20 Years In Nashville

March 14, 2004, twenty years ago today , I took the plunge and headed to Nashville, TN for a new phase in my life and what an adventure it has been.

Doors opened up for me to work for several Christian music companies, including New Day Distribution, Diadem Music and Benson Music Group. This allowed me to work with several leaders in their field as well as so many artist that I had been moved and blessed by for so many years. So many artist that were at the top of the charts in all genres of Christian Music.

Opportunities opened up for me to experience so many perks through these companies, including experiencing a close rapport with the artist and more concerts than most get a chance to enjoy in a lifetime. Through the years, I had the chance to take a cruise to the Bahamas with Diadem Music and the opportunity to sing at Amy Grant's House, "The Loft" with the likes of Michael W. Smith, Nichole, Paul Overstreet and several others. Yep, my fifteen minutes of fame.

It was a learning process for sure as I learned that even in Christian music, it's about the bottom line and making money for the companies.

Through the years, I've had the chance to visit so many states around Tennessee and learning so much. From seeing lake Michigan and Erie, to enjoying the Olympics in Atlanta, I could write a book just on those travels.

While I was with Benson, I was diagnosed with cancer and given about 6 months to a year to live. That was about 18 years ago. I still have to battle some health problems but I try not to let them get me down and I give God all the Glory.

I made a decision to start working more on my own music and put it in a set of songbooks for others to use and enjoy. Shortly after I got started, the health of my parents changed drastically and the next 7 or 8 years were spent with tons of trips back and forth to Texas, taking charge of all of the responsibilities of their stay in a nursing home and their business affairs. While in the nursing home, my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, surviving only about a month before he passed. The week of his funeral, we found out my mom had liver cancer. Being the fighter that she was, she kept on fighting for about a year and a half before she passed. Then another year of so many trips to Texas as I closed up all their affairs.

After a couple of weeks at home, I headed to the North East, from Pennsylvania, to New York, to Washington DC and all their surrounding states, taking in all I could, relearning to enjoy the simple things as well as the big and wonderful things this country has to offer. I returned home to start anew, to find ways of letting go of the stress, some anger and some grief and yep, I'm still working on that.

At the ripe old age of 59, I took a big step and started my own publishing company. Who would have thought that I would be the CEO of my own company this late in my life. But it was time for me to do what I loved the best. Starting the first of January, 2013, I had my first songbook, "Songs of the Heart", ready in September of that year. I'm finishing up a book of prose and poetry, "Whispers of Life" to come out later this year.

Through all the changes and struggles as well as the great times, my character and outlook on life changed significantly. I've learned to look at the world dramatically different than I did a few years back. Seeing a world with so much hatred and anger, I've started my own personal crusade to make the world a more positive place. I've learned that sometimes it's just reaching out to one person at a time, but with the internet, one can reach millions as well. So I'm no longer the man that I was 20 years ago. But thank God I'm not. I can say I've learned and grown, I've prevailed and made mistakes, but it all went into molding me into the man I am to day.

Finishing with my two favorite quotes:

"Let Your First Word Be A Smile"

and

"Be Who You Wish The Word To Be"

I challenge each of you to take each day and each moment and do something good. And 20 years down the road we can all say.......WOW......what a life.....


and the Journey Continues.....