Rawsome on the Road

16/02/2016

In buddhism, it is said that the soul is stays around us for 49 days after passing then departs to the heaven. It will be Feb 18th for Chris.
Please take a moment to remember her and send a prayer to her on that day.

13/02/2016

For people attending Chris' Memorial gathering tomorrow- parking may be at a premium and you may have to walk a bit. Remember to bring an umbrella and a smile. I will see you at 1PM. Someone will be at the front door to let you in. Thank you.

09/02/2016

As I muse on continuing Rawsome On The Road (rawsome.ca), planning for a month long walk on the Camino, letting go and moving on, healing... I reread much of Chris' writing.

"Life is a road. I personally have a very poor sense of direction. Same with taking multiple-choice tests. Every answer seems possible. So making choices has never been easy for me. But as I look at my 60 year old map, I feel blessed and know, that each choice led me to exactly where I want to be. It couldn’t be any better than this. I’m grateful for each encounter, each relationship, each mistake, each shining star, each sunny day, each raindrop, each blustery moment.

And one final word about choices. Each day brings us an opportunity to make a new choice. Whether it is ending a relationship, or going back to school, or taking up a hobby, or changing jobs, or deciding to exercise or diet, or to do nothing – anything is possible. And in the end, it won’t be wrong. Hindsight will give you some points of reference and reflection. But it is what it is. So live like your life is one giant choice – which in fact it is. You won’t regret it." -Chris Gay

* May 24 2015

03/02/2016

My greatest moment was finally living somewhere else when I went to university. I found three different locations during my university years, and each move filled me with a renewed sense of vigor, until the next move. This wanderlust has never diminished. It has been a source of enterprise and discourse throughout my long marriage. Even at an age, where one typically thinks of settling into a financial safety net of compromise and routine, I still imagine ‘what if’ scenarios.

As my search continues for my ‘ideal’ home situation, I am beginning to appreciate ‘that’ home will never be found. I’m also realizing that this need to relocate is more a metaphysical yearning that cannot be answered through a lifetime of moves. I’m on The Road To Stillness, within myself, not a place or locale or building.

Life is a journey. We flow along a continuum of moments punctuated by happenstance and purpose. In order to maintain some level of equilibrium, we peak and we fall. Each one of us has a road map to follow based upon our unique character. When I heard that the word ‘character’ is literally translated in French to mean: “imprint upon the soul”, I became convinced that we all have the ability to engage with the world from our deepest sense of self. The moments where life soars and all is right with the Universe, are those times when we are clear, consistent, positive, diligent, patient, and joyful. The valleys that dip us into remorse, despair, dis-ease, and abandonment occur when we have lost touch with our essence.

To lift ourselves above the clouds, we need to acknowledge the messages we are receiving and then move forward. It is when we become encumbered with negativity, when we can’t see beyond hope, we lose our sense of self and we spin our wheels into a rut of self-deprecation and low esteem. If we can’t figure out how to give ourselves a push, there we will sit at the intersection of life. A road is awaiting but we just don’t know which way to turn. So some days a U-turn is more appealing than embarking on a new path. We’re all on a road to . . . somewhere.

29/01/2016

Chris received this as a gift for her birthday. Her belief in the goodness of people, the power of writing, taking each day as an opportunity to care, to laugh, to let go and to find joy was contagious.

I was blown away. It was a friend's birthday but what does she do? She gives me a gift. Thank you MarLa Thomas Spencer - my words as a meme. I am touched and honoured. Please share if it speaks to you.

29/01/2016

Rawsome on the road will continue... I will endeavour to carry on with Rawsome on the Road News, recipes, musings, insights and stories. Some new, some old with lot's of inspiration from my best friend. Thanks to all of you. Your support and love was/is much appreciated. Jim

27/01/2016

Christine Nina Gay passed on January 1, 2016. Chris was born June 29, 1953 in Toronto, Ontario. Her professional life was founded on her ability to articulate verbally what others often could not do for themselves. Chris was an early interventionist, working with children with disabilities and their families and caregivers. Advocating for their rights, seeing only the abilities rather than the disabilities, and adapting their world for inclusion became her raison d'être.

Chris loved music, life and mostly her children and grandchildren. She will be greatly missed. Chris is survived by her life partner and best friend, Jim Maurice; her children- Kate (Kipp), Jean-Paul, and Eve; her grandchildren-Kai, Kumi and Kobe; her brother Ron and beloved mother, Nina.

There will be a gathering for anyone who wants to say goodbye and share their stories on Sunday, February 14th. Chris would like people to laugh and hug and dance and listen to music and eat good food.

A memorial service will be held at a later date on Salt Spring Island.

“We dedicated 2015 to us, with our imperfections, insecurities, and indelible spirit. We guaranteed, it would be a year well lived.”

13/12/2015

My Stage 4 Cancer Update: It is a very aggressive progressive cancer - each day continues to be a gift - the physical changes are too numerous to list nor does that serve anyone. Some things are better kept private. I use a walker to get around the apartment, Jim Maurice (the very best devoted soul mate, spiritual counsellor, caregiver, and loving gatekeeper one can imagine) pushes me in a wheelchair in the 'real' world, and I now sleep in a hospital bed - if you are looking for a charity to donate to the Red Cross is UNBELIEVABLE - I would not have all the FREE equipment I have for without them. I tire easily, I still go to the naturopath for twice weekly IV mistletoe/Vitamin C treatments - for quality of life - they give me a spurt of energy and some momentary pain relief. And drugs have become my new best friend - if I stay on top of them I feel great! We are not looking for miracle cures or over the top expensive US or Mexican clinics - my naturopath treatments are all we can afford (thank you to my 93 year old mother) and I can't travel - traveling around downtown Victoria is travel enough - it is exhausting. All we ask for is to keep us in your thoughts, send love and healing energy when you have a moment. That would be a wonderful gift. And if you want an update or possibly visit for an hour, Jim Maurice is who you connect with in a private message. Thank you and holiday blessings to you and your families.

22/11/2015

A great article on the PEAK Performance Project British Columbia finale, with related interviews on the top 3 winners.

Online music publication featuring new music through interviews, album reviews, and concert reviews. With a focus on Canadian album reviews, and international features.

21/11/2015

Well it was a night full of joy. We are so proud of our son JP Maurice for his big $75,000 win. He hung up his baseball shoes at the age of 17 and left them in Cuba and came home to become a musician. He has been working at this since at least the age of 10 - that's 20 years to finally win some cash (thanks PEAK Performance Project British Columbia and Music BC, for all you provided BC musicians - the opportunity to live and realize a dream. JP has already invested in a recording studio and will continue to collaborate with BC Musicians to create the best music possible - like he did last night - the best show of the night at the Commodore with lots of new songs, energy, and love on and off and the stage. It was a dream come true. Thanks JP! You made the night VERY SPECIAL for your fans, your friends, your family, for you. May joy fill you everyday moving forward.

19/11/2015

Tonight is the night: BC PEAK Performance Project British Columbia's last big Commodore Show in Vancouver to see who will win the top 3 prizes in what order. Of course the whole family is attending tonight and rooting for JP Maurice and it could not be possible without the support of so many fans and The PEAK 102.7 Read all about JP in this article: http://canadianbeats.ca/2015/11/18/countdown-to-peak-performance-project-bc-q-a-with-jp-maurice/

By: Jenna Melanson Peak Performance Project BC has reached it’s final year and we had the chance to interview the top 3 artists in a sort of countdown to the Finale Concert which will take pl…

31/10/2015

"So often we imagine that 'There' is more full of gold than 'Here'. It is the same with love and dreams and the work of our lives. We see the light everywhere but where we are, and chase after what we lack only to find, humbly, it was with us all along." - Mark Nepo

30/10/2015

Thank you - JP Maurice made it to the TOP 3!
Just to give you a little bit of insight into what your support did for our son, JP Maurice. The grand finale is November 19 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. My intention is to be there, and Jim said even if it means I'm in a wheelchair and on IV - I will make it. So thank you. And as in all things in life, it simply is left to the stars and angels and whatever gods and goddesses to whom you pray, to see who will finally win. Good Luck JP!
The Top 3 artists have been announced and now its time to reveal their ranking and give away over $227,000 in prizing!
Featuring (in order of appearance)

:: Van Damsel ::
http://www.vandamsel.com/

:: Bed of Stars ::
http://www.bedofstars.com/

:: JP Maurice ::
http://jpthemaurice.com/

The Top 12 artists were each awarded $5000 in development funding before they joined forces with the PEAK Performance Project Alberta to attend an intense seven-day bootcamp at RockRidge Canyon in Princeton BC. From there, each artist performed at Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver and carried out a number of career enhancing challenges and online voting that accumulated points for the adjudication committee. The Top 3 artists will share over $277,000 in prizing! While the top 3 have already been ranked, we won’t reveal that ranking until the Finale Concert at the legendary Commodore Ballroom on Thursday, November 19th.

1st Place will take home 102.7 thousand dollars, 2nd place $75,000 and 3rd Place $50,000.

To commemorate the final year that the Alberta and the BC projects will run simultaneously, the Top 12 Alberta and BC Artists were challenged with co-writing a song to record at boot camp using the theme “Hello, Goodbye”. The artists worked with our amazing producers Shawn Cole, Jeff Dawson, Howard Redekopp, Russell Broom, Josh Gwilliam and Nik Kozub to come up with 12 original songs. All 12 songs were recorded in 6 pop-up studios built in a day at RockRidge Canyon by the Nimbus School of Recording Arts and Media and their amazing crew.

Download all of the songs for FREE here: http://peakperformanceproject.com/hello-goodbye

More information on each of the PEAK Performance artists is available atbc.peakperformanceproject.com

More information on Music BC: www.musicbc.org

Adversity has never defined JP Maurice. The seasoned Vancouver/Toronto based musician, producer and songwriter knows the highs of his craft, but it’s in the lows that he finds his fire. The muscular pop/rock tracks of Maurice’s debut solo album The Arborist, reflects an artist who can take a bad day…

24/10/2015

For those of you who are not 'friends' with JP Maurice on FB, Please see his message. Jim Maurice and I also are filled with gratitude for your generosity. Thank you.

23/10/2015

I jumped the gun. There are 24 hours left to VOTE for JP Maurice and donate to his charity Creatively United for the Planet. Many many thanks to all who have contributed so generously to date. We are very appreciative.
http://bc.peakperformanceproject.com/vote/
https://www.gofundme.com/BigChangeIsComing

22/10/2015

Everyone has been so generous. Thank you! One last push today for JP Maurice's charity Creatively United for the Planet. I greatly appreciate you taking to heart what is important in JP's heart. AND today is the last day to VOTE for JP as well for the PEAK Performance Project British Columbia - http://bc.peakperformanceproject.com/vote/

https://www.gofundme.com/BigChangeIsComing

Cancer is an epidemic that has touched every human being the world over. It seems that every living person knows someone close to them who has been affected by the disease. I hold a firm belief that as a society we need to look at the root causes of why this is occurring in our communities, inst...

20/10/2015

Big Change is coming.
We have been asked by so many what they can do. First, just that they asked is a gift. We are so fortunate in all we have, but we thought about it and Chris decided that the two things that she would most appreciate would be for folks to do this:
1) go to http://bc.peakperformanceproject.com/vote/ and vote for JP Maurice.
2) go to https://www.gofundme.com/BigChangeIsComing and donate what ever you can...$5?

Thank you for your thoughts,

Chris and Jim

19/10/2015

We apologize for what may be shocking for many. We have shared already privately with many people. We appreciate reading notes from people but in all honesty, phone calls/walks/visits are exhausting at the moment. Chris has so many appointments coming up she just wants to focus on taking care of her…

18/10/2015

Some voting is a no brainer and voting for JP Maurice is the best choice possible. You can only vote once with one unique email address. So if you have more than one email address, then go for it and vote more than once. And SHARE with others. Thank you!

This site has info about JP and links to music, videos, his charity, and more.
http://jpthemaurice.com/

While you're at it, please help JP with his charity fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/BigChangeIsComing

17/10/2015

It is now time to vote for your favourite PEAK Performance artist. Naturally we believe JP Maurice is the one. Please go to this site and put in your name and relevant info and vote for JP Maurice. And share with others to do the same. He is in the running for either $50,000, $75,000, or the main dream of $102,700. Thank you!
http://bc.peakperformanceproject.com/vote/

16/10/2015

I have been silent on FB for a number of reasons. Right now I want to focus on our son JP Maurice who we had the pleasure of seeing perform in the last PEAK Performance Project British Columbia showcase. It was brilliant, the band was tight, JP was in excellent form, and the night was filled with hugs from so many of JP's friends. Thank you. Jim Maurice and I loved being pulled from our introverted shells and treated so royally by everyone. It was a night to remember a Big Change is coming. With gratitude.

12/10/2015

Here's a great review of JP Maurice's fundraiser for the PEAK Performance Project British Columbia So for all of you who missed out, there is still time to donate Creatively United For The Planet through: https://www.gofundme.com/BigChangeIsComing THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING.

It seems like fundraising cover nights at the Biltmore are all the rage right now. After a couple of nights in the past few months organised by David Vertesi for SingItFwd, it was JP Maurice's turn, as he presented his Peak Performance Project fundraiser, Cover Up For The Planet, "a celebration of V…

06/10/2015

JP Maurice is an artist who is part of the PEAK Performance Project British Columbia. One of the components is to fundraise and give back to the community. He has already donated his $500 winnings from a song writing competition at the PEAK Performance Boot Camp to Creatively United. JP believes in a holistic approach to addressing issues affecting the community, the environment, and health. That is why he is supporting Creatively United - http://creativelyunited.org/ One way you can support this organization is to attend JP's fundraiser at The Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver on Oct 7th. Another way is to contribute to his GoFundMe campaign - https://www.gofundme.com/BigChangeIsComing - in an effort to make money for Creatively United. Every little bit helps the organization AND provides JP with additional points for his final score for the PEAK Performance. Talk about a win-win. Thank you for considering.

Just Announced:

PEAK Performance Project British Columbia artist JP Maurice brings his favourite local artists together for a celebration of music on October 7th. One band and over 10 singers covering the best songs to come out of Rain City. Pretty cool, eh?

$10 advance tickets on sale now via www.ticketfly.com
All proceeds are going to Creatively United for the Planet.
RSVP Here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1617565181845425/

16/09/2015

Hey Ocean has a new music video out performed entirely of recycled materials. Please watch and VOTE!

Vote for your favourite music video!

13/09/2015

Consume through a straw, go slow, and maintain whole fruits and dark leafy green veggies - not juices and added sugar. Learn more.

Concerns about smoothies and oxalic acid, nitrate availability, dental erosion, and weight gain are addressed.

07/09/2015

You may want to skip putting apples into your morning green smoothie but berries are good as well as banana and greens. Watch this 4-minute video to learn more.

Might disrupting the fiber by blending fruit result in overly rapid sugar absorption?

07/09/2015

JP Maurice is back from Boot Camp for the PEAK Performance Project British Columbia - read his note, and all his thanks to the many people who made this rich experience possible. And while you're at it, listen to his new hit single - BIG CHANGE at 102.7 The PEAK - Where Great Music Lives at 7:45pm TODAY - http://ckpk.streamon.fm/

05/09/2015

Still one of the best covers of Dreams by JP Maurice and friends. Thanks JP et al.

Produced by Dave Wallace of Innovate Imageworks http://www.innovateimageworks.com

03/09/2015

This is poignant and telling. Thanks for sharing Jim Maurice
https://www.facebook.com/CCHRInternational/videos/vb.119055084778508/1085977368086270/?type=2&theater

03/09/2015

The opening words of Wayne Dyer's movie The Shift touched my heart. Still have the whole movie to watch for free for this week only. Looking forward to continued resonance and life affirming wisdom. - http://www.drwaynedyer.com/the-shift-movie-watch-now?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email_Dyer_the_shift&utm_source=10026843&utm_id=6379WS&utm_content=6379WS

"Thoroughly unprepared, we take the step into the afternoon of life. .. We cannot live the afternoon of life according to life's morning. What was great in morning will be little in evening. And what in the morning was true, in the evening will become a lie." - Wayne Dyer

The feature-length film, The Shift, starring Dr. Wayne Dyer and Portia de Rossi.