Freiman's Missive to the populace

Sixteenth Edition


Thank You

Unto my brothers and sisters in the Legion of Shadows
come greetings from Freiman the Minstrel

I would like to say thank you.

I would like to say thank you to the Legion. It is, and it will continue to be, an honor to serve with you. You have made me feel special. You have listened when I sang. You have comforted me when I needed it. You have taken my songs and treated them like they were something special. Thank you.

Because I am in the Legion, I am part of the finest household the SCA has ever produced. I am counted among the finest group of people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. Thank you.

Thank you Lady Zanna, who has labored for years to put up, and keep up the Legion’s web pages, and who has given me not only this forum for my words, but also the great gift of her friendship despite my own bad behavior. Thank you.

Thank you to His Excellency Baron Larcombe. You have helped me in times of trouble more times than I can easily count. Thanks for the wonderful gifts, I still have the ring, and the sword hangs in a place of honor in my home, everybody who visits wants to pull it down off the wall and look at it. Thank you for the use of your phone at Gulf Wars. Thank you also to THLady Judith, who has stitched my tabard back together so many times it is now a kind of patchwork. Thank you.

Thank you to Her Excellency Baroness Rixa Erixdottir. Once again, I am embarrassed because I cannot remember each of the hundreds of times you have helped me in one way or another. Thank you for the ride home from Pennsic. Thank you for the pouch. Thank you for taking me around Pennsic so many times until I finally find my own way around there. Thank you for all the many wonderful things you have done for me. Thank you also to Mac, who made my first set of gauntlets. Thanks also to Lancelot, for all the ice that he fetched, and all the many other things he has done. Thank you to Alex, who is as lovely as she is inspirational. Thank you.

Lord Arlain, thank you for the gift of your friendship, even during the times I forgot who I was. Especially thank you for that.

To Her Excellency Vicountessa Susannah, or Suasu, or Sue. Thank you for all the times you have rebuilt my armor. Thank you for all the advice. Thank you for the knee coppes, the elbow coppes, and the helm. Thank you for all buckles, rivets and straps. Thanks for fixing my gauntlets. Thank you for all the advice, also when I forgot who I was. Thank you also to Kaus, who let me play guitar outside his shop when I was so bad I had to hunt the audience down like a skittish deer in the king’s woods. Thank you for the loan on the red pavilion at Pennsic 23. Thank you for loaning me your keys. Thank you.

Thank you to Drago for the pillow and the sambuko at Gulf Wars 10. Thanks to everyone who helped me with a place to stay, blankets, food, armor, shampoo, garb, and the hundreds of other things that a person needs to make it through the war.

Thank you to Raybiert and Andreanna, who fed me, and (literally) said “all you have to do is eat”.

Thank you to Patrick of Cleftlands, who took his job as my bodyguard so seriously that he was willing to risk physical danger to keep me safe, and his vacation.

Thank you to Lord Alan of the Brightlands for teaching by example.

Thank you to Absynthe, Ajah, Blue, Morgan Rowanwaif, Rini, Dancer, Kat, and all the other wolf women who have inspired, challenged and cared for me.

Thank you to Stu, for being the resident guy to ask about just about everything.

Thank you to Clar, for the millions of tabard strips, for the gift of your excellent writings, and for all the other things you do to make the ‘Legion more fun. Thanks for being my house sister.

Thank you to everyone who has been kind to my brother, His Lady, and my cousin.

Thank you Chendra, for listening to me moan and sing the “haven’t got my laurel blues” at Gulf Wars.

Thank you to Sandor, for the BCoM website, and for all the music help. If you haven’t seen the website, it’s at

http://sandor.arconian.com/sls/bcom.html

Thank you to Freda, Dave and all the folks at Odyssey coffee, for the friendship and the place to play. Also thanks for all the coffee.

Thank you to Sasha, for being my inflatable punching bag type toy.

Thank you also to all the folks I have omitted. There are many others, but I have to stop somewhere and get on to the most important stuff.

Thank you to Their Graces, Duke Kane and Dutchess Ilissa.

Thank you Kane for being the big brother many of us never had. Thank you for the shield, and for teaching me how to make a spear. Thank you for teaching me how to survive a battle. And also thanks for teaching me all the other stuff you were not trying to teach me, but did so by example.

Most of all, thank you Dutchess Ilissa. You created the system by which the Shadow Legion was created. You made a place where everybody could be welcome, and everyone could become better than we were. Your simple "if it’s not fun, you’re doing it wrong" philosophy, has made my game more fun than I could possibly imagine. Thanks for for listening to me whine and moan on the phone. Thanks for teaching me to grin when I really want to say things I would regret later. Thanks for letting me be your minstrel. Being in service to a Great Lady is a big part of my dream, and you were willing to take on one slightly used minstrel of poor reputation, and sorry word fame. As your minstrel, I have been able to grow, and learn, and become what I am today. I owe that to you, Thank you.

I owe the ’Legion more than I can possibly express. Everything that Freiman is, and everything he may ever become is because of your help, shelter, friendship, and example.

Thank you.

freiman
a minstrel