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The Journey of the Magi and Me
Posted by djafan on Monday, December 24, 2012
Watercolour by Sir Edward Burne-Jones called The Star of Bethlehem, painted in 1890.
I dream of places mostly. Waking or sleeping, journeys have always intrigued me. This fascination has impelled me to visit or reside in many parts of the United States as well as Canada, and to travel to over a dozen countries throughout Europe, Egypt, and Greece. Imagine my joy on discovering that one of the symptoms of ODD was an overwhelming urge to travel!
Life is made up of many kinds of journeys, not all physical. Right now, David is on a journey that he can not take us on. Except for a few glimpses into public performances, his life and work at this time are his to experience alone. More than merely a physical passage, it is a spiritual odyssey, a sacred pilgrimage. Such strivings will not always be easy. There will be times of loneliness and discouragement, but mostly, there will be great joy and a growth that can come, as he wisely stated, “in no other way.”
At this time of the rolling year when we celebrate the Savior’s birth, on a site devoted to one now called by Him to be a witness for Him to the world, I make no apologies in speaking of my own conversion. I speak only of my conversion to Christ, not my subsequent belief in and membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. I make that distinction at the outset, as this is something not confined to only LDS but to Christians in general.
I was raised in a Protestant orphanage and attended church every Sunday. I was a very devout child, even by the standards of the day and in the bible belt. For reasons beyond my control, I was taken from that environment and left to fend for myself religiously, a task I failed supremely at, being only twelve at the time. What followed was a falling away and eventual rebellion at even the notion of God. I became a woman of the world, (see my first paragraph) and what’s more, without God in that world. If He was real, why did He let so many bad things happen? Why did He forsake me? In fact, it was I who forsook Him and at the age of thirty, long story short, it came to me in the light of a blazing epiphany that He was real. Jesus Christ was the actual Savior of the world, who lived and atoned for my sins and was still my BFF. Through all the years I had abandoned Him, He had never left my side or stopped loving me. Did I receive this revelation with unalloyed joy? I did not. For a brief moment, I was petrified, and then of course, my heart broke into a million pieces. My husband had left me, I was totally alone, and now came the realization that my whole world view, everything I had based my life on for so long was a lie. The point I am laboring to make is expressed so much more beautifully in the richly symbolic poem by T.S. Eliot, “Journey of the Magi.” What follows in video is a masterful performance of the poem. It is a tale of sorrow, that with the birth of Christ, everything the Magi had once held as truth: paganism, magic and astrology, is no more.
T. S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi” was first published in 1927, the same year that Eliot was received by baptism into the Anglican Church. Critics agree that Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi” is about his own personal and spiritual conversion experience.
‘A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.’
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
♦♦♦
May we remember Christ this Christmas and all the year through. Click on image below and God bless you!
The Voice David Archuleta 
emmegirl14 said
Your story, Angelica, is both heartbreaking and inspirational. Funny how those two words often go hand in hand. The courage of a very little girl is shown here in the courage it took to write this article. It is beautiful. God Bless.
Merry Christmas to everyone!
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emilyluvsarchie said
Angelica, I love you ! Have a very Merry Christmas! emily
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emilyluvsarchie said
And a very Merry Christmas to everyone here at the voice!
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bluesky said
Yes, Emmegirl, I agree: courage. Something we recognize in DA. Perhaps he sees it in us? And we are unaware?
Thank you, Angelica for sharing your beautiful story. It is the kind of story I love, where the pain is not glossed over, neither ignored nor bowed to; but honored as one of the very things that makes life meaningful – as we give it and our broken hearts to the one who makes us whole. If we discount the price of the healing, we discount the life offered.
I love the picture you present at the top of the page. I had not seen it before. What struck me first was the color red: how there are red flowers only around the Christ Child. I love how the three kings seem to represent: (back) the wealth of the world, (middle) the might of the world, and (front) the wisdom of the world, and how they are all bowing to the Christ. The crown on the ground before them seems to represent how all nations shall bow before Him.
Then I see Joseph and how his axe is laid to rest. He has paused in his labours. Christ has said: “I will give you rest”.
The angel seems to be standing back, waiting. Perhaps, as he is holding “light”, he represents the gift of “spirit” and “light” that Christ offers to us. He stands between because that is the only way we can communicate with Him: by accepting His spirit and His light.
I am so grateful for you, Angelica, and for all of the many lovely and wonderful people that I have the chance to come to know and appreciate through DA and this site. Whatever your beliefs, you have all enriched and blessed my life in so very many ways. Thank you soooo very much.
Merry Christmas!
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Dayzee said
Thank you Angelica for your beautiful Christmas message. So personal and heartfelt.
Merry Christmas to all of my David family So grateful to all who show such great respect to David and his talents.
I love this place. Love the kitty in the window. Love knowing the kitty in the window is temporary. Love the blazing candle. Love knowing the blaze of the candle is not temporary.
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Heidijoy (@Heidijoy5) said
Thank you Angelica for sharing yourself and the stories of faith and inspiration. We know the path is not always easy but the stories of faith and perseverance are great gifts.
Merry Christmas to you and all brought together by David and sustained by the support of each other.
Thinking of how excited David must feel today in anticipation of his call home.
Especially love looking at the picture of David on the right column when he turns and looks with a beautiful smile 🙂
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cq#DA2014 said
Merry Christmas to all!
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sweetonda said
Angelica, thank you for sharing a part of yourself with us. Life is not always easy but having faith in a loving Savior, who came to this earth with a tremendous mission to fulfill, brings a perspective of love and hope that gives us the courage we need to make it through the good and the bad times. I am so thankful for His birth, His life, and His sacrifice.
Heidijoy, “Thinking of how excited David must feel today in anticipation of his call home.” May his call be filled with love, happiness and lots of smiles!
Wishing you all a joyous Christmas.
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grammyJ said
Merry Christmas from Team Archuleta!! It’s a very well done video of behind the scenes from MKOC tour at Salt Lake City and it’s 14 minutes. It’s great to see David even if it is from last year. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!
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bluesky said
GrammyJ:
I loved the video you posted. Thanks so very much. I suspect that some of the faces in the audience might match some familiar names on this and other sites. *waves*
It is so amazing and wonderful how much work goes into such a production, so many people are affected. Because he chose to sing!
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MT said
Angelica,
Thank you for this lovely post in keeing with the reason for the season and for sharing a part of your life and heart with us. {{{hugs}}} I’m glad your journey brought you here. 🙂
GrammyJ,
Thanks for the video. It was a nice little inside peek at life for them on the road and a terriffic Christmas gift for the fans. 🙂 Loved it. ♥
That little bit at the end just might be calling for Screamcaps. Anyone up for it? 😉
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I said
¡Feliz Navidad! Le deseo mucha salud y unión. ¡Felices Fiestas!
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Abrra said
Angelica
Thank you for yet another glimpse into your heart. I had a similar experience at age 13. God and I are on speaking terms now so it’s all good. 🙂 I first read T.S. Eliot in high school. His use of alliteration gave many of the poems a melody when read aloud. The one you gave us today is a departure that shows his serious side for sure.
Having you write here at The Voice is a gift in itself!
Merry Christmas !
I
You just made Angelica’s day! Nice to see you posting.
Abrra 459 days
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Abrra said
Someone say scream caps??????
And 1 more from Larissa that I saw on twitter.
Very nice video. They are listening to us! We have asked for a professional BTS video for years.
Abrra
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emmegirl14 said
Love the backstage video, hope we see more of these in the future, but it does make me miss him more…and does he look handsome in that last frame!
(that top screamcap……aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!)
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tawna21 said
Thank you, Angelica. ♥
May the hearts of the world unite, if for even just one day, in peace and love.
Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you here.
#DA2014
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Abrra said
OHN in HD Beautiful!
Alejandro Angulo
I replaced what was in the Candy Jar with these. The quality is excellent.
ELDER ARCHULETA – OH HOLY NIGHT (español) – HD.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?4yhi6z5k9nr0hqy
ELDER ARCHULETA – OH HOLY NIGHT (español) – HD.mp4
http://www.mediafire.com/?5kjascv9l0ks3u1
Abrra
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MT said
LOL Abrra, I knew you were up for it. 🙂
Love those screamcaps. Thank.You.Santa!
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Angelica said
HO HO HO! Merry Christmas to all! I hope your Christmases are bright tomorrow! I appreciate all of you so much and your sweet ♥’s. How sweet is that to get a behind the scenes video from Team David! Abrra, the scream caps are especially nice on my phone with high resolution; love the ones of him walking back stage in the scarf. So happy for him that he will get to talk to his mama mañana!
(((((I))))) Feliz Navidad to you too! It DID make my day to see you here again!
I have been baking and watching Christmas shows on TV. Looks like a stormy Christmas for many of us tomorrow, so be safe if you are traveling. We are expecting rain and hail and maybe tornadoes. No snow but lots of you will be getting that so have a beautiful white Christmas. I’ll be dreaming of one though and maybe David will be too.
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Abrra said
Everything looks better on our iPhone 🙂 He was hard to capture, especially the part when he ran backstage. He moves too fast for the camera and they are a bit blurry. The last few are symbolic of what was to be.
Baking?? I am a dutiful fan, I am looking at Google Images of DAVID!
I forgot the last few scream caps, oops! My fav part of the video, “Hi! David here!”
Abrra
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Angelica said
Oh, and I hope you don’t think I forgot this…never gonna happen.
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Abrra said
I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO disappointed in that video! I thought it was this song 😉 I think this was my theme song for 3 years cus I lost my front teeth at age 3 and the new ones didn’t come in til I was almost 7.
Abrra
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djafan said
Angelica, Thank you for sharing your heart with us, I can’t even imagine. You are an inspiration and have a glow all of your own 🙂 We all have our stories and have somehow all been brought together by our love for David.
Bluesky, I admired the photo and thought it a beauty but I didn’t even notice the red flowers. I really need to slow down and really see.
I’m completely blown away by the unexpected video. Again does anyone really think he may not come back to music. Aww David you never disappoint and I’ve never been more proud of you.
The OHN Spanish video is a beauty. Gotta replace the first mp3’s..thank you abrra.
Spending a quiet evening at home with hubby and cooking pozole for tomorrow’s family get together.
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday!
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bebereader said
Angelica,
Another beautiful article in which you share your heart with us. Thank you!
It’s snowing in NY! We’re having a white Christmas!
Best wishes to everyone for a Merry Christmas with all the blessings of the season to you.
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jans11 said
Thank you Angelica for your beautiful testimony. The best part is that you found yourself and God. So many of us go through things and feel alone but we really aren’t. Maybe lonely, but not alone.
It was amazing to watch the video in SLC. There were a bunch of us standing over by the photographer and it all brought back so many memories and makes me miss David even more. But, there is a new year to look forward to and I wonder what the team has in store for us. David has worked so hard to keep us pacified!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends here on The Voice!
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WoAiDavid said
Love your testimony, Angelica. Merry Christmas to you and to all who come to this site. I always come to this site to see how the fans of David are doing?
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fenfan said
Thank you Angelica for sharing your inspirational story – love it.
Merry Christmas to you and everyone here.
Those scream caps are truly scream-worthy!!
Hope our guy is having a happy Christmas too.
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Marlie7 said
Merry Christmas to all the peeps at The Voice. Looking forward to sharing another year of David videos with you all!
Thank you, Angelica, for a lovely post.
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Marlie7 said
PS: Scream caps – gah! Thanks, Abrra!
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betsy said
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all. ❤
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cq#DA2014 said
Merry Christmas to all the great peeps that keep this awesome site going and to all fans that post and lurk.
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goodkarmaseeker said
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all!!!! You’re awesome!
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stenocruiser said
Merry Christmas and God bless everyone — may your days be shiny and bright! Just can’t imagine that magical telephone call from David to his mom — such joy!
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MT said
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
HAPPY HANUKKAH!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
However you celebrate, wishing you lots of Joy & Happiness today and all year through!
David should be getting his call home (or Skype?) today! I’m so glad he gets to talk to his family for Christmas. 🙂
Well, I’m off to over eat. LOL I hope you all have a wonderful day!
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betsy said
Angelica, I really liked your story. You are so strong to have stayed faithful with nobody backing you up, pushing you.
p.s. I love pictures of D walking. 🙂 Thanks for the caps, Abs.
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bebereader said
Popped in to say there will be no Nandito Ako chat tonight, due to the holiday.
Hope your day was merry and bright. 🙂
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jans11 said
Didn’t know if you knew it but David and MOTAB was on at 7 and will be on again at 10p and 1am (central time). On the BYU channel 374 on Direct tv. They cut it down for time and therefore cut out “Silent Night” but it’s still great to watch it. I have the video but it’s good to know that it is a scheduled tv program! The movie “The Lamp” is on inbetween and it is good too. Very inspiring.
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Abrra said
I hope everyone had a nice day, doing what you like to do 😉
JoAnnBanaga
To all Archiekins, here’s 1 of my fave photos of DA fr Nandito Ako. Not BTS pic but part of NA scene. It’s the smile!!! pic.twitter.com/et4Bda6g
Abrra 457 days
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angelofdja said
Oh my Angelica! Your willingness to share such a personal story is courageous indeed! When you write, I learn. I thank you dear lady. I hope your Christmas was filled with peace, joy and love!
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kaycee said
A belated Merry Christmas to all! May peace and happiness be with you this holiday season! Angelica, your article warmed my heart on this chilly day…thanks for sharing such beautiful, personal thoughts.
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gladys1961 said
(hay que tener cuidado con lo que uno desea, por que se pueden cumplir)
be careful with the desires, because they can be fulfilled.
happy holidays to all my sis and bro.
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emmegirl14 said
Gladys, you didn’t, did you?
That smile in the NA pic!
(and what is it about him and a vest….)
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emmegirl14 said
Gladys, or is it – are you?
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Dayzee said
I have had my Tivo set to record anything with David Archuleta. It was dormant for months, but December was quite a surprise, A rerun of “Real Winning Edge” was followed by a rerun if iCarly, and Glad Christmas Tidings has aired 3 times. Then I found “A Decade of Christmas” with Motab that included David singing Joy to the World. Last night was “A Wondrous Christmas”, a 30 minute Motab program that included four of David’s songs from Glad Christmas. Methinks I am not the only one in this area who believes David is necessary to the Christmas season.
Jan sent me some pics she found in her car of David in Arizona. It makes me smile to think I have friends with pictures of David wandering around in their autos.
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betsy said
Dayzee, it makes me smile too. 🙂
The other day someone at work had to borrow my phone and when she saw my wallpaper, she asked if that was my son lol.
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jans11 said
Dayzee, here I thought David was in Chile but he was riding around with me all year! haha Glad to share him! 🙂
My daughter Joy made me a 2013 calendar with pictures of all my kids and grandkids from this past yr. Right along with them are pictures of David too! Can’t leave any of the kids out! lol Like someone said on here a few months ago, David is just “part of the family”! haha ♥
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betsy said
Thanks you Naree, for this beautiful story and unexpected Christmas presents. 🙂
THE PICTURES! AND THE VIDEOS!
http://chordsofd.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/every-which-way/
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bebereader said
New article ———–>
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