APOK News:
Date: 2022 July 11
Thanks for sticking around. So much has happened since my last blog during the lockdowns…. It seems like years ago already, but in reality it has only been a couple of months… I suppose we measure time with significant events and since my last entry there has been so many that it feels like years ago.
APOK III – Revision #6 is complete… now onto Revision #7.
A draft promo has been made up. It is being edited and hopefully we will have the finished product circulating soon.
With time ticking down before the drop of the third book, I have been making some APOK merch for those interested. Right now, we have pens, badges, stainless steel laser engraved bookmarks, t-shirts, crewneck sweaters, hoodie sweaters and soon some more dishware.
As for the name of the third book, I have been toying with names…what do you think of;
APOK CrossFire – In my spare time I have doodling some impressive sketches of how this logo will appear…Do you have a name idea for the third novel? Do you want to share it? I promise I won’t laugh… too loud. Its a fun process, brainstorming and throwing out random titles.
And lastly, completely unexpected, I was invited to provide the Convocation Speech to Cambrian College graduates. I must admit as honored as I was, I was intimidated. This was going to be the largest audience that I have had in a single sitting. Strangely enough the crowd size wasn’t the difficulty, it was the internal pressure that I placed upon myself to provide a speech that spoke not only to the graduates, but to everyone who ever watched it. Total crowd size both online and in person, approximately 4,000 people, 2,500 or so in one sitting and another 1,500 or so with another.
For those that wish to see it… here is the link – my introduction and speech commences at 1:33:43 into the video – https://livestream.com/cambriancollege/events/10472268 or if you’d rather read it… see below….
CAMBRIAN COLLEGE CONVOCATION SPEECH
Thank you. Thank you, Cambrian College. Thank you honored guests and thank you Graduating Class of 2022.
Graduation days, filled with tears, cheers and beers… and not necessarily in that order.
But seriously what does it meant to graduate? To me this is a victory celebration, where your dedication, determination and persistence are acknowledged, and never to be forgotten. It is a period in time that each of you can remember and draw upon to give you the courage and confidence to take on any new challenge and succeed.
As you continue to chart your own course. I hope my story will encourage you to carry on in the face of adversity and provide you some ways to manage as you bump and bounce your way through life.
Since I graduated, I have had many ups and downs. It seems like only yesterday I was sitting where you are, staring into my future as one journey ended and another began. I had no idea what or where I would end up. It was hard for me to appreciate the day with everything else going on in my life. Unlike my friends, I had been living on my own for a couple of years. After my first year of college, my pregnant girlfriend and I moved in together.
I was working full-time to make ends meet while continuing my schooling, squeezing in time here and there for assignments, studying and my new family. Little did I know that those experiences would help prepare me for what was to come.
They taught me valuable lessons of the importance of discipline, determination, perseverance and integrity. You need those when you are a police officer. Almost everyone has an opinion about what a police officer should or could be doing. Now more than ever, police are under constant scrutiny, be on the streets, in the office, in the media, in the courtroom and, for some of us, among our family and friends. There is no escaping it, and it’s also why integrity is so very important.
This was exactly the case when I was hunting a violent gang whose members were murdering, bombing and beating their way through a community, and threatening to kill me. I had to make a choice. Do I allow them to victimize everyone around me to protect my life, or do I risk my life to do my job? Refusing to give in, I was approached by fellow cops and told, “If you leave them alone, they will leave us alone.” The fellow cops and their spouses kept their distance, and I was told how horrible I was for placing my family in danger.
Regardless what people thought of me, I knew if the Police didn’t stand up to this gang who else would? A handful of officers and I held the line. We wouldn’t be bullied. Eventually we arrested the gang members and forced them out of business.
While that marked one of the high points in my career, I soon had to deal with one of the lowest moments in my life.
I was training for a triathlon and while cycling, I was hit by a car. In a split second, my youth, strength and identity as a police officer was smashed and smeared against the side of that car. I was rushed to the hospital where doctors told me I was lucky to be alive, and that I should have died.
I didn’t get any words of encouragement from specialists who told me, “I don’t think you’ll ever be a police officer again.” Feeling like a child, I was vulnerable and helpless. I had no control over my recovery and I had to be patient and relearn many things that I took for granted. As bills mounted up and my inability to return to work remained, I wished I had died.
Everything reminded me of the man I used to be. Talking to my youngest child, I didn’t think he could understand what was going on, and I apologized to him for not being able to play with him the way I used to. He looked up at me and said,
“Daddy, it’s okay, I’m just happy that you are around all of the time.”
Through the eyes of a child, that was a victory to him, he just wanted me around. Little did he know he would regret that statement when he became a teenager, but that is another story.
With doctor comments swirling through my head, I sat in the dark questioning my future. I began doing the only thing I could do, writing. It gave me a light at the end of the tunnel, a purpose, a hope. I saw my writing grow into a full-length novel.
It was by no means an easy task redirecting my thought process. Like a newborn infant, I had to start small, and take baby steps to think positive. I had to remember breathing was a victory, standing a victory, writing a victory, having my family a victory. Eventually I grew to be thankful for the car accident and now I pay attention to the positives, no matter how minor. This is not an easy or permanent solution, but rather a daily exercise that still requires constant effort and attention.
It’s been 25 years since I graduated from Cambrian and almost eleven years since my accident. I have regained my work life as a detective and I have published two novels. Little did I know where my life would take me. It certainly hasn’t been the smoothest ride but it’s definitely been an exciting one.
So, be like a child and embrace your challenges. Let them propel you to greater things. And don’t be discouraged by unexpected twists in life. They will happen. You can get through them. And they may open up new opportunities that would not have been possible otherwise.
If you remember anything from today, please remember this: from the moment you’re born your life is full of challenges. It doesn’t stop. An infant doesn’t dwell on their losses, just their victories. They refuse to quit until they succeed. Alone, each of you learned how to hold your head up, sit, stand, walk and talk. Today you are a product of countless wins. As you move into uncharted territory, remember your wins, learn from your losses and never give up. Regardless where you come from, how you got here, or who helped you along the way, when you stand on this stage, you stand here alone, you stand victorious. Thank you