bebereader
djafan
voiceadmin
credit Pamela Pike
Thank you Kristin for sharing your gift of writing with us.
How many times in life have we struggled to achieve a dream that seems unattainable? How many people told you to give up the dream placed on your heart or forget a goal that you know will change or better your life?
Since I was a teenager, one of my biggest dreams was to see and meet my favorite musician and role model, David Archuleta. I have had my share of people tell me to face the reality of ever meeting him. I’ve been told to give up, get over it and not get hopes up. No matter what dreams we have, the naysayers will come knocking with their comments, personal opinions and “helpful” commentary. Some still don’t realize how much words can hurt as much as actions.
With my dream about Archuleta, I almost gave up last year. A Christmas tour that didn’t have concerts near me…did me in. I was left devastated, heartbroken, angry and beyond tired of the waiting. With having other things going on in my life at the time, that made the blow even harder to swallow. I had to stop talking to some fans because I couldn’t deal with their excitement, leaving fansites I used to go on and ignored videos shared on YouTube and social media. It felt easier to distance myself so I wouldn’t lash out at other people. I was really losing my faith and asking God why I had to wait longer for something I wanted so badly, feeling yet again that my dream was stupid and that I should have given up a long time ago. The words of the past haunted my mind and distracted me from what my heart was trying to say: don’t quit. There was still a part of me that dared to hope, a stubbornness that said not to quit just yet. Many of us have been told, or heard, about how people give up just when their dream would finally come to pass.
I just wanted to quit, accepting that maybe it will never happen until I was older and living closer to where he would have a concert. At times, we have to put dreams on hold until we’re better off financially, someone encourages us to just do it and stop letting life pass by or our focus is for other people in our lives than our own.
credit 8throwcenter
Earlier, I mentioned how words can hurt people. But I think we forget how words can also heal and help, especially when you least expect it. A joke to a friend over email one night In December 2016 created an opportunity that left me crying in bed the following morning and one step closer to that impossible dream finally becoming reality. Yet, the following months were still laced with bitterness, brokenness and hopelessness. I was so focused on what I didn’t have that I forgot what I did have. When you wait so long…you feel really defeated, other times broken and a shadow of your former self and still feel the temptation to walk away and accept things as they are.
This past weekend in Worcester, MA, the dream came true. Sitting front row with some amazing fans and surrounded by 1,000 people, we waited in anticipation for what the many speakers, besides Archuleta, would share with all of us……and there he was. The moment David Archuleta came out at the beginning of the conference to sing “Glorious”…things got real for me. After seven long years…I was watching this remarkable, God-fearing man perform his heart out and inspire everyone present with his words before my own eyes. There was some laughter, plenty of smiles and moments where I was close to tears. During each break, I would be left speechless at everything: not just David but everyone else who spoke and shared their stories with all of us. Brad Wilcox talking about grace and reading to his grandson, Alissa Parker’s brave story about her late daughter, Emilie, who died at Sandy Hook in 2012 and many, many more.
In case you were wondering “So, did she get to meet him?”
Yes, I did. My lips are sealed at this point though! But, I can say this: he was worth the long wait…and boy does he know how to surprise people. David, if you happen to be reading this I think you know what I’m referring to.
I want people who read this to know your dreams are never impossible or unattainable. Sometimes they just take a little more time than other goals we want to achieve. They require holding on to hope when you feel you just can’t anymore, having faith and trust in whatever higher power you believe in and A TON of patience. If there’s anything David has taught his fans over the years, it’s patience.
Thank you for listening and reading, and don’t give up on those dreams just yet.
https://www.healermag.com/single-post/2017/09/24/Chasing-The-Unattainable-Dream
The Voice David Archuleta 