Random Acts of Kindness
Rhoda Anderson Habedank, a Folk Alley listener from Twin Valley, MN, sent me this letter last week, and I wanted to pass it along to you. It’s a wonderful example of why she (and a lot of us) are drawn to folk music and to the people who create it. ~ Linda Fahey
Last evening we were privileged to go to a Natalie MacMaster concert at the Fargo Theatre (in Fargo, North Dakota). She was endearing, enthusiastic and after the concert, so encouraging.
First off, the concert was candy for the eyes and ears – talented musicians giving the audience such pure fun and real entertainment.
Our friend, who hails from Nova Scotia – Natalie’s homeland – wanted to go to the concert but was laid up in the hospital 2 blocks away dealing with cancer. When approached after the concert if she could do a favor for our friend, she was selfless in her response. Natalie, fiddle master, MacMaster sat in the lobby and chatted on the phone with our friend, Harry, for nearly 10 minutes. This was huge for him. We went to see him after the phone call and he was simply beaming. What joy and hope she instilled in someone with a single act of kindness.
Natalie is 7 months pregnant, and just finished over 2 hours of playing and dancing on stage after getting off a plane from New York at 2 p.m. After this concert she had a 4 hour bus ride to Sioux Falls looking her in the face. The fact that she took a moment out of her schedule – to give another person her time to help make their life a little easier and add a little fun – in a way, speaks to one of the reasons why I am attracted to folk music and the people who make the music.
This is an event that, I suppose, could go without mention, but as a parent and a lover of real music, I want these heroes and genuinely kind people to be set out as a vision of hope of what we all can be on this earth.
Thanks for your time.
Rhoda Anderson Habedank
Twin Valley, Minnesota
