Michael Day

With Mike with the van he never let me drive. I believe it's in front of his
parents' home.

Mike with our host in the depths
of Hexham Abbey
before my performance at
Queen's Hall.

I was just shocked to learn that Michael Day​, who managed my tour of A Clear Leading through England 14 years ago, just died of heart failure. He was a physical trainer, and one of the healthiest people I've ever met!

If you're waiting to give your heart to the Lord, don't bet your eternity on later. I now treasure more than ever the long conversations Mike and I had about the Lord on that 16-city tour.

Why not give your life to the Lord now.

Mike in Plymouth, Devon,
with our host at that
performance.

Favorite memories with Mike
His creative excuses for not letting me drive: Mike: "You're not on the insurance." Hundreds of miles roll by. Me: "There's the rental shop!" Mike: "Yeah, but because you're an actor they might assume you'll connect with other actors and make mischief." Me: "You just don't want me to drive." Turns out his father was a lorry driver, and one morning he met a car coming off the slip THE WRONG WAY after traveling at least 14 miles on the wrong side of the expressway!  He was sure that the "wrong way" driver was a foreigner so my chances of driving on that trip were zero.

Mike atop Hadrian's
Wall.

The incident that landed me in Martha Bolton's book Living It Down by Laughing It Up: On the way out of one host's home the lady of the house asked how I was able to pack all of my costumes, props and clothes in one suitcase. Mike said, "That's because he only brought one pair of pants." I proudly smiled at the ingenious packing plan I'd shared with Mike early in the tour, but a few hours up the road I remembered that in England pants are what you wear under your trousers! I was relieved to know that our hosts had spent enough time in the States to know that I didn't do laundry every other day... or worse.

One night we were parking, and I mentioned to Mike and his daughter Rachel (who was with us at the time) that in the States I had never seen anyone park on the sidewalk. "It's a path," Rachel corrected. Me: "What?" Rachel: "It's not a sidewalk, it's a path." Between Mike's family and the many wonderful people I met on that journey I picked up 21 new British phrases on the 21 days of the tour. They were all things I'd never heard before at that time of my life.

Mike was insistent on some cardio work before stretching, so my acting students have Mike to thank for many of the regulars in my warm-up routines.

Though I haven't seen Mike in almost 15 years, thanks to Facebook we reconnected rather recently, and I just sobbed and sobbed when I read the news of his death. It's amazing the impact one soul can have on another. My prayers and condolences cross the Pond to Linda and his girls and all who knew and appreciated him.