How did you ring in the new year? Or maybe a better question is how did your new year sound? Mine was full of music…and a little tap dancing. My husband John and I had the privilege of serving as emcees at “The Sounds of Midnight” fundraising event for the Habersham Community Theater.

My earliest memory of an orca “killer” whale was seeing the beautiful, sleek, black and white animal dive, spin, and splash at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. Its name was Shamu. As a little girl, I was in awe of Shamu’s enormous size, intelligence, and playful personality. Somehow, this incredible creature knew what its trainers were communicating and asking it to do.

It took me by surprise, and, quite frankly, it took my breath away. I never expected to hear such a beautiful sound while pumping gas into my car at the local Wal-mart station. But that’s where it happened.