She Dreamed a Dream, A Dream of a Song

This is the story of a girl who dreamed of singing. And I dreamed enormously! I have always loved singing. My first solo was in the fourth grade. I was in the church children's choir! I remember it as if it were yesterday! I messed up the wording on one phrase. After the song was finished, I went back to where my family was sitting and quietly bawled my eyes out! I was devastated!

I did the normal kid's competitions and choir events! I didn't start lessons til I was in 8th grade though. And just like most singers, I started out with the classic "24 Italian Songs and Arias."

I also loved to act! I was casted in several elementary and highschool plays! It was fun! I played the piano a bit. Loved playing percussion in my school band. But little did I know that it was all playing a part in whom I would become!

I didn't know what opera was til I hit college. I about fainted when my teacher handed me the Fledermaus aria! It had a high D. I had never sung a D. I didn't even know that note existed except in screaming! But I was determined to sing it! If he thought I could, then I would! My eyes were completely opened to the realm of opera after that. I saw my first opera, Tosca, at Bob Jones University. I fell in love! And I honestly loved practicing. As a freshman, I was practicing 17+ hours a week, merely because I loved it! And I loved the logistics of technique. Since my first year of college, it has always floored me that people actually think that people just get up there, open their mouth, and just sing. Not so, my friends. There is science and art behind singing. And only a singer knows the depth of what I am talking about!

Like most singers, I hit several years where my confidence turned downward. By the time I hit graduate school, I was convinced that I had no talent. I mean, how was I supposed to sing opera. It was all a dream.

But what a dream. And let me encourage you my friends to continue to dream. Don't lose hope. There are some of us whom God sees fit to let us sing. He gives us our talents, dreams, and desires for a reason. And He saw fit to fulfill my dreams.......at least for now. Right now, I don't know where I will end up. But I am on a journey! And this journey right now has me learning and training to sing professionally. Each day is different. But such is the life of a singer! And being a musician has so many parallel's to my Christian Faith. I will share them with you sometime!

I did finish my graduate career feeling as though I could sing again! I didn't know how much, but I did enjoy it at least. It wasn't until this past summer that I actually believed that I could sing. My graduate school teacher had spent months trying to convince me that I could sing.........and I almost believed him. :) Enough to enjoy the process! Then he and a friend introduced me to the two wonderful teachers that I am currently studying with, both MET professionals. And wouldn't you know.....they told me I could sing!

Who would have thought that a little midwestern girl would find herself in Chicago, studying with some of the greatest artists in the nation---artists who have been all around the world! Dreams do come true! But how determined are you? How willing are you to take one day at a time, trusting in a sovereign God to lead you each step of the way? And how willing are you to come to terms with the fact that someday you may have to determine whether or not you should continue to press on despite the "no's" and the odds, knowing that you will eventually break though................or move on to a different calling, thanking God for fulfilling the desires of your heart in a loving way, though maybe for a short time only.

For me right now, I have been given the privilege of singing. Who knows what the future holds. Right now.......I know that God has me exactly where He wants me, doing exactly what He wants me to do----Singing!