celebrating lives greatly full :: greg kelly

I met Greg Kelly through mutual friends more than 10 years ago.  Since then, I have watched him make some courageous decisions regarding his musical career - and his life!  He has released two CDs and has become a driving force and inspiration in creating opportunities for local musicians to perform and share their stories.  Whether by coordinating regular Open Mic events, taking part in songwriting circles or inviting guests to perform with him during the Tunes at Noon event Saturdays at Michel Ange Café, Greg has been actively sharing his musical gift with us and with the community at large.  To me, this is putting his gratitude into action! 


Thanks for sharing some of that gratitude here, Greg!


Thank you so much for inviting me to participate in your daretobegrateful blog.  It certainly is well named.  Sometimes humility is a stumbling block to gratitude....excuses, excuses.  :)

You ask what personal experience am I grateful for and why; what skill am I grateful for and why; and, what failure am I grateful for and why.    Tough questions indeed.

My name is Greg Kelly.  I am successful.  I am a failure.  I am human. 

Being human was the toughest one to face. 

I married at 21 and stayed together with my wife for 27 years before we separated in 2001.  We raised our daughter together and are proud grandparents of 2 young 'uns.  Although separated, we continue to do things as family with our daughter and grandchildren.  To be able to maintain mutual respect, and yes, continued love (albeit in a totally different manner), is something that I am incredibly grateful for...and proud of.

The skill that I'm most grateful for is being able to communicate with people from all walks of life, and to bring people together through music...either by encouraging participation in an open mic, or by helping in their song-writing, or by performing my music for them, or inviting people to perform for others.  My music skills were close to zero when I was actively using alcohol and drugs, but sobriety and time have helped me re-discover what I believe I am meant to do in my life.

The failure I'm most grateful for and why....now that's either tough or easy.  To tell you the truth, I'm glad that I fell as far as I did through alcohol abuse.   Happier still that I was able to re-connect with myself through sobriety.  My first year of sobriety consisted of me finding out who I am.  Ever since then, I have been discovering who I am not.  And that's okay.  It's okay to be able to fall and get back up, fall and get back up....cuz that's what life is for me.  So, yeah... although I wasted many, many years with drunkenness, and messed up in many ways, I would never have been able to see me for who I am - and am not - had I not sobered up. 

And for that, I am eternally grateful.