Giving voice to the passion

Several years ago, my grandson Brayden, then all of 3, became quite frustrated with me on a road trip, and I wasn't even in the car. I had recorded a children's book for him and his mom, Nicole, decided that the road trip was the perfect time to hand him the book and insert the cassette. It worked great. Except when he had a question. He was just barely too young to understand that Grandma couldn't hear his repeated requests to stop reading for a minute so he could ask.

"Wait, Grandma, wait," he would implore. And Grandma, completely out of character I might add, would simply ignore him and just keep on reading.

I have always enjoyed reading aloud and I must have had a natural talent for it, because during the eighth grade at North Arvada Junior High, my English teacher frequently asked that I read the day's assignment to the class. I was happy to comply, because, like many young girls, I had the Hollywood dream in my blood. Seventh-period, eighth grade English became my stage.

During the second semester, the entire class took to the stage for the production of "Mountain Madness," and I was selected as the student director of the production.

I was in my element. I knew every part and knew just how it should be played and for once, for that brief period of time during rehearsal each afternoon, set aside my usual reticence and played the role of director to a "T."

Against all odds, the Hollywood dream persisted, and when I entered high school I signed up for drama class, competed on the speech and drama team, and was accepted for membership in the Thespians. It was great fun. I had wonderful instructors and wonderful classmates, all of us enjoying playing "make-believe" as thoroughly as any 4-year-old enjoys playing "dress-up."

As my best friend's late husband would remark years later after hearing me give an oral report on attending the national convention of school food service workers, I'm "kind of a ham."

I am. I have a lot of respect for the written word, and read it with an eye for context. Even when reading silently, I give voice to the drama set before me.

Of course, I never did go to Hollywood. I easily traded that somewhat tainted and tawdry dream for the reality of marriage and motherhood, the role I always believed I was created to fill.

I'm now drawing on the skills learned during during my teen years, some 38 years later. The opportunity came walking through the door in the guise of a new manager story for a small AM radio station west of town.

I did the story, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to meet Adam Spanier and I enjoyed helping to tell his story, explaining how he came to McCook, and helping to share his vision of what this small AM radio station will one day become, if God wills it so. I don't utilize any set interview style when gathering information for my stories. I start with a question and the interview takes on a life of its own, and by the time the conversation comes to a close, I have a story I believe the reader will want to read.

This interview was no different, and during the course of the conversation/interview, the subject of this column came up. Adam made a note of the Internet address and said he'd check some of them out. I didn't think another thing about it.

Several weeks later, he came by the Gazette to have his picture taken and proposed recording "Dawn of a New Day" for the radio station, offering me the opportunity to put voice to the words, to "give them the passion that inspired them."

We made the first recording on May 1.

What fun! Great big headphones, an oversized microphone and visible sound waves rising and falling with every word. I almost forgot how to breathe that first time and I'm sure Adam had quite the time editing the recording for broadcast. He knows his business though, and although my hesitancy was audible, the recording itself was seamless. We repeat the exercise every week and each week I walk away amazed and full of anticipation, in the same way that I walk away from this keyboard week after week, amazed and full of anticipation.

Setting aside my dreams, my agenda and most of all, my view of who I am, has made all the difference in my life. Waiting on the Lord and letting him dream his dreams for me and through me has resulted in a life far beyond anything I could have dreamed or imagined. And God, in his inimitable way, takes each week's offering -- in print, online and now on the air, and somehow, someway, somewhere, touches someone.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20, 21 (NIV)

Things you won't see in heaven: Cancellation notices

-- Dawn of a New Day airs each Wednesday at 1:01 p.m., on AM1360 KNGN Good News Radio; "Change the dial, change your life"