Jo Anne Kurman

Next time you’re in my kitchen, take a look at my frig door. You’ll see a famous saying by Winston Churchill that says: “Never, Never, Never give up.” Words I have tried by best to live my life by. Dust ourselves off and get back on the horse if we want to take those rides, right?

But sometimes that's easier said then done. It’s not easy for a woman to be aging in a world and especially in a country where her worth and value are measured by her looks and age. And for a woman in show business (hey, that’s me!), you can double that. At the age of 41 in 1991, (I can hear you doing the math!) I decided to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a recording artist. But first, I needed to tend to a few minor items like….get sober. By the grace of God, I did get sober and realized I needed to write and record songs as fast as I could in order to make that dream happen. Making up for lost time, I worked furiously hard and the steps I took happily led to getting signed with George Strait’s manager who shopped me for a record deal. But that wasn't the end of story: I didn’t get signed. The Reason: “Too old”. That was the verdict of all the major recording companies: "Great voice. Too old." I was in shock and wept. Alot. My dream came crashing down and I didn’t want to get back up on that cranky horse, even if she was sober.

Sitting in mid-life, one can get tempted to pack up the tent and ride out into the sunset. But that’s pretty boring. There are too many things to try and to do. But the question becomes, what are they? I really wasn’t sure what my mid-life dreams were. I have had an up and down, but overall pretty successful career as a singer, guitarist and songwriter. For some, a career considered to be dream worthy. Why not just quit now? People my age are retiring. Nothing wrong with retiring. Nothing at all. But the word, retirement, gives me a knee jerk reaction of death and dying. The big question was, what did I want my final act, the next twenty years or so, to look like? I became keenly aware of the countdown of years and the ticking clock that was getting louder.

But let's back up a few years. Both of my parents had died three months apart from each other, leaving me grief stricken. I wanted to “pack it in” and retire. A battle was waging inside of me and it was difficult to “be still” and hear God’s voice. In retrospect, I can now see how valuable those grief stricken days were to not only heal from the loss of my parents, but the honest evaluation of my life I was able to give myself and a relationship with God that became more meaningful. Deep within my soul came a message to not be afraid. Do not give up. Do what makes you happy and do it now.

That soul searching time was not only necessary to heal, but it turned out to be a gestation period that gave birth to a fountain of creativity. In 2009, within one year’s time, and a lot of hard honest sweat, dreams came marching in. This fabulous website. A new inspired CD entitled Countrified. A poetry book titled Dreams for Sale, Poems and Lyrics available on Amazon.com, and last but not least, an acting career that I rekindled after decades of absence bringing a national TV commercial for Home Depot that is currently playing on the air. I am one happy girl. And by the way, I'm 22 years sober.

Have you ever been called a dreamer? Did it ever feel accusatory, like a dirty word? It felt that way to me at one time, but no longer. I am proud to be a dreamer – to be part of a community where hope rules and magic and wonder live. So I say, let’s keep on dreamin’, dreamers. And don’t give up! Never, never, never.

(Photo: “Bert” Danon: a fellow dreamer, poet, piano tuner, musician, craftswoman, beloved friend — and me. Watson Lake, Prescott, Arizona. 2008)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Never, Never, Never Give Up