One month out. I’m now learning about the loss of a mother. The destabilization. The untethering. The VOID. Empty. No matter her age; circumstance. It’s shocking. Shocking. From my first breath of life. She was there. Being in her presence on the daily; my focal; my priority; my most important job. Making sure she was good in her last years. And then it’s silenced. Destabilization. My main. Main. Something I’ve learned about loss. When you lose a loved one you learn a lot about them after they die. It happened with my dad. It happened with Brett. And now with my mom. You learn about them through others that loved them. It’s a peculiar thing. You know them as you know them – the unilateral relationship you have with your loved one. You assume you know all of their dimensions. You know them – they are your dad; your husband; your mom. But then you learn about them through others. And their unilateral relationship. How they valued them. What they meant to them. Their memories of them. Stories; quirks; things you never heard. It deepens the loss in some ways as you now want to ask them more questions. Query them on each and every aspect of their life. And so it is. My deepest love. My most potent connection. And I know I’m lucky for this. But man it’s It’s a F-ing. Mother. I had to post this picture. I mean. 💔❤🔥✨
Just Added to the Miss Ethnic Non-Specific Staged Reading Benefit: A special screening of the award winning short film "The Janitor." The film humanizes the immigration debate with a powerful take on 9/11 (or as one headline on the film wrote - A Cuban actor, a Jewish director, and a Syrian producer walk into a storage room in Portland, Oregon and ask, "Who is America?". Written by Rick Najera; Starring Joseph Perez Bertot; and Directed by Adam Klugman. We would love if you join us on Saturday, May 30th to support the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition who are on the frontlines of the fight for immigrant rights. And a special thanks to Blair Nesbitt and Chase Hawkins for jumping in to be out tech DJs. #ImmigrantRights #ActivismThroughArt
Reflecting. Grieving. Pondering. Feeling. Feeling. Feeling. This is my dad's song to my mom. Just feeling it. All of it. Reduce us to love. "You'll never find, as long as you live. Someone who loves you tender like I do. You'll never find, no matter where you search. Someone who cares about you the way I do. Whoa, I'm not braggin' on myself, baby. But I'm the one who loves you. And there's no one else, no-oh-oh one else." Hopefully they're dancing to it in the ether. #soultrain #mom #Reflection #lourawls
Activism through Art!!!! Come join us in a staged reading of "Miss Ethnic Non-Specific" to benefit the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition. Saturday, May 30th, 7:30 p.m.. Pay What you Can at the Door but please RSVP to [email protected]. Space is limited. PIRC fights for immigrant justice in Oregon with rapid response, advocacy, and organizing. Call PIRC if you see ICE or a loved one is detained 1-888-622-1510.
In 2021 filmmaker Jeff Scott Taylor invited me be interviewed for his "Life in Art" series. He has released the interviews on a YouTube Channel this week and I'm very honored to be included with this group of heavy hitting artists. Jeff asked me about all kinds of things related to my life in art as an actor and a teacher. Thank you Jeff for including me in the conversation - I feel very fortunate in this way. I still hold true to what I said then. No matter. We all have the ability to create. And above all to be kind. Link below. #lifeinart #actor #actingcoach #kindnessmatters
From the bottom of my heart - thank you for the outpouring of love - texts, calls, messages and so many generous, kind and loving gestures and words - they all mean more than I can say. If I'm slower to respond, please know it's not personal. I'm devastated and feeling a deep and profound emptiness, sadness, heartache and crushing void in my life right now. I'm allowing myself to grieve in the way that feels right for me. I've been wrestling with the tentacles of grief for some time and I've learned how to pace myself and honor what I need (lots of fur baby cuddles and soft blankets for a start). Below is my mom's official obituary. If inclined memorial donations may be made to Hopewell House in Portland, Oregon at /. They were and are heroes to me, my mom and my family. More on that in a later post. But mainly so much gratitude as I navigate this difficult and heartbreaking time- it still hasn’t registered that she’s gone. My heart just aches. Reduce us to love. Always. /obituaries/Cherry-Ann-Haddad?obId=48179867
Postponing Brett's Bass Fund Annual Noise-A-Thon until October, 2026. As the date gets closer I will promote/encourage folks to sign up but right now it's what needs to be done. Much love and gratitude to all as I navigate this time. ❤
Cherry Ann Haddad. "Jake" Born to Paul and Sophia Yamor (Yamorithes) Greek immigrants from a small village in Turkey. She was raised in a small coastal fishing/logging town in Northern California, Crescent City. One of many immigrant families to settle there. Her father working for a dollar a day in the lumber mill; her mother Sophia keeping the home fires burning literally; cooking on a wood stove; learning the “American” ways. Cherry always expressed fond memories of the community she was stitched into; Sunday dinners; playing with her friends; playing sports (basketball, softball); flirting with boys and having fun in the treehouse that her best friend’s (Audrey) dad made for them. They ran in the woods; played on the beach; picked berries; danced, dated and had a joyful childhood. Her nickname was “Jake” as she was one of the boys. She was a half a generation younger than her beloved brother (George) and sister (Marie) and they shepherded her into the ways of the “big city”. Both went to U.C. Berkely and she would journey down to visit them where they would go to the glamourous venues of San Francisco in the 1950s. She would talk about going to the burlesque and comedy shows that were of the time. Phillis Diller and such. She eventually went to Berkeley herself and studied fashion and nutrition. She met her husband, Samir, a graduate student from Lebanon at the International House at U.C. Berkeley at a party. Neither of which had wanted to attend. He was sitting in a corner reading a magazine. She approached him and next thing you know – they danced all night and then danced through life. She worked for the fashion icon I. Magnin and then went on to work in woman’s retail until the ripe age of 82. She volunteered at her kids school and for many other causes. She was an avid supporter of The Special Olympics, U.S. Veterans and Easter Seals. She was an AVID reader. She read every day of her life. Book upon books. All genres and topics and subjects. But she did love a good mystery, crime novel or romance. She LOVED to garden. She knew flowers and plants like the best of them. She was a gourmet cook. More below....
Κεράσι. Cherry Ann. Cherry. Like the fruit. My hero. My mom. My best friend. My person that gave me life. My mommy. My great great love. My co-conspirator. My rock of rocks. My source of emotional strength and well-being. My mad cap caper partner in crime. My rant buddy. My laugh buddy. My heart. How will I be on this earth without you? I fear this tribute won’t do her justice as she was and is a queen of queens. The one in a trillion trillion. She led with kindness, an open heart, no ego and a spirit of humor and fun and empathy and real real realness and perspective. She had no need to puff herself up. She had zero ego. ZERO. She took pleasure in the simplest of life’s pleasures. And she did so in a way that was so deeply inspiring and humbling. She did it all with intention. When she read she read. When she cooked she cooked. There was no residue. Just purity. She was present to every moment. Loved by all. Until her very last breath this morning. In her final days while dying she managed to charm the entire staff at Hopewell House. They were enamored by her. Down to bubblegum pink nails and her shocking pink lipstick. Cherry (or Jake which was her nickname growing up) taught me about the most profound and yet the simplest truths. About acceptance. Kindness. Curiosity. Perspective. Love. Friendship. Fortitude. Above it all she was all about friendship; love; kindness; acceptance about having FUN, being kind and having FUN, laughing and having FUN, accepting and loving all and having FUN, seeing the good in all and having FUN and did I mention having FUN? We had countless chats and I would query often for her sage advice but in one of our last she remarked how much she loved my friends and how she loved that I had such incredible people in my life that had now become her friends too. And that made her heart so very happy. And of course, I concurred – in this way – my mom, family and friends. I hit the lotto. Here she is a month ago. Her musings on life. She was born to immigrants; no money; no pomp and circumstance. But always…always. . . love.
Mom is in her final time on this plane. I've been bedside for 40 days and have witnessed each day her gradual decline and now her active dying process. No longer eating, drinking and silent to the world. She is in transition. Bearing witness. It's awful awful, wrenching to watch. Labored. And yet I know it's profound. I watched her through the night. The smell of jasmine and the glow of stars. Please pray for final moments and for her desired peace. Things look much different now but here she is at the beginning of her stay at Hopewell House with a unicorn pony...#heartbreak #prayers #love
Me again! QUICK UPDATED INFO RSVP EMAIL ADDRESS: This event is pay what you can at the door but please RSVP to the new email address - space is limited so grab a spot today! RSVP to: [email protected]. LET'S MAKE NOISE FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHT AND THE Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition!
📣📣📣Announcing! One Night Only – Staged Reading Benefit for the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition! With all that's happening in the world I'm fervently compelled to do something through art. Sooooo....I’m resurrecting my original show Miss Ethnic Non-Specific for a reading and benefit for the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) The show touches on what it means to be American and couldn’t be more timely. I’m the daughter of an immigrant and a granddaughter to immigrants. PIRC is on the frontlines fighting for immigrant rights. Please join me to raise some money for those that are defending the rights of immigrants in our community through education, rapid response and legal support. More on PIRC below. Email [email protected] to RSVP. #missethnicnonspecific #ImmigrantRights #ActivismThroughArt #lebanon
