, spent time in Los Angeles acquiring film credits and and then enrolled as a student at Full Sail University to learn more about the art and business of film making. https://en.kinorium.com/name/3927315/
Recently, I’ve been volunteering my writing skills for the Animal Rescue Konsortium (ARK) here in Crescent City. This No-Kill sanctuary relies on donations and outside funding to help with the constant influx of neglected, abused and abandoned pets such as the 16 dogs from 150 plus recently rescued from a horrible hoarding situation in Putnam County.
While there, I made a donation in the name of the Cast and Crew from Sydney’s short film, “Acceptance” filmed locally in Crescent City on March 25th. It brings me some comfort that I was able to help an aspiring filmmaker, writer and actors, and also help a local animal shelter in need. At these times, I understand that this place is a haven bringing me back to my own creative endeavors and helping me to Move Forward one day at a time, and inspire me to pursue my own ambitions that have been deferred by circumstances beyond my control. I hope that these posts may encourage some of you to do the same.
Have a lovely Easter Weekend, one of my favorite holidays, as it was my mom’s – a time of renewal, peace and hope. Thanks for reading.
