I made sure to finish the music production for the MKS Studio Vivace Choir’s song “Jesus, Thank You” (now being synced to the video recording) so as to be ready for the week of April 15th as I and quite a number of other tech, set, stage, directors, facilitators and most importantly – actors spent much time preparing and presenting Annie Jr. at the Marion High School theater. The presentation was one small part of the educational opportunities at MKS Studio. It was obvious that much time had been spent learning choreography, lines, staging and performing. The shows on Friday evening and Saturday matinee and evening were all very well done.

My role was primarily supporting my friend Allyn in setting up the audio and interfacing with the theater’s system for the 20+ mics and soundtrack playback. Allyn certainly did the bulk of the pre-work of programming each scene after a thorough analysis and mapping of the miking needs at each point in the musical. I also extended scene transition music, communicated with backstage and even ran the spotlight for part of one scene (my total career as a spotlight operator thus far), and in general kept an eye open for roles of facilitating the success of the week. It had been a few years since I’d been involved in a theater production, and I was reminded that I really do enjoy it and appreciated the opportunity of being included. Hats off to MKS Studio and everyone involved in sharing the heart-warming story of Annie Jr.

“Take It Slow” could have a number of different meanings in life, but this one is special. Amanda contacted Tesco Productions recently to record the lyrics to a piano track by this title. As I listened to the first pass on the song I was struck by not only how well she was performing, but also by the very amazing words she had penned. It turns out “take it slow” in this case means (as a mother) to slow down and appreciate every moment at each stage of your child’s life. As we later sat listening to the recordings and carefully picking the best of each part, I mentioned to Amanda how my wife and I have reflected on raising our daughter, and remembering how often we said “won’t it be nice when…” Well this perspective causes you to miss the “now” and each stage in your child’s development, and your unique relationship with them at each juncture. The same is true of course for every situation along life’s journey, but particularly poignant in the context of this song’s focus.

I had my wife take a listen after the session, and she was also quite touched by the reminder to cherish each moment we have with those we’ve been blessed with. Amanda has made a very nice video from her song which can be viewed here.

There’s a popular song I used to hear and sing in the 70s that said “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.” On the heels of “Unbroken Optimist”, Kofi Douhadji is preparing to release his latest book “Tiny Sparks”. The introduction to this book states that it is a “life toolbox” that “encourages reflection and meditation that will empower you to face each challenge with gratitude, optimism and resilience.” Reflecting back to stories learned at his Grandmother’s knee in Togo, West Africa, to collecting wisdom from mile markers in his life, Kofi shares short stories and quips geared to enhancing his readers/listeners lives and developing their full potential. Having worked with Kofi on “Unbroken Optimist” (available on Audible.com here and Amazon Books here) I can hear nuggets of wisdom reaped from his life journey to this point, and while he certainly focuses on today he also has an ever forward-looking perspective to what he will be and experience tomorrow. He challenges each of us to take a 2nd, 3rd, 4th… look at the (often timeless) principles of truth that enable us to live into the best design our Creator had in mind. At this point we’ve recorded nearly half of the book’s content, and I look forward to hearing the remainder.