Looking Back/Looking Forward

Last year at this time, I took a look back on the year that was. In keeping with the reflective nature of year's end, I will attempt to make sense kind of year 2007 has been to me.

2007 started like any other year, with yours truly making one of those New Year's resolutions. I promised myself that I would do anything in my power to avoid a night shift. After 26 years in the business, I figure I have done enough of those. So working OT and taking the the time in lieu, plus vacation time, I was successful. Damn that's the first one of those "resolutions" I have ever kept. Score one for the Murman.


But seriously, 2007 like most years had it's good, it's bad and it's ugly moments. In January, the Robert Pickton Trial began. It was an assignment that ran throughout the year just ending a few short weeks ago. My time there covering it encapsulated "the good, the bad" and most certainly "the ugly" side of human kind. But an experience that I am grateful for none the less.




The month of February brought my first ever winter Vacation. My son had convinced me to strap on a pair of skis for the first time in nearly 20 years. The boy and I spent an incredible week skiing in Whistler along with my brother who was visiting from New Jersey. Now I understand why people take "winter" vacations in cold places. Not to mention the quality time that was spent with my brother and my son.




March brought record flight time. This was due to the weather. Rain, rain and more rain equals LANDSLIDES. There were plenty. During one week of my flight duties, we spent the duration covering a number of significant slides that closed the Trans- Canada highway between Hope and Chilliwack BC. Further up the Fraser river more slides cut off the town of Lytton. It became one of the most visual stories that I covered this year from the air.



But 2007 also turned out to be a year of great loss. In April, the war in Afghanistan became very personal with the death of a young Canadian soldier named David Greenslade. I had never met young David, but I had grown up with his mother Laurie. He was her only child.

Loss continued into the summer and hit all of us at CTV British Columbia very hard with the news that Kenny Lim, a Graphic Artist at the station, had drowned while on vacation with his family in Ontario. The story of his death is one of selfless courage and love for his son. It exemplified the kind of human being Kenny was.

As the leaves fell, so too did a former colleague after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer, Heather Proudfoot-Barry. She was a political journalist of the highest standard. She had been a joy to work with. A day does not go by as I check my hit counters for this blog, when I do not find at least 10 searches for "Heather Proudfoot". It leads me to believe that she is often thought about by all those whom she touched in her brief time with us.

My Family too had been touched by loss in 2007. Just a few days ago, I got word of the passing of my aunt Phyllis. She had spent Christmas with her sons and left us on Boxing Day. But as I think of her and my late Uncle Bill, I always think of their infectious laughter and brilliant senses of humour, and that makes me smile.



The year also gave gifts of experience and gifts of connection. Connections to old friends that I had long lost contact with. Yes I succumbed to the power of Facebook and it yielded many old and dear friends. There is a comfort in that act of reconnection and I am grateful for it.



But now it is time to look forward. The on coming year. New hope, new promise, new experiences, new challanges and of course new connections. God willing, good heath.

And so with that I wish you all a happy and healthy 2008. Now go hug someone you love.