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:: page 10 :: Back on KSLR Radio In March of 2003, KSLR re-hired me to host my call-in talk show "Take A Stand" weekday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. in San Antonio. For the previous six months, I had been working as an independent, commission-based contractor for the San Antonio Express-News, selling local businessmen the ability to sponsor the "Newspapers in Education" program for $250 where they would provide a public school teacher with 25 papers a week during the academic year. The teacher would incorporate lessons on vocabulary, geography, history and reading comprehension -- using the newspaper as a tool to supplement her curriculum. In return, the business would receive a plaque from the newspaper for their lobby and would be listed alphabetically in half-page to full-page "thank you" ads. My boss would literally rip a page of the white pages business listings out of the phone book and ask me to make cold calls. Inevitably, I would stumble upon a former KSLR listener who recognized my voice. "Adam, I thought you moved away for another radio job." "Nope. I've never left the city. I am looking for my next job in radio, but right now I'm working with the Express-News to pay the bills." So, I was eager to get back behind the microphone and onto the frontlines of the cultural, spiritual battle. What made my relationship with Amy especially unique was that she had never heard my show during my initial employment from June, 1997 to September 21, 2001. Of course, during the course of our friendship and romantic relationship, she had heard about my years on radio both in Texas and North Carolina. And she had heard portions of taped interviews I had conducted. But she had never heard me on the radio live. Which made her love for me that much more meaningful. She really did love me for me. Not some image in her imagination from the radio. Frankly, I was humbled and honored by that. In fact, when I resumed hosting my talk show on KSLR, Amy sent me a floral arrangement with some sweet, encouraging words. I felt like I could take on the world knowing that she believed in me.
Easter Sunday, 2003 "Dear Adam, I had a great time with you today at church on Easter Sunday. I have enjoyed every minute spent with you since you picked me up at the airport after I flew in from Turkey. "You're very special to me Adam. I'm so glad you were by my side to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. ~ Love, Amy."
Adam's birthday You probably raised an eyebrow at that last quality. Suffice it to say, growing up in the McManus household was unique in many respects including the fact that we played "The Scaring Game." We literally had an erasable white board on the refrigerator with each of our names listed and how many people we had scared that month. The person with the greatest number of points, got an ice cream sundae. So, there was always someone jumping out from behind a door, yelling at the top of their lungs. Needless to say, ever since then, someone can innocently walk up behind me at the radio station, out of my eyesight, ask me a question, and I almost wish I had been wearing a pair of Depends. Amy gave me a set of green sushi plates and fancy chopsticks along with five different birthday cards. She liked them all, and couldn't pick just one.
In one of them, she wrote, "Dear Adam, I'm so glad that you agreed to talk to me and that I've now been back in your life. And boy has it been a blast! All the laughs, all the talks on the phone into the wee hours of the night, and all the other ridiculous situations we've gotten ourselves into together. Oh my gosh. It's been fun McManus. I hope your next year is full of fun, laughter and many blessings. Love, Amy." Index :: Previous |
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