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Rick Saldan is an excellent
inspirational speaker who tailored the seminar to the needs of the
individual students being instructed. This office thanks the Mayors Office
of Information Services for having such a vendor.
Timothy K. Lynch
Office of Fleet Management
City of Philadelphia
Rick has a magical approach that provides a clear and
concise message specifically designed to the needs of his
audience. Rick will provide all the motivational magic you
will ever need, propelling your organization to the next
level of greater success.
Thomas Mulhern
Frontier Communications
Rick Saldan is a compelling and absorbing motivational speaker and
magician.I have been to five of his
Motivational Magic presentations and it is amazing how he keeps our
college audiences on the edge of their seats.
A highly entertaining performer with great comedy flair. Rich content to
increase students' productivity, peak performance and motivation. If you
need an outstanding motivational speaker for colleges, Rick is definitely
one of the world's greatest speakers and magicians!
Dr. Rob Gilbert, Sport Psychologist,
Montclair State University
Rick Saldan has the wit, wisdom and sorcery of a wizard. He
has a dynamic personality, and all will enjoy his
captivating stories, comedy and magic!
Dennis Slaughter
Credit Suisse First Boston
Rick Saldan delivers a first-class show! A pro in every
sense of the word. Funny, unique, entertaining and polished.
Brian Letscher, Actor
Hawaii Five-O, NCIS, Cold Case, Law & Order and The Mentalist.
Rick Saldan is a wonderful combination of master magician, comic
improviser and first class speaker. The audience loved his program, which
was music to our ears. If you love celebrity motivational speakers such as
Tom Hopkins, Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar, then you'll love Rick!
Dottie Burman, President
Burtley Productions, Inc.
Rick Saldan
is an incredibly talented performer and motivational speaker with great insight. He shares many powerful
motivational messages that will enhance your life for the better!
Jack Murray, President
Dream Illusions
Rick is one of the best inspirational speakers on
the scene today. Funny, fun loving and highly energetic. If you want to
make your next event into an extraordinary one, then invite professional
speaker Rick Saldan and his amazing Motivational Magic.
Andres Lara, President
Inspiration Times Magazine
The Empty Frame Upon the Wall Author: David A. Cronin
Barry sat and held the empty frame in his hands, having removed it from the wall. It was a plain wooden picture frame, designed to hold a 4 by 5 inch photograph. It looked like the many others that adorned the wall in the hallway of his grandfather’s home. While it looked the same as the other frames, he always knew there was something different, besides the fact that it never held a photograph, about this one. It was not until today that he found out, not only how different, but also how special, this particular frame was.
The frame had always been sort of a family joke. It had remained empty for years, yet Barry’s grandfather, who everyone called ‘Poppy? had hung the frame amongst all the photos of birthdays, graduations, weddings, and other special, albeit normal, occasions that mark the passage of time for most families. Yet this frame always remained empty, save for the glass and cardboard back. Not surprisingly, an empty frame displayed with the family photos had a tendency to draw people’s attention and to provoke their curiosity.
Whenever asked, which happened nearly every time someone new came into the house, what the reason for hanging an empty frame was, Poppy always gave the same answer in his deep, baritone voice, “That one’s for my next photograph.? But new photographs came and went while that frame always remained empty, an enigma. Barry fondly, yet sadly, remembered these times. Poppy had recently passed away and it had fallen to him to finalize his grandfather’s affairs.
Barry found the explanation of the empty frame in a note securely attached to the back of the frame. It was from Poppy and read, “Whoever finds this note will no doubt know the teasing I endured for years for hanging an empty frame upon the wall. I must confess I enjoyed the ribbing immensely. It served both as a reminder and a secret, self-imposed challenge for me, a photographer by love, to always capture the sacred moments of life in my heart as they happened.
“You see, taking photographs of birthdays and weddings is like taking photographs of Mack trucks. By that I mean you see them coming. But it is the unexpected moments, the sudden smile of a child as they look up having found something they want to share with you, a knowing wink from the one you love, observing from behind the hand from the father to the son’s shoulder as they walk back to their car sharing a moment of connection, that give life added depth and help nourish the soul. Unlike the Mack truck, these moments fall tender, lovingly upon the heart like a feather, soft and unbidden.
“Remember these times and may you always have something in your surroundings that helps you never to forget their importance. And may this something, by design, be regularly brought to your attention so that it too is not slowly banished to the commonplace and taken for granted. Like an empty frame upon the wall.?
After reading this note, Barry had an even deeper appreciation for the frame and started again to study the family photographs. Barry gripped the frame tighter in his hand as he looked more closely at the photographic history of his family. He gazed intently at each one, as if by focusing he would be able to hear the laughter, recapture the joy of the moment, and live again the connection to the now muted figures before him. But now he also saw, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say felt, something more, something he never fully appreciated before.
After finalizing his late grandfather’s affairs, Barry went home and hung the empty frame upon the wall of his living room.
Writer’s note: The above story is fictional. It is dedicated to my late father-in-law, Poppy, a photographer by love.
David A. Cronin is Content Manager for the Mind Body Soul Network. His writings have appeared in numerous publications, both in print and on the Internet. He has been teaching spirituality in one form or another since 1974. More of his writings can be found at www.newagecities.com. He can be reached at dcronin@newagecities.com.
