This far along I forget if I was watching the program
live, (although as someone who watched the live video feed of the first moon
landing, I think it had to come in a close second).
The afore-mentioned black and white footage of Neil
Armstrong stepping down upon the surface of the moon was beamed back to the
earth in 1969. The subsequent program, to which I just alluded, was beamed
around the world four decades later. Both broadcasts have been archived
forevermore, and both have been viewed by millions.
The judges who moderate “Great Britain’s Got Talent”
had never seen anyone of her particular ilk before, as the frumpy little lady
sundered out on the stage that night. Pleasantly plump, some might say drab,
wearing a matronly dress which hung beneath her knees; an outdated hairdo and
unkempt eyebrows.
Simon Cowell quizzed the “I have no idea what to do
with this one” little lady. He began with questions about her background, and
the geographical region in which she lived.
“And how old are you, young lady?”
The contestant responded with the number, “47,” and it
was then her anxiety momentarily betrayed her.
“And that’s just one side of me,” and with that, she
proceeded to revolve her hips like an aged hula girl. At which time the camera
zoomed in on the giggling off stage hosts, and the duo responded with some
indistinguishable cockney phrases.
Simon raised his eyebrows, and then he asked her about
her dream. The frumpy little lady’s answer surprised not only him, but the
other two judges; Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden.
“I’m trying to become a professional singer.”
To which Simon followed up with,
“And who do you aspire to be like?”
To which the frumpy little lady replied,
“Elaine Paige,” (a successful British singer).
It seems this non-descript little lady had come along
singing in English pubs, and had never really been given a chance.
Simon finally gives her the cue to proceed, and, with
this, she begins to sing that lovely aria from “Les Miserables.”
“I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high and life worth living…”
No sooner had Frumpy Little Susan sang the first
phrase than Simon’s jaw dropped, Piers’ mouth curled into a delightful grin,
and Amanda’s eyes lit up, her lips parted, and she exuded an almost audible
gasp.
And although “Got Talent” audiences on both sides of
the Atlantic are familiar with Simon’s scowls and crude remarks, in the course
of Susan’s first attempt at stardom it seems the grandmotherly little lady
stole his heart. For a few stanzas into the song, and as Susan momentarily struggled
with the most difficult low note, the generally grumpy judge broke into a smile
which, uncharacteristically, showcased his pearly whites.
The frumpy little lady finished the song with ease,
and having successfully warbled her last word, the audience went wild. Needless
to say, Susan won the hearts and souls of judges and onlookers, alike, that
night.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Susan Boyle, (for this moniker forever replaced her
previous non-distinction of “frumpy little lady”) was off and running, and
never looked back.
And what of her aspiration to be as successful as
Elaine Paige?
Not only did Susan and Elaine, subsequently, perform
on stage together, but the newling's fame and revenue quickly surpassed that of the
well-seasoned musician.
Susan Boyle’s selection of “I Dreamed a Dream” for her
world television premier was certainly prophetic.
She not only dreamed a dream, she fulfilled a DREAM!
The late football great and sportscaster, Frank
Gifford, and his wife, Kathy Lee once traveled to Israel, and while there, they
visited the site of the historic battle between David and Goliath; the Valley
of Elah. Suddenly Frank stooped down and selected several stones, and,
subsequently, brought them back home with him.
As co-host of the Today Show, Kathy Lee recently told
the story of how, when each of their children prepared to make his or her way into
the world, he presented him or her one of the stones, and asked the poignant
question,
“Where are you going to throw your stone?”
(Who can say, one of Frank’s stones may have been the
actual one which brought down Goliath countless millennia ago).
And can there be any doubt that Susan Boyle "hauled off" and threw her proverbial stone with all her might?
And can there be any doubt that Susan Boyle "hauled off" and threw her proverbial stone with all her might?
As a founder and developer of a formal intern program
for young adults, and long before I ever heard Kathy Lee’s story, I created a
ceremony which reminds me of Frank’s question.
I have often walked one or more of my interns to a
nearby lake, presented them a rock, and encouraged them to give it a good toss.
Having keer-plunked into the water, I encourage my student to observe the
resulting ripples as they spread across the surface.
Our entire lives should be taken up with fulfilling
God’s plan, and making a difference among those whom He sets in our pathway.
What dream have you been dreaming?
Where are you going to throw your stone?
By William McDonald, PhD. "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 5
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