Passionate Voice

I was thinking the other day: "What is it about David Archuleta's voice that draws me in?"

From his early days on Star Search to American Idol to the present, I am mesmerized by his voice.

On Star Search I was drawn to his "soulfulness".

On American Idol I was drawn to his genuine, sincere personality and his voice.

His albums are all different with ballads and upbeat songs, and after seeing him sing LIVE a few times, nothing compares to him singing LIVE.

But, his voice captures me like no other artist before. I've always loved music, growing up in the 70's and I've always loved R&B especially and Motown.

But still, there is something different in David, as an artist, for me. His whole being embodies the music and each and every song that he sings. When David sings, I feel every word, every line. The music is coming from his soul and he makes you want to listen, very carefully, to whatever it is he is singing about. It's like he is telling a story and wants you to understand the message of the song.

David sings from the depths of his heart and soul. He has such a strong faith in God and I believe that deep spiritual connection he has is what makes him sing so passionately. The way he sings is so powerful and mighty! It's like his voice is coming from a place he is so deeply passionate about that whatever it is he is feeling he wants us to feel it and know about it too. A place of inspirational messages of where there is sadness, one can still find joy, and where optimism overflows no matter how painful things get or whatever struggles you are going through you can get through them. A place where even not knowing what will be, we can still have hope. A place where rejection and judgment does not devalue who you are as a person. A universal spiritual message of giving, caring, hope and love.

All I know is that it touches a place deep within my heart and my soul that no other artist has touched before. He truly is an inspiration and his music is filled with hope, love, joy and passion. David is a mature artist with a lot to say and I hope he is around for a long, long time. The world needs his voice and his music, his positivity and his light. His music just makes me feel good and better about LIFE.

Quotes and Sayings I Love

If all you know is what you see then you don't know very much - David Archuleta

There's always something good in each day and it's important to pay attention to those things - David Archuleta

Don't be afraid to go out on a limb, that's where the fruit is - H. Jackson Browne

Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy - Ludwig van Beethoven

People assume that when God is not speaking that He is not with them. God’s silence is not His absence.

You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one - John Wooden

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer - Romans 12:12

The only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were yesterday.

Strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't.

I don't need to understand, I just need to have faith.

THE WORD SINGULAR: I wanted to be part of the world, not next to it, always watching, never truly belonging. 　

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive. - Gilda Radner

When you are broken God will mend you. Let Him have the pieces.

Don’t depend on other people as the source of your happiness or for approval. - Joyce Meyer

Our life is our journey with God. Things will get difficult, but in the end everything will be okay.

We may not understand God's plan now...but eventually we will. He is the author of our life. Everything happens for a purpose.

God will not allow a trial to come into your life unless He has a purpose. He doesn't send the storms, but He uses them.

Being told you’re appreciated is one of the most simplest yet incredibly uplifting things you can ever hear.

Sometimes just being able to share what is on your heart will get you over the speed bump that feels like a mountain because of the load your carrying.

As we grow up, we realize it becomes less important to have a ton of friends, and more important to have real ones.

Sometimes the answers are not meant to be found. You just have to BELIEVE.

Things you have no control over should be things you give NO thought to.

Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. - Pema Chodron

In this life we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love. - Mother Teresa

Acceptance .... even though it hurts.
People with the biggest hearts suffer the most.

It may not be important to anyone, but if it's important to you, it is important.

Follow your heart, and don't change yourself for someone else.

Remember God doesn't "take" anyone away. He calls them home. They were HIS before ours. We just borrowed them.

Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart. - Winnie The Pooh

"People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel."

You can have money & lots of prestige, but without inner peace you're bankrupt. 

The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image - Thomas Merton.

In the silence I listen, I watch, I sense, I attend, I observe.  I require this silence. I search it out. - Alice Koller

Courage and Perseverance

 

 

I loved Ekatrina's performance here and every time I watched it, I thought of David's song, Don't Run Away. This performance and the lyrics in David's song remind me of all the emotions involved in losing someone you loved so much and having to move on. It's painful and it takes courage. Her performance is courageous and David's music is always inspiring and brings hope. I wanted to put the two together. I edited and put some photos at the end.

 

Ekatrina Gordeeva was a Russian skater. Together with her late partner and husband, Sergei Grinkov, she was the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion in pair skating. After her husband's death, she continued performing as a singles skater.

They were married in April 1991. Their daughter, Daria, was born on September 11, 1992.

On November 20, 1995 Sergei Grinkov collapsed on the ice and died at the age of 28 from a massive heart attack.

In February 1996, Ekatrina Gordeeva returned to the ice, this time as a solo performer. This is her first solo performance as a tribute to her late husband. It was a televised tribute on February 27, 1996 called "Celebration of a Life". Ekatrina said she felt as if she skated with Sergei that night, that she was "double strong" because she felt him with her.

Ekaterina Celebration of a Life 1996 - Tribute video Don't Run Away - David Archuleta.

https://vimeo.com/71380388

 

Staying True

Following American Idol, Archuleta signed a recording contract with Jive Records, and his self-titled album, David Archuleta, was released in November of 2008. It was certainly a dream come true, but behind the scenes, he was constantly clashing with the record label.

"Record label management wanted to make me into a person that was so different from who I had presented myself to be on Idol. People would say, ‘You don’t know who you are. You don’t know what you want to be. This is who you are.’ But I told them, ‘You know what? That’s not who I am. Regardless if that’s what will get more radio play, that’s not what I’m supposed to do. I don’t want double-meaning lyrics. I don’t want things to be taken the wrong way. Music has an impact, and as an artist I can influence the way people think, the way they feel. No one can tell me what I am and am not. I’m just going to be true to myself.’"

Archuleta’s tenacity paid off. His first single, "Crush," debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and has sold nearly 2 million copies to date. But he readily admits that romance is not his favorite topic to sing about.

"I’ve never been in a relationship, but that’s what everyone wanted me to sing about—I was so frustrated by that. They would say, ‘That’s what people relate to.’ But I didn’t relate to it."

In fact, Archuleta does not plan on changing his bachelor status any time soon. "Dating isn’t something I’m taking seriously right now," he explains. "There are definitely more things musically and personally that I need to accomplish before I get into a relationship."

But when he does start dating, what qualities will his ideal girl have? "I want someone who has good values, who values family, and who thinks about others a lot," he says. "I want someone I can learn from, who likes exploring and trying new things, who likes to have fun, who likes to eat—I like food, and I hope she will too," he laughs. "Just someone who has a good heart."

David even has a song dedicated to that ideal girl on his third album, The Other Side of Down, called "My Kind of Perfect." "It’s about who that girl is going to be down the road," he explains. "I want to be myself, so this is my love song—wondering who that person is going to be."

Excerpt from LDS Living Magazine - November/December 2011

HE HEARS YOU

When you feel like you can't go on another day

Hold on and trust in Him

When you feel like you can't cry anymore

He understands your tears

When you feel like no one can possibly understand

what you're going through or how you feel inside

He does

Everything happens for a reason

God knows your heart

You are where he wants you to be

Keep believing, Keep praying

Seek his guidance, love and understanding

You are here for another day

because He wants you to be

My Beautiful Broken Shell

It has been almost four months since my Mom passed away and seven months since my dog, Bella passed away.  The grieving process is slow and I have missed them both very much every single day.

Yesterday, I went to visit my sister, the place where my Mom lived and where I would go to take care of her.  Everything reminded me of her, including the walk up to the apartment.  But, as we were going through some of her things, I was reminded of this little book I had given to my Mom back in January of 2000.

I gave it to her during one of her many bouts with depression.  I wrote inside the book this message to my Mom:

"Dear Mom,

A new year is here and a new beginning for you.  I hope this book will help make you feel better and give you new hope to let go of the past and to live in the present.

Love Always,

Patty-Ann ☺♥"
 

Needless to say, when I came back home, before going inside my apartment, it was a beautiful, sunny day outside so I decided to just sit in front of my building and open the book to look at it.  I noticed that right after the page I had written my note to her on it, was a page scribbled with some words on it.  Mind you, I could tell this was probably written during her last months with Alzheimer's, so nothing makes a lot of sense, but it said:

"To Patty-Ann

From Mom

Your Grannd and mother and son" 

I can only assume she was thinking of me, her grandaughter, Katie and her son, Michael.

I sat there in the sun and read the entire little book. It's filled with beautiful pictures and it's a beautiful little story about a woman who takes a walk on the ocean and finds a broken shell. At first she leaves it to search for more perfect ones.  But then she goes back to the broken shell and realizes that this is her with her broken heart.

An excerpt from the book:

"This shell is people who are hurting...people who have lost loved ones...people who are frightened or alone, people with unfulfilled dreams.

This shell has had to fight so hard to keep from being totally crushed by the pounding surf...just as I have had to.

Yet this shell is still out on the beautiful sandy shore....just as I am.

... 

Broken shells mean lots of tears...lots of pain...lots of struggle..but they are also valuable for teaching faith, courage, and strength.

Broken shells are shells that have been tested...and tried...and hurt...yet they don't quit. They continue to be. 

As I look at my beautiful broken shell, I see that it has nothing to hide. It doesn't pretend to be perfect or whole..its brokenness is clear for everyone to see.

Thank you, Lord, for embracing my shell...whether I am whole or broken.

Thank you, Lord for all that I learn from my brokenness...for the courage it takes to live with my pain...and for the strength it takes to remain on the shore." 

There is a lot more in the book. It is well written, simple, and beautiful. I always enjoyed giving my Mom these little poetry books whether she read them or not.  It was my way of showing her I cared how she felt and always hoped somehow it would uplift her, or make her feel a little better.  This little book expresses the honesty of heartbreak as well as the hope of healing.  We are all broken shells, but we each have a purpose on this earth. We each have our own special beauty...our own unique pattern that was put there by you...God.

The one thing I felt after reading the book in front of my apartment was how odd it was that I had given this book to help my mother, but now I was the one feeling so broken and lost and how she had written "To Patty-Ann" on the second page, like as if it was meant to be passed down for me to read now.  I felt a sense of peace. It's funny how that works like I was trying to help her, but now here she is, even though she's gone, trying to help me get through this sense of loss and pain.

Let It Begin

Let it begin -Julie Yardley Such a beautiful song. When I need strength and hope.
♥

You might think
That no one's been through
What you're going through

And you might think
That nobody's made
The same mistakes as you

You are feeling
The weight of the world on your shoulders
Turn it over

Chorus:
Just have the courage to take one step
Someone's going to be there to help with the rest
To start is the hardest
But it's something that only you can do
Don't carry the burden as the years go by
You don't need that crushing weight in your life
Have faith to pray
For the strength to finally see this through

There's One who knows you perfectly
He can take the hurt away
The healing starts within- just let Him in
And let it begin

You've tried hard
To hide from the past
And to bury it deep

You're overwhelmed
By all of the things
That you know you should be

Just believe
Mistakes of the past don't define you
They refine you
Chorus

Hollow

One night I dreamt that word
Hollow
I guess that's how I feel
Empty
Lost
Void that can't be filled
I pray
I cry
I pray
I cry
Every day I miss you
more and more
and more

Hollow.