When I was 14, I remember trudging off to the Sailor’s Memorial at Point Pleasant Park, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, with my classmates from The School for the Blind and with our house parent / counselor, Mr. Ed Fraser, a proud veteran sailor of the Canadian Navy. On that November 11th day, the weather was not really conducive to a stroll in the park, and we made this fact very clear to Mr. Fraser. He didn’t seem to be overly concerned about our protests to venturing out into the rain that couldn’t quite decide if it would be cold and wet, soaking and chilling us to the bone, or freezing like shrapnel and attempting to puncture our young uncovered flesh. We arrived at the Sailor’s Memorial ten minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin and continued with our unacknowledged whining, that is, until one minute before the two minutes of silence was about to begin when Mr. Fraser faced us and spoke in his commanding and mesmerizing tone. “Gentlemen, all of you, face this direction”, which happened to be straight in to the freezing rain, “stand straight with your hands at your sides, and for the duration of the next two minutes, think of all the gifts and good things you have in your lives. Notice how quickly the time will pass and how you won’t mind the weather. As you list all of your good fortunes, say thank you to the thousands of veterans and to those who have died for each of you so you can be free. By the way, if Hitler had achieved his plan, there’d be no blind or disabled people allowed to live in this country of ours!” It was amazing how the realization of Hitler’s plan seemed very personal to the lot of us who were blind and visually impaired. To this day I not only remember my blessings on November 11th, I give thanks for all I have each and every day of my life. Have you ever noticed how your ability to deal with troubles and challenges is relative to your level of gratitude? Come this November 11th, I invite you to join me in two minutes of silence, A Pittance of Time, and take stock of all the goodness in your life as we honour those who have given of themselves for us and others.
Author Archive for Terry Kelly
HALIFAX, NS
As a follow up to his inspirational Remembrance Day tribute song, ‘A Pittance of Time’, Terry Kelly’s latest 13-track musical offering, ‘Always There’, celebrates those who have served as well as those who are now serving their country. ‘Always There’, produced by Terry Kelly and Paul Mills, will be released on June 6th, D-Day – and will feature track # 2, ‘They’re Coming Home’.
“The collection of music in this project sings of how things were, how things are, how they could be, and how some things never change regardless of the learning opportunities placed right before the eyes of humankind”, said Kelly
“All of the original songs were born of and inspired by, “A Pittance of Time”, which is included among these tracks. Since I wrote that song, I’ve met, spoken to and heard from thousands of service men and women and their families around the globe who have planted seeds for songs with me as a result of how, “A Pittance of Time”, has moved them in one way or another.”
“I have also chosen and recorded songs not written by me that are fun-filled, hopeful, provocative, powerful, earth-moving, or a melody that is light and lifting or fills the heart with anger, despair or longing. I’ve been humbly moved to extend the reach of these songs from the genius of another artist with my voice to you.”
Upcoming June releases of ‘Always There’ will be as part of the ‘Pipes of War’ – a remembrance and tribute to D-Day concert at the deCoste Centre in Pictou, NS on June 6th; a feature on CBC’s Atlantic Airwaves on June 8th; and at the St. John’s convention Centre during The Atlantic Maple Leaf Tribute Dinner for Newfoundland & Labrador on June 27th. Additional release dates across the country will be posted on Terry’s website schedule
HALIFAX, NS – Terry Kelly will be taking a break this week from his scheduled R & R time, as he has accepted an invitation from the Royal Canadian Navy to perform at the naming of the Royal Canadian Navy Monument in Ottawa (Richmond Landing) at 3:00 PM on May 3rd.
Terry, accompanied by the Stadacona Band, will perform “Wherever there is Water”, an original piece written by Terry in 2010 to help commemorate the Canadian Navy’s 100th Anniversary.
“Wherever there is Water” will be included on Terry’s next full-length recording which is scheduled for a fall release.
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Terry Kelly’s passion for life has gained him international recognition as an award-winning singer/songwriter, a renowned motivational speaker, an accomplished athlete, and a consummate entertainer.
As a musician, this Newfoundland native has released six full-length recordings, resulting in seven East Coast Music Awards and nominations for four Canadian Country Music Awards and a JUNO. Terry has shared the stage with Symphony Orchestras, and has performed his original music nationally as well as in the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and for the troops in Afghanistan. He is most recognized for his inspirational song “A Pittance of Time”.
Terry’s motivational presentations, “We Can Do Anything” and “The Power of the Dream”, are based on his own life experiences and the challenges he has overcome – and have inspired students, parents, teachers, government and corporate employees throughout North America.
Terry is a recipient of the King Clancy Award and has Honorary Doctorates in Civil Laws and in Fine Arts from the University of Kings College and Saint Mary’s University, respectively. He has received the Canadian Country Music Association’s Humanitarian Award; and has been appointed to the Order of Canada.
In the athletic field, Terry has distinguished himself as the third blind person in the world to run the mile in under five minutes.
From school classrooms to corporate boardrooms, from the recording studio to international conferences, from national radio shows to the pilot seat of an aircraft, from the controls of a Seadoo to the running of a sub-five-minute mile, Terry Kelly has been there. He has used his life experiences to touch the hearts of many and to motivate tens of thousands to live their lives to the fullest and, by his example, overcome personal challenges of all types.
For additional information or interviews, please contact:
Tony Kelly
Email: tony @terry-kelly.com
Kelly takes “A Pittance of Time” to Washington, DC
HALIFAX, NS
This November 11th, Terry Kelly is personally taking “A Pittance of Time” to Washington, DC to bring an additional level of reverence to the Canadian Embassy’s Remembrance Day ceremonies.
Terry Kelly’s “A Pittance of Time” song has been played by every radio format, including talk radio! The video has been presented on TV news programs, including the national broadcast from Parliament Hill, and has been viewed around the world millions of times via the internet over the past nine years.
Every October through to November 11th, Terry-Kelly.com receives upwards of three-quarters of a million hits! Thousands of schools, businesses, churches, military bases, cadet corps, Beaver, Cub, Scout, and Girl Guide troops pay tribute to our veterans, our fallen, and the families left at home, with Kelly’s song, “A Pittance of Time”.
“As one might imagine, I’m humbled, honoured, and thrilled to have been invited to the Canadian Embassy in Washington to participate in the Remembrance Day Ceremony”, said Kelly. “I will, of course, be remembering all of our veterans and fallen of earlier wars and conflicts, along with those of the present. I will also honour the most recent sacrifice made by Master Corporal Byron Greff, who was based in Edmonton with the reconnaissance platoon of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and died on October 29, 2011, in Kabul, when the Rhino he was travelling in was rammed by an explosives-packed car”.
‘My responsibility is to help other people, adults and young people, come to discover the gifts they don’t know they have’
By Bill Carr
Terry Kelly has been a friend of mine for a number of years. He has always startled me with his unbridled enthusiasm for life and laughter and song; coupled with a true sense of concern for the needs of those around him. He sees what many so-called “sighted people” often miss.
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