Photo: Gengen ... again.
Life is wonderful and mysterious. It changes in big ways and small. Some years you live in New Jersey and some years you don’t, sometimes you are healthy and sometimes you aren’t, some weeks you watch The Biggest Loser and some weeks you don’t. To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. And of course sometimes you blog and sometimes you don’t.
My life is a life of phases big and small, long and short, sublime and ridiculous, and lately I’ve been in a not-fan-blogging-much-phase. Hey, I’m probably still in a not-fan-blogging-much-phase, but I was so moved by the recent Twitter video I saw that I was inspired to write this short reflection.
If you are hanging out at this blog then you know the Twitter video to which I refer — the “I’ll be Home for Christmas at the assisted living home” video. (Hey, here’s a disclaimer, “If you are turned off by schmaltz, stop reading now and don’t tease me later! ❤ ) It is Advent for me and Advent is a time of reflection, so you have no choice but to indulge me.
Anyone who is tuned in to life can see the beauty in that event. I need not expound on it. I just want to witness to the goodness. So I emerge from my present phase for that purpose. There is no mystery here, when people are righteous that inspiration demands and deserves appreciation.
Thank you, David Archuleta, for being a great kid; for loving humanity; for sharing your gifts with both young and old; for allowing yourself to see the precious gift that is life and spirit in all of God’s people even those who seem no longer relevant. And may you always retain the humble belief that you are one soul in a great sea of souls, attempting to witness to Love in a world in great need of Love; no more and no less, for that humility is in itself a great gift to you and to us. Peace.
— happy
SnowAngelz: Canadian fans of David Archuleta 
Happy – yes, witness to goodness…and…you found THE words that I couldn’t come up with…
“… Thank you, David Archuleta, for being a great kid; for loving humanity; for sharing your gifts with both young and old; for allowing yourself to see the precious gift that is life and spirit in all of God’s people even those who seem no longer relevant. And may you always retain the humble belief that you are one soul in a great sea of souls, attempting to witness to Love in a world in great need of Love, no more and no less, for that humility is in itself a great gift to you and to us. Peace.”
Thanks Happy for a beautiful Sunday morning homily to wake up to this Holiday Season.
Peace to you, my friend.
Good morning to everyone and what a lovely story on this December morning…
Oh Happy, thank you for making note of David’s visit to the home for the elderly. Being of curious mind, I have to wonder how his visit came about that day…
I passsed along the story of David’s visit to the home to my husband last night and we traded storys about our visits to homes for the elderly when we were teenagers. Hey, I think that we were in competition to tell the best story! Of course from this video, we also remember parents or grandparents in their later years.
A special thank you to David for being inspirational at the right time and at the right place…
TOfan…I am dodging the snowflakes as I write, haha…and when I look outside I see the first snowfall of the year!
SB
Happy {{{HUGS}}}
You know this was not supposed to be a publicised visit. I believe David may do things like this all the time and we just don’t hear about it. In fact, we would never have known about this particular visit had the young lady whose grandmother was a resident at the facility not tweeted about it. Such is the world of Twitter.
He does it not for recognition but as you said for his love of humanity, young & old. He cared not that they had no clue who he was. He only wanted to share his music with them which was his gift to them and continues to be his gift to us.
Thank you happy! I miss you and your beautiful, eloquent and sometimes very entertaining and funny way with words very much. It’s been the blog world’s loss for sure.
Snow Angelz…love your snowflakes. So LOVELY!
Have a great day!
Happy – thanks for this. You summed it up beautifully. and YES to “There is no mystery here, when people are righteous that inspiration demands and deserves appreciation.”
My hubby is a great guy – witness his giving of scarf, Christmas ornament and lanyard to a young girl in a wheelchair in San Fran (who was a big fan according to her aunt), but he just doesn’t understand how I feel or maybe just has trouble dealing with my emotions when I try to tell him these things that David does that so move me. Sorry for the ramble – I just want to say that I am eternally grateful to have a place to come share the wonder that is David Archuleta with my e-family who really gets it.
SB – we have 7″ of snow and counting… if only the snowflakes outside were as welcomed as the ones here!
That scarf… came from the VIP gift bag…
Happy,
I so enjoyed this post!! I have always had a huge soft spot in my heart for the elderly. It just filled my already full heart with even more love for David, to see this video footage.
Silverfox,
I agree, David does this kind of thing so much more often than we hear about…. but it sure was nice to see him in action wasn’t it!!
Have a wonderful Sunday my friends!
{{{happy}}} “Witness to goodness” indeed. Beautiful message this Sunday, you have a wondrous gift for getting to the heart of things! From “one soul in a sea of souls” to another, thank you!!!
SF & conditioner,
yes, David surely does these selfless things “behind the scenes” more than we know … and what touches me most is how much practice he’s had at it in his 18 short years.
awestruck, sounds as though your hubby is cut from similar cloth! Maybe he doesn’t quite understand (yet)… it is a lot to wrap your mind around for a newbie! lol
Thank you, happy. He moves me soo much. I am seriously at at loss for words, even to respond. He makes me want to care more, do more, love more…as one soul in the sea, to actually live a life of meaning… wow, He, and you inspire me.
happy – what a beautiful post – warms my heart on this suuny, but cold Sunday after the first snowfall last night.
BTW – I LOVE the snowflakes falling here – and I don’t have to clean them off my car or shovel them off my walkway:)
happy – Thank you for this lovely article.
“There is no mystery here, when people are righteous that inspiration demands and deserves appreciation.”
To take the time to visit the weary and lonely in a nursing home, not for publicity, but to lift them up and make them feel loved is wonderful. His humility is humbling, yet he makes me so proud, of him.
“…may you always retain the humble belief that you are one soul in a great sea of souls, attempting to witness to Love in a world in great need of Love; no more and no less, for that humility is in itself a great gift to you and to us. Peace.”
Peace to you, happy, for celebrating what too often in this world, is ignored in favor of sensationalism and scandal.
Just got back to town (light snow falling along the way!) and watched Feliz Navidad …
To download the mp3 (courtesy of shelleyFOD and fa3ryg1rl): Click here.
Update: David will appear on the Christmas special “Nuestra Navidad,” which airs on the Univision Channel Thursday, Dec. 17, 9 p.m. Central. [Yikes, same night as the Billboard Live concert from MGM Foxwoods.] Watch the commercial here: http://bit.ly/7xWH5d
Bringing over this HYAMLC from the last thread (thanks, Stenocruiser!) … you guys weren’t kidding, his tone, runs, jazz-matazz, WOWOWOW … please let a vid of the whole song surface!
TOfan is doing her happy dance to HYAMLC! :))
Happy,
You’re absolutely right; no explanation needed simply a testament to the deed. As others have said, we just happened to witness this occurrence but no doubt there are many more examples never made public.
You said: “And may you always retain the humble belief that you are one soul in a great sea of souls, attempting to witness to Love in a world in great need of Love; no more and no less, for that humility is in itself a great gift to you and to us.”
There’s no pretense, no strategy, no staging and it is not conditional behavior (I’ll do this for you, if you do this for me). IMO, it is in his DNA…he simply knows no other way. We’ve also witnessed his innate ability to separate the sin from the sinner and not judge. His humility combined with his non-judgmental approach is a pretty potent combination.
🙂 every time I log on here I smile…from the peeps and from the snowflakes…thanks TOfan and company for both….
and thank you all for the kind words and for the opportunity to share them. hugs to you all !
PS- SF, awww… I am still around and I visit your lovely THE VOICE blog regularly… I guess I should not be so lazy and I should comment more regularly… oiy, another self improvement project 🙂
just wanted to add… I loved everything about that video…..
and also I’d like to mention that I am sure that Kendra’s presence did not go unnoticed. 🙂
happy faces all around 🙂 🙂 🙂
night all for now.
Oh Happy – great post – with all the videos I have ever seen of David, this started the tears flowing the quickest, and it’s because, “it was a typical day in the life of David Archuleta.” Kindness and goodness just come naturally to David – it is just who he is.
Oh and I miss you Happy!! – Can’t wait to see you in Montclair. (hugs).
LOL, emmiegirl, *cartwheeling*
happy, funny you mention Kendra, I only noticed her the 2nd time I watched it … seeing her play that upright piano took me back to my school choir days. She’s a kind one too, methinks.
ninaf, “a typical day in the life of David Archuleta” … 🙂
Another growth step in performing – David goes into the audience (around 1:19) as they sing along with him…gaahhhh 🙂
Goes into the audience? Why am I not surprised? Unlike so many other concerts I’ve been to, at David’s shows, the “wall” disappears and he’s among us, with us … I think he’d have moshed with us, if he could’ve. 😆
Nice Idol Chatter interview:
Fave bits:
“I just want to show more of who I am. And I feel like the more you show people who you are, the more people can respect you because you’re not trying to be something you’re not. You’re just trying to be you and share who you are with other people…
“I think that’s how you get the greatest connection through music. You tell your story. You share your feelings, whether they’re happy, weird, whatever. It’s just a matter of being honest with your music. And I think that’s what people will appreciate the most.”
Totally spontaneous! Love it1 And when he put the mike up to the one lady, well I would have just died!
Another one bites the dust: http://valeriesventings.blogspot.com/2009/12/david-archuleta-concert.html
LOVE those stories, Awestruck!
You guys would LOL if you could see me trying to watch the FN vid at the office … my boss sits directly behind me so I have to wait for her to go make a photocopy or get a coffee then ZAP, I whip on the earphones and push play at lightning speed. Then, AACK, she’s back. MINIMIZE, MINIMIZE!!! 😆
Funniest home videos clip in the making TOfan?
hey!!! love David getting comfortable coming into the crowd… and Visions of you sneaking vids at work TOfan, haha.
It is so great to see non-fans biting the dust…
“You tell your story. You share your feelings, whether they’re happy, weird, whatever. It’s just a matter of being honest with your music. And I think that’s what people will appreciate the most.”
If this is David’s plan then I am sooo happy, he need not be a hit making machine, I for one will appreciate him staying honest with whatever want to say… I look forward to next album already, but hope he does take whatever time he needs… go David.
New post!
Hi Happy!
This just hits the gut so strong. I watched this video first thing the morning it was posted and the tears just flowed. Thank you Happy for this!
Thank you, David Archuleta, for being a great kid; for loving humanity; for sharing your gifts with both young and old; for allowing yourself to see the precious gift that is life and spirit in all of God’s people even those who seem no longer relevant. And may you always retain the humble belief that you are one soul in a great sea of souls, attempting to witness to Love in a world in great need of Love; no more and no less, for that humility is in itself a great gift to you and to us. Peace.
Thank you!