2012 - TOP TEN OR SO MOMENTS

In no particular order, there are the events that I remember as "great" in the last 12 months.

BIKING
This year I put less miles on the bike than last year but I love it every day. It clears my head when it’s just me and the bike.

My creativity soars and I end up with a cell phone with of “to dos,” but that ok.

Any day with a bike ride is better than a day without.

TERRY FOX

There was a radio conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland in September and I took a side trip to see the sights, the best being the location where Terry Fox dipped his artificial foot in the water to start his Marathon of Hope.

I've been to Thunder Bay where his journey ended, and a couple years ago to his grave site in Port Coquitlam.

I am a big Terry Fox fan and those moments, there in NFLD, brought me to tears.


PRISON BREAK
It's a TV series that ended a few years ago. I never watched it until my son introduced me to it this year. It is four seasons of addictiveness. The characters are wild. The actors are brilliant. The storyline - clever. The downside is that the addictiveness kept me up very, very (very) late, with me arriving at work with dark circles. It doesn't stop there. Four months later, I watched the whole series again, with the same side affects!

HOUSE OF HEROES
It was LIFE 100.3's Air Raid 20, headlined by House of Heroes. After watrching HOH perform “So Far Away” is has become one of my favourite songs. When I hear the opening notes in my iPod I actually get excited!  It reminds me of a very big, expensive and detailed show that came together with one single problem. "So Far Away" reminds me of a great night and a backstage chat with Tim Skipper. I felt very blessed.

BLESSINGS

The song is by Laura Story. It’s a soft song, great for our daytime LIFE listeners but a song this big could be enjoyed by young people, if only there was a Top 40 version. Hmmmm. I asked my son Brett to create it, by using the original track and adding instruments and speeding it up to a dance-mix. He did. We aired it, and still do on LIFE, and I shared it with 15 other radio stations. The best part was with Brett, as he brought up the tracks on the computer, showing me the visualization of each track, so I could “see” the instruments, their placement in the song and the hours of work he put into it, that a listener would never comprehend. I learned so much. My kid is so smart and talented.

88.1
We applied to bring Christian radio to Toronto. The CRTC denied our application but our 20 minutes of fame before the Commission and our radio peers, was a fabulous moment in the spotlight, talking about Christian radio and presenting a very slick video about Christian music and how it encourages a special group of people. The journey was exciting and it kept me feeling up and optimistic about everything.



ON THE DOCK WITH DAN
Before Dan Bremnes started his summer tour in Ontario, (for which I booked about a dozen or so dates), he and the band came to my house for the afternoon before the tour started.

We spenT a wonderful day eating, swimming, racing the seadoo over the waves of Lake Simcoe and talking about music and God, in the sun on the dock. Just us boys. I’m reminded how much I need male fellowship.



THE COMPOUND
It’s a studio in Seattle, owned by Tooth and Nail Records, where Anberlin, the Classic Crime, Underoath, the Fold and several others have recorded. My son Brett worked there on occasion, producing and mixing for artists. Says Brett as we walk through the live room, “That’s the drum kit they used on most of the records.”

Man, it was a total rush to be there before the studio was sold and dismantled.




PLAYING WITH CHRIS

Chris Bray has become a really good friend. He invited me to play djembe with him for a show in Barrie.

Being a frustrated rock star I went into radio thinking, this would be as close to the music I will get.

Performing with a professional recording artist was a very high moment. Thanks Chris!

Mmmmmm..."more each day!"





ELMER

It is good to speak into people’s lives; to encourage them. Other times, they encourage us. At a radio conference in Vancouver, a well-known radio entrepreneur was in the audience.

He took the microphone for a few moments, and in front of everyone, he spoke into my life, affirming the work I do at LIFE 100.3 with specific references he seemed to be aware of. It was a special moment.



WATCHING HER DANCE
My church, Living For Jesus in Orillia is very different. The people who attend are generally out of work, homeless, both, or worse.  Attending is a lesson in compassion. One day, there was a physically and mentally challenged fellow worshipping God. One of the women at church went to dance with him. I watched, amazed, at her compassion, as she led him in a slow, gentle dance, in front of everyone, including her husband who watched proudly. I was thinking “Most people wouldn’t even say hello but this woman acted like Jesus and danced with him.” I hope I never forget that moment.

THE HOUSE

We moved to Oro Station over a year ago to the beautiful house that is "our dream home". It may not be special to other people but it is to us.

There are so many amazing things about this house. One thing we decided on immediately after moving in, was that we wanted to use the house for hospitality - parties, meetings, bible studies, company and anything social.

We do, and it’s awesome!