We've also been continuing our fundraising efforts to help pay for production costs. So if you are able to make a contribution or could share our need with your family and friends, the TransJourney crew would greatly appreciate it! Since Shifting Visions Films is a non-profit organization, all donations are tax deductible. Contributions can be made directly to Shifting Visions Films and mailed to them directly at 780 Reservoir Avenue, Cranston, RI 02910 or you can make an online contribution via Paypal on their website at www.shiftingvisions.com. Ignore the link to the Indiegogo campaigns as that is now closed.
I know as we start off on this journey it will be with mixed emotions, as originally I had expected it to be much different. It has already been a difficult journey just to get to where we are now. My cousin Deb's illness and subsequent demise was not fully anticipated by me or Alexia. Deb had health issues, no doubt; but up until that point they had been manageable and she always rebounded. This time it was different. We thought if she could just recover from her latest illness, then we could nurse her back to health. But a higher power had a different journey in store for her and neither Alexia nor I could be a part of it.
See, besides journeying out to Seattle to see Annabelle and meeting my new "soul sister" Shannon, I was also hoping this journey would allow Deb and I to have some bonding time together. You see, Deb wasn't just a cousin of mine. I have lots of cousins, most on my mother's side of the family. Deb was my cousin on my father's side of the family. Deb and I are a little more than 3 months apart in age, she being the older cousin. We spent a lot of time together growing up...a lot of time! We were together practically from birth. Our parents spent a lot of time together. They all worked blue-collar jobs, primarily in factories; so they had similar life styles and economic circumstances. We lived in tenements and our parents drove older used cars. So Deb and I played together often as children. We didn't always get along either. But we did love one another. Always did. As a kid it was clear that Deb was a "tomboy". I was not. She loved exploring and being active. She never liked dolls or the typical girl activities like playing house. If we did play house, she would always be the dad! And she absolutely HATED dresses! I do remember that clearly. So we would often fight about what to do when we were together, and we were both stubborn. I don't remember the outcomes of these arguments; but I know I had a temper then. I would get angry and do something stupid which would then backfire on me somehow. I don't recall the individual incidents so much; it's just what I've been told. But I did love my cousin. She was daring, she was smart, she was outgoing, and she was funny. All the things I wasn't. I really looked up to her and was envious of her.
So on this journey that we had planned to embark on together I was looking forward to getting to know my cousin, my youthful partner in crime, all over again. I had lost touch with her after her divorce. I wanted to know about her life. How she had met her partner Alexia and how she became interested in film. We had years to fill and miles to travel. It was to be the perfect road trip. And then it wasn't.
We all grieve differently and this past year was difficult, especially for Alexia. We knew, however, that Deb really wanted to see this documentary film become a reality. That is why after much consideration, Alexia decided to move forward with it. So, in just 30 days, it will be me and Alexia, with Deb in our hearts, who will embark on this TransJourney, along with David Stephens, our videographer for the road trip. I know we will have our own great bonding experience, just different from what I had originally envisioned.
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