Letting go...

It's one of the hardest things in the world to do. Knowing that you have no other choice but to let someone go, and harbouring ill feelings would be unfair on both of you.

This is the dilemma I sit with now.

My husband is a musician. It's his dream, his passion and soon to be his whole career. He and his bandmates have worked very hard to get to this point. They are almost ready to launch their first album......and their lead guitarist has just quit the band.

We all knew it would happen eventually. The subtle hints he gave, the blatant cries his girlfriend gave. We all knew it was just a matter of time. But it still hurts.

For the last three and a half years, my husband and his four best friends have worked hard, prayed hard and suffered hard to finally have their music unveiled to the world. They've been through months with no gigs, shady record labels, broken gear and missed opportunities. They've all had to take on a crappy day jobs to survive. They've all had to spend late nights in the studio, while their wives and girlfriend waited for them at home.

We suffered with them.

And now, one of them has to leave. It was his choice....it was time, and we wish him well, but its like losing a brother. Like breaking up with a long-time lover. They will go on without him.....and they will be successful. But we will never forget, and it will never quite be the same. We will miss him, but we won't hold him back....he doesn't belong there anymore. And he will always be our friend.

Changes will be made to the album cover, and to the future setup, and to the way the songs are played, and no-one will know the difference. In all honesty, we're happy that it happened now, rather than a few months down the line, when things won't be as easy to change.

My sincere hope is that he won't regret it.....and that he will get the blessings he's been promised.

And that he knows that he will always be our brother.