At the End...All We Have is Our Story

Life can hold some incredible events: the very first cry of your child as it enters the world, the telephone call that tells you that your mother has just died, the kiss you give to your daughter who skinned her knee while learning to ride a bike, the torment of watching your 6 year old child slowly die of brain cancer, the first time you set eyes on your angelic bride as she walks down the aisle to take your hand in marriage, the spouse who reflects back on that very first kiss over 50 years ago who’s now holding the hand of someone who can’t even remember his name, that glorious graduation ceremony where you receive your doctorate degree and the reward for those many years of hard work, the realization that you’ve flunked out of college wondering if you will ever finish anything in life, the teen child you admitted to drug rehabilitation, coming home from work and having your children welcome you with hugs and kisses. Some bring great joy, while others extreme sorrow. One moment you are on the mountain top of life and the next you’ve fallen to your knees wanting to die. This is your life, my life, our life. It’s this wild journey that we are on, but how are we to integrate such disparate events into something of meaning and purpose?

There might be many ways to answer such a daunting question, but there is one that I believe offers us that somewhere over the rainbow view of our life in the here and now. Before we travel down that yellow brick road, there is an alternative view worth mentioning, if nothing else for comparison sake. Many people hold this view, and it might even be the one that you have adopted, either by choice or default. This view sees all events of our life as mere chance occurrences. The tragedies and joys come and go without any real meaning, other than what we superimpose upon them. This might work for a while, but try and superimpose meaning on top of something like the sudden death of a child or the accident that leaves you handicapped. Our hearts will find us out, and if we really don’t believe that there is some purpose to the myriad of events in life, I think the result is either repression or escapism. John Mayer has a song called, “New Deep”, where he says how tired he is of trying to find meaning in his life, and so the alternative is to simply become numb, as the lyrics say:

Trying not to find every little meaning in my life
It's been fine, I've been cool with my new golden rule

Is there a God? Why is he waiting?
Don't you think of it odd when he knows my address?
And look at the stars, don't they remind you just how feeble we are?
Well it used to, I guess

Numb is the new deep, one with the old me
I'm over the analyzing, tonight
Stop trying to figure it out
Deep will only bring you down

Life is too short, and too valuable, to become numb to it. It is sad when life becomes a series of obstacles to overcome, rather than a journey to travel. There is hope, and it is to be found in a very simple, yet profound, idea that all of life is not just random events, but a grand story unfolding through the pages of time. Each of us is the main character, and our life the parchment upon which the story is written.

There is a movie called, “Australia” released in 2008 that portrays this idea quite nicely. The two main characters Drover (Hugh Jackman) and Lady Ashley (Nicole Kidman) meet in Australia in 1939 during a time when the half-aborigines children native to Australia were being taken from their mothers by the government, supposedly because the mother’s were abandoning them. One of the aborigines boys named Nullah loses his mother and Lady Ashley, who is not very good with children, does her best to comfort him. Nullah is mesmerized by the story of the Wizard of Oz, and is given hope by Lady Ashley’s, somewhat amusing, rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in this very endearing scene.

We learn that Nullah is a magic man, and that he is able to draw people to himself with song. We also learn how important it is to the aborigines people that each person have a story to tell with their life. At this point you might be thinking that this view is really no different than the prior, where both involve superimposing our own meaning onto non-meaningful events. That would be true, if it were not for this one salient point to differentiate this view from all others...it's the reality that there really is a man behind the curtain who is in control!

We are not the only writer’s of the story. Pull back the curtain of these events and you will find a master wizard who takes the seemingly random events and turns them into sentences, then paragraphs, and chapters creating a grand story of our life. He doesn't act alone, though. He invites us to reach out with our free will and place our hand upon his and together we write the one and only story of our life. We become co-authors in the greatest story ever told!

When the end of our life draws near, and we reflect back upon what has been written, the thing that will matter most will be how well we cooperated with the Almighty Author in writing our magnificant story. It will be how well we took the focus off ourself and directed it towards others, how well we responded to those that God brought into our life to guide and nuture us, and how well we used whatever we've been given to make someone else's life better, and the world a better place for all of mankind. We will have to answer the questions of whether we cared enough, gave enough, and loved enough. At the end of life, all we will have is our story.

There is a touchinhg video of a man named Nick Vujicic who has made the most of his seemingly unfortunate circumstance. He has chosen to take what he has been given, or not given, to write a grand story of inspiration and encouragement with his life.

I am a bit saddened to announce that this journey of the Counting David’s Character website has come to an end. Being a part of this magnificent chapter highlighting the wonderful character of David Archuleta, and seeing how it has inspired so many, has truly been a pleasure and an honor. The entire team would like to thank all of you for your wonderful thoughts and support on this website and in championing the value of good character. CDC will remain here for you to read and comment on, but there will be no more new articles nor chats. This chapter has ended and who knows what the next one will bring. We encourage you to continue counting David’s character and especially counting your own character. It’s your life...your story...so live it well...live it with purpose, and live it with character!

God Bless,

Steve Gallie on behalf of the entire CDC Team

"I can’t believe the way things have turned out over the past year! It’s amazing to see where life takes you. Looking back I had absolutely no idea I’d get such an amazing opportunity, and being the first album, I feel like there are so many people that have gotten me here to this point for me to thank; all of them being a part of helping me go through this journey.
There have been good times and hard times, but I think it’s all given to you to take you where you need to go in life."
David Archuleta, CD Liner Notes, 2008

The More Things Change...

The other night, I happened to listen to “Keep it Real,” a song that the Jonas Brothers wrote and performed for their new television show. Nick, Joe, and Kevin may have written the words to describe themselves and their TV characters, but some of the lyrics really reminded me of David Archuleta, as well. Here are a few of the lines from the middle of the song that especially struck me as relevant:

When you’re home, you’re still the one you were before you left to go on tour.

Now’s the time. Let the whole world know you can shine bright but still keep it real.

You can find the entire song and see it’s video here. (Be warned, however, that this song has a very catchy chorus and could potentially be rather addictive...)

As I’ve mentioned before, I have always liked David, the polite, considerate, appreciative young man that we met on American Idol early last year. What we saw from the beginning was a really nice, good guy. I admire that, and I would not want the music industry or “being famous” to change David into something else.

Of course, everyone changes and grows in some ways as they get older and go through new life experiences, especially when they are still in their teenage years. David’s life has changed a lot in the last couple of years. His very busy schedule has often kept him away from his family, friends, and home. He has had to get used to having more attention focused on him, even when he is not performing. He has also needed to become more accustomed to dealing with interviews, photo shoots, interacting with fans and reporters, carrying off much longer performances on stage, and many other things. Despite all of these things, while David may be more professionally accomplished and more comfortable and confident in many situations, he still seems to mainly be the same positive, sweet, humble person that we first saw at the American Idol auditions.

I think that many of the things that David has told us in his recent blogs and tweets really do seem to make this point. Since his traveling schedule has slowed down a bit lately, he has been able to have a little more time to do other things that are important to or fun for him. David told us how much he enjoyed the trip he took to California a couple of weeks ago with his mother and sisters, and he seemed really happy that he’s “been able to spend some more time with my family!” David still gets excited and nervous about new experiences in his career, such as his recent performances at the U.S. Open and the ALMA Awards. He doesn’t take things like that for granted, and he also made note of the fact that he just got his first fan mail from Alaska the other day. Also, while David appreciated being able to sing at those recent special events, he also said in his blog that, “I think my favorite thing was that I got to spend the week with my mom.” He is really excited about his new Christmas CD that will be released soon, but he’s also taking the time to discuss the brain of his pet fish and enjoying the chance to get back to doing some running, sometimes with his mom, even though that may cause him to need some sun block to ward off a “farmer tan.” Televised happenings in New York and Los Angeles aren’t the only events that David can appreciate, either. Last Saturday, he told us that “State fairs rock,” which is probably not surprising, since he “had some awesome roasted corn on the cob and cherry limeade.” In the last week or so, he’s also described the Utah Symphony as “pretty amazing actually” and the circus as “Way cool!,” and he had fun supporting his friends Brooke White, Michael Johns, and Benton Paul at their concert in his hometown. All of these things seem to show us that David is still a pretty regular guy who just happens to have a not-so-ordinary job that affords him some high-profile opportunities.

So, even though David Archuleta has had quite a bit of success in the first year or so of his post-American Idol music career and has gone through a number of changes in his life, it does seem that he has been able to remain basically the same nice David from Murray, Utah that started on this path a couple of summers ago. My wish for David going forward is not anything huge or extravagant. It is simply that he will be able to continue doing what he loves to do in singing and sharing music, but also, more importantly, that he will be able to retain his positive qualities and personality so that he can be a happy and good person throughout his life.

In other words, referring back to the song again, I hope that David will always find it true that “you can shine bright and still keep it real.”

Musical Notes

Just about every day of our lives we hear music without even noticing it much...background music. It's in the supermarket aisles, under the whir of the dentist drill, in the elevator that takes us to our office, in the restaurant where we are having dinner. It is meant to lull, mask and motivate us to spend money. Now if by chance we hear one of David Archuleta's songs in the background a little light goes on inside of us. We can't stop smiling and we may even loudly blurt out "It's David Archuleta!". I personally scared several people shopping for supplies in Staples when "Crush" came over the loudspeaker.

Mozart, the Beatles , the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. What do they have in common with David Archuleta? Their music has the ability to pierce even our routine activities and make us feel happy to be alive. We feel the music enter our entire being.

There is a theory that when we were a baby in our mother's womb we were influenced by the heartbeats of our mother. This is perhaps the way we first experience sounds that sooth and calm us. As we grow up we are exposed to many different types of music that generate different emotional responses. We may hide our eyes when we hear spooky music in a darken movie theater or feel a rush of pure joy hearing a beautiful Christmas Carol. We learned nursery rhymes and played musical chairs. Some of us can still remember advertising jingles we heard on TV when we were very young. Others may remember the songs on Sesame Street or the piano melody on a Charlie Brown holiday special.

As we mature we open ourselves to different types of music. David Archuleta touched on this when he was just starting his American Idol journey: "Something that surprises a lot of people is usually the music I listen to just because it's so diverse and it would be like Hispanic music from my mom, you know I grew up listening to Hispanic music on my mom's side and then my dad listened to Jazz music and so I grew up with that and I just love Gospel music and you know, mostly I listen to Pop, and like Pop-Rock, but soulful music 'cuz it's just one of my favorites as well."

Music punctuates the most ordinary and extraordinary moments of our lives. Our happiest and saddest days may be wrapped in music...whether it be the care we take when choosing music for our wedding or the tears we shed when hearing a familiar hymn at a beloved family member's funeral. Think a moment..can you remember the sound of a merry go round tune as you decided which magical horse you would ride? Or the happy jingle of the ice cream truck as you ran down the street in hot pursuit?

Music has always been around us but David has opened our hearts and our memories to the melodies and songs that have been the soundtracks of our life. And it is not just a backward glance but a new excitement of music we have yet to hear. Soon we will have that Christmas CD in our hot little hands! Brand new music from David and a promise that it is from his heart.

Plato wrote a statement that rings true over 2,400 years later:
"Music...gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination...and life to everything."

Thank you David for awakening music in our very souls.

"America the Beautiful"

Last Sunday night, on September 13, 2009, David Archuleta sang “America the Beautiful” in New York during the pre-match ceremony for the U.S. Open women’s tennis final. David’s singing was excellent, and he delivered a lovely and moving rendition of the song. I was also impressed and touched by some of the thoughtful things that David said regarding the song and the opportunity that he had to sing it.

David first told us the purpose of his trip to New York in a message on Twitter on Friday night, saying that he was, “Listening through America The Beautiful since I'm singing it at the US Open this weekend. Reflecting on its meaning especially on this day.” (That day was September 11, the eighth anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks on America.) On Saturday, David did some rehearsing. At that time, he told us on Twitter that, “I love this song! Such a privilege getting to sing patriotic songs.” David expanded on these statements a bit in the video blog that he filmed that night. Here is what he had to say:

"I’m in New York for the tennis U.S. Open, which I’ll be performing “America the Beautiful” at tomorrow. And...I had rehearsals today, and it was just awesome. Um...getting to...just...remember how amazing patriotic songs are and just...remembering about all the things that people had to go through and, and...you know...had to go through a lot so we could have what we have today. And just, um, appreciating those who...who fight for our country and stuff. You just gotta, you know, show...your appreciation for them and respect to them. But, uh, I’m really looking forward to it..."

I really appreciated reading and hearing these comments from David. I think that it’s great that he appreciates being asked to sing patriotic songs and that he really did give a lot of thought to the meaning of “America the Beautiful” before performing it. It was also nice of him to share some of those thoughts with us.

David has sung patriotic songs, including “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” for events before, and he always does a good job. Patriotic songs in general are strong, powerful, and meaningful, which makes them well suited for David and his voice. “America the Beautiful,” though, seems to be an especially fitting piece for him. The melody is lovely, but so many of the words also seem very appropriate for David.

Here are the lyrics for the verses (the first and third of the song) that David sang last weekend:

America the Beautiful

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

The first verse talks about the physical beauty to be found in various places in America. The refrains look to God for blessings and for assistance in making things better, and the first one also hopes for brotherhood throughout the nation. As we have seen, David is very appreciative of things that he sees around him, including the beauty of such natural features as the sky and the mountains, and he often shares his impressions of such things with us in his “tweets” or blogs. Although he doesn’t usually talk about it that often, David has let people know that his faith is important to him and has helped him a lot. The idea of people getting along with each other also seems to be something that David really cares about. He even talked about it back in the early days of American Idol, while explaining why the third verse of “Imagine”, which talks about a “brotherhood of man” was his favorite. Considering all of these factors, I would imagine that many of the lyrics of “America the Beautiful” would strike a chord with David and help him to personally connect with the song.

To me, the words of the third verse seem to illustrate quite a few of the things that David said about the song on Twitter and in his blog. In relation to September 11, the line about people who loved “mercy more than life” seems to bring to mind the firefighters, police, rescue workers, and others who willingly put themselves in danger, and in many cases were injured or killed, in order to try to help others that were in need. The lyrics about people who showed they were heroes through “liberating strife” and who cared more about their country than about themselves call up thoughts about all of those who have fought and worked (and are still fighting and working) to defend and safeguard our country and freedoms, as well as to protect and assist others around the world. Although he may not have thought about exactly the same things, it’s not difficult to see how the text of this verse could have inspired David’s comments regarding the need to have appreciation and respect for what people have had to go through in the past and for the people who fight for our country. It was nice that members of the Marine Corps joined David on the tennis court to present the flag during his performance, and that seemed to help emphasize some of these aspects of the song. David seemed to appreciate their presence, too, since he later sent a tweet that said, “Got done singing America the Beautiful! So neat especially with the marines!”


On multiple occasions, David has expressed the idea that money and fame are not the most important things to be obtained in life. He also often compliments celebrities that he has met that seem to be “down to earth,” humble, and appreciative of what they have. These comments seem to fit in well with the lines of the last refrain, which hope for a time when “all success” will “be nobleness and every gain divine.” This idea of success coming from goodness and noble actions is a nice, ideal vision or goal for each of us and for our nation. I think that, in a way, it also touches on something that many of us wish for for David and which we hope he can exemplify: the notion that one can be a good, positive, nice person and achieve success in the entertainment world and in life.

David’s performance of “America the Beautiful” and his comments about the song give us a chance to consider a lot of ideals and positive qualities, including appreciation, respect, gratitude, love of country, unselfishness, and nobility. This is a beautiful patriotic song, which was delivered very well by a special singer who seems especially well-matched to many of its themes. I would imagine that this is probably not the last time that David will have the privilege of singing “America the Beautiful” for an event, and, as long as he continues to approach opportunities of that kind in such a thoughtful way, we can all look forward to some more powerful musical and patriotic experiences in the future.

(Photos from www.usopen.org)

Wipe Out

Although David Archuleta has won 4 Teen Choice Award Surfboards, this blog title "Wipe Out" is not a surfing reference. Instead it is about the eraser that David doesn't need but we probably do.

John W Gardiner wrote:
"Life is the art of drawing without an eraser."

Now what does that mean exactly? Perhaps it can be interpreted to mean, take care in your words and actions. At the end of any given day are there things we wish we could erase but can't? In this time of instant tweets and texting we have even more opportunity to stick our foot into it big time. Thanks to 21st century technology we can mess up incredibly fast!

Every once in a while, David Archuleta, in his open endearing way, may be a wee bit too candid. But never candid in a hurtful way to anyone but himself. I am in awe of this young man who never says an unkind thing about anyone else. I don't think it is even a struggle for him. His innate kindness is so deep and genuine the idea of being any other way never enters his mind. If life was the New York Times crossword puzzle, David could fill it in nicely in ink!

But for most of us this can be a daily temptation. At school or work or even with the families we love so much..we can wound with our words. Have you ever had one of those terrible moments when what you wrote or said about someone comes back to haunt you? Your heart races, your cheeks burn with embarrassment and regret.... you wish with all your heart that you could wipe it out forever with a giant eraser? My grandfather would warn us in Spanish about "sapos" ..toads that jump out of our mouths. The words said in anger or jealousy that should have never been said.

Try to picture David being verbally rude or sarcastic in line at the supermarket or while pumping gas for his car. Would he verbally attack the person in front of him who has 12 items not 10 in the express line? Would he lash out at the driver of the car that got to the gas pump before him? Would he send an e mail or Tweet that was negative about anyone? I don't think so. Actually it is humorous to try and picture David acting this way...it would be so out of character.

So maybe we can count to 10 before hitting the send button or think a little before letting lots of ugly little sapos hop out of our mouths. Until we can invent a "Way Back Machine" that allows us to erase what we said or wrote..it might be a good idea to listen more and speak a little less. The Dalai Lama has commented on mistakes made:"When we make mistakes, we cannot turn the clock back and try again. All we can do is use the present well."

And an Unknown Author penned this very smart statement :"The kindest word in all the world is the unkind word, unsaid."









Top Photo credit to Larissa and Archuleta Fan Scene

All You Need is Love....

As I was posting this article on Labor Day about 'love', I thought about David and what a "labor of love" music is for him. He works so hard, making sure to give his best with each performance and he never disappoints! So as we celebrate this day with family and friends, I hope David is doing the same. Taking a well deserved break, enjoying a picnic or barbecue somewhere. David, thank you for all the work you put into making your music...we fans are so grateful. Happy Labor day all!

Now abide, faith, hope, love, these three remain, but the greatest of these is Love. -1Corinthians 13:13-
Love is a very powerful emotion. It is something we all want and something we all need. However, I do believe that love is an emotion some find hard to accept, and even harder to easily express. In my opinion, David Archuleta is one young man who has no problem accepting and expressing his love for so many things in his life. He is someone who sees all that he has and he shows so much appreciation for it. He expresses love through his zest for living.

Follow the way of love.-1Corinthians 14:1-
David has a smile that could light up any room. Many times when we see him, he appears happy and his face exudes pure joy. He follows the ways of love by living very simply. He seems to know what is important in life. He has a wisdom that is very uncommon for someone his age, and it seems to lead him to be a very content person. I believe this is in part, because he loves so freely. He is a kind person with a sincere heart . He is giving of his talents and his time. He is thoughtful and charitable. David Archuleta puts all he has into whatever it is he does. He emanates love.

Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.
-Vincent Van Gogh-
David has talked often about the many things he loves. He has spoken openly about his love for God and his faith and he has lovingly shared that faith with so many others, when he has been asked to speak and sing at a Fireside meeting. He has discussed many times, his love for his family and his friends. He appreciates them in his life and does not take them for granted. He knows time spent with them is precious. We all know about David's love of music. It makes him happy. Whether it is listening to his own favorite music or performing himself, he loves everything about it and he loves to share his enthusiasm for music with others. David has told us that he loves to support many causes and charities and how much he loves to get involved and do what he can to help those less fortunate than himself. The list of things David loves and enjoys could can go on and on. He has even talked about his love of food on more than one occasion! We all know how much he loves to perform and spend time with his fans. He has also expressed in interviews, that he loves to travel the world and meet his fans from other countries. David has mentioned that he loves a healthy lifestyle. It is important to him to eat right and get exercise. He has shared how much he loves a good challenge, trying to test himself when he performs a new song in front of his audience for the first time. David has expressed that he loves modesty, strong values and being honest.

It is not how much you do, but how much Love you put into the doing that matters
-Mother Teresa-
As I said before, we all know how much David loves his music. He loves to perform it, listen to it and learn about it. Music is his passion and sharing it with others is what he does so well. He takes performing and singing a song correctly very seriously, making sure to use the gift of his voice in the right way. He takes nothing for granted because he doesn't want to lose his voice. He is grateful for his ability to use it. David is a dedicated performer and he does his best to put on a wonderful show for his fans. He has such a wonderful ability to emotionally connect with his audience. He gives his all every time he is on stage. He enjoys sharing the music he makes with all that will listen, and boy do we love to hear it! He sings beautifully and it inspires so many of us. David's music has touched our hearts and our souls, and we are grateful that David so unselfishly loves to shares it with us.

All mankind love a lover.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-
In turn we love David back. We love the way he sings his songs. We love and admire him for the ways he lives his life. For the commitment he makes to share his talent with us. We adore him for being so humble and down to earth. We are delighted by the way he supports others, whether it is a charity he feels strongly about, a friend he wants to promote or a fan he is appreciative of. We love the way he is simply 'just David' even after all the fame.

The symbol that is often used to signify love is a heart. David Archuleta certainly has a heart of gold. He has a pure heart that shows patience, kindness and tolerance. It is a heart that only wants to do the right thing. It is a heart filled with love. Love for God, family, friends, music and life!

I am sure there are some things David dislikes, but I think David would rather focus on the positive aspects of his life. He chooses to find the good in any situation, and to concentrate on all the things around him that he loves. It's like looking for the silver lining in a dark cloud, and David does it well.


As I was thinking about all of this, I was reminded of the Beatle's song, "All You Need is Love." Perhaps if we could all try and remember these words. To focus on being more loving. To choose to see the positive in what we have and center on the good, no matter what hand we have been given in life. To give love to others more freely. And when it comes straight from the heart, the way it does with David Archuleta...well, I think it could make us feel happier about our own lives. It might even make us feel more content. So, maybe we could try a little harder. Each one of us, to express our love for life a little more and appreciate all that we have a little better. Then we too might realize the way David does, that the simple words in the song... "All You Need is Love" really do ring true. Call me an optimist, but it sure seems to work well for David! ;)

When You Wish Upon A Star

“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently." - Bill Watterson

After a long day of recording in the fast paced world of Los Angeles, all the while the foot hills of the San Gabriel mountains were ablaze and smoke billowing - David Archuleta tweeted:

It's amazing to see the ocean and the stars in one glance. Beautiful!

The skies that night were remarkably clear despite what was going on so close by. I had to go outside and check with my own eyes - indeed I could see the stars twinkle as the sky was so clear. All day long I was lamenting over breathing in the smokey air. When night came, it did not even cross my mind to look up to marvel at the stars in the sky.

Stars and ocean...since humans first walked this earth they have been drawn to two things. The constant rhythm and beauty of the ocean and the glittering stars overhead. We watch in rapt silence as the waves dance in and out ...if we are lucky we spot a falling star to make a wish upon.

There is a beautiful song that we can think of as we look to the same heaven that David sees. No matter where we are we can wish on the same bright stars and realize that we are all connected to each other and this beautiful planet. So as we face the stresses and worries of our daily lives, we can also go outside and look up....and marvel,dream and say a thankful prayer.

Somewhere Out There
written by James Horner, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight
Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky
Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky
Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true

“love builds up the broken wall
and straightens the crooked path.
love keeps the stars in the firmament
and imposes rhythm on the ocean tides
each of us is created of it
and i suspect
each of us was created for it”
Maya Angelou


Our ideals resemble the stars, which illuminate the night. No one will ever be able to touch them. But the men who, like the sailors on the ocean, take them for guides, will undoubtedly reach their goal. Carl Schurz

Here is wishing that our special shooting star reaches out and obtains his goal - undoubtedly he will!

Top photo credit to R4D and Archuleta Fan Scene

You Gotta Have Heart

"You've gotta have heart
All you really need is heart
When the odds are sayin'
you'll never win
That's when the grin should start
You've gotta have hope
Mustn't sit around and mope
Nothin's half as bad as it may appear
Wait'll next year and hope
When your luck is battin' zero
Get your chin up off the floor
Mister you can be a hero
You can open any door, there's nothin' to it but to do it
You've gotta have heart
Miles 'n miles n' miles of heart
Oh, it's fine to be a genius of course
But keep that old horse
Before the cart
First you've gotta have.......HEART "

These are the lyrics to a song called "Heart"from the Broadway musical "Damn Yankees" about a losing baseball team that is transformed by a mysterious player named Joe.

When David Archuleta announced that his Christmas CD was to be titled "From the Heart" this old song played in my head. David could have gone the "Jingle Bell Rock" route but instead he is giving us...Heart. Because David Archuleta understands the season of Christmas is all about Heart. It can be about gifts and eating too much and being super stressed out but what it really should be about is...Heart. David knows this and hopefully a lot of us will be inspired and transformed by our not so mysterious David.

Maybe we can approach the holiday season mirroring David's CD title. As I write this blog it is ten o'clock at night and about 80 degrees in our house. How can I even think about the holiday season still months away. Reading this helped.

So if David Archuleta is "workin' on Christmas stuff" then maybe we should be too!

Can we make a gift or offer our services to one another? Not everyone is good at baking and crafts but there are other ways to give. Offer to wash your friends dogs or pick up a list and do the grocery shopping for someone. We all crave more time. Maybe there is a task or two you can do for a person you love, to give them some precious time to spend watching David's videos!

Don't wait to pass on something. Is there a family heirloom that you intend to "one day" hand down to a friend or family member? Why not do it this Christmas or Hanukkah? If there are stories surrounding the item why not write them out and present that with the gift.

So many of us take lots and lots of digital photos that never get printed. What a great gift that could make.
I wish I had a hard copy print of all the David photos I have sitting in folders on my desktop!

The gift of charity in some one's name is a beautiful gift from the heart. It is never to early to get your children involved. Charities that serve children or provide care for animals would be meaningful even to the youngest David Archuleta fan. David has supported many charities that focus on children in need...Rising Star Outreach, Invisible Children, Crush Kids Cancer to name just a few. David Archuleta is also an animal lover who has had fish, cats and dogs enrich his childhood. There are many excellent charities that focus on rescuing and protecting animals. You can show your children the power they have to make a difference in this world.

What first drew us to David Archuleta was his voice but what makes us such loyal, devoted fans is his loving, generous heart. Let's make "From the Heart" a huge success for David and let's make it more than just a CD title in our own lives this holiday season. Start now!

"I expect to pass though this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to my fellow-creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." - Stephen Grellet

Your Tributes Delivered to David Archuleta!

Yesterday, Dean Kaelin delivered your wonderful tributes to David Archuleta! As you can see by the pictures, David was in the studio doing some recording when the tributes were handed off to him. You have all written some wonderful things, and now you have the pleasure of knowing they are in the hands of David Archuleta!

The tributes were a way to help celebrate the one-year anniversary of "Counting David's Character"...and what better way than to let you finish this sentence, "Because of David Archuleta, I..." and then make sure that your tributes were hand delivered to David. You can read the tributes here. They were complied into a nice binder and then hand delivered to Dean on August 1, 2009.

We are very grateful to all of you for submitting such kind and touching words, and to Dean Kaelin for making sure this special gift made it directly into the hands of David. It really was a perfect way to celebrate one year of a site that is dedicated to writing about the good character of David Archuleta. He makes it so easy to continue "Counting David's Character"!

Here are some pictures that capture the very moment the tributes pass from Dean Kaelin to David Archuleta!

It's Not All About Him

Providence, RI August 22, 2009
Photo credit to www.92profm.com

As we go through our busy days, it can be very easy to focus only on ourselves and the things that we have to do.  We may not stop to give much thought to what is going on with those around us.  It might seem that a busy performer like David Archuleta, who has a schedule filled with touring, recording, travel, and many other things, would have even more reasons than most of us to concentrate on only his own feelings and activities.  A couple of recent occurences, though, seem to show us that this is not the way that he approaches things.
 
On August 17, David had a solo concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  On the day of a performance, David has many things to keep him busy, usually including sound checks and meet and greets in addition to other preparations.  Besides this, on this occasion, he was just getting over a stretch of time in which he'd struggled with losing his voice and suffering from allergies, making it very difficult for him to do what he loves to do -- sing for his audiences.  All of these things would seem to, on their own, be enough to take up all of David's attention.  Yet, some time before the show was scheduled to begin, David posted the following update on Twitter:  "It's rainin' big time!! And there are people waiting outside! Ah! We're going to try and get them sheltered! lol."  Rather than thinking only of himself, David was concerned about the fact that the fans gathered outside to await the concert were caught in a heavy rain, and he wanted to try to help them out of that situation. His online message was short, but it provides us with a nice example of the consideration that David has for others, and it is certainly not the only instance that shows us David’s lack of self-centeredness.

A week earlier, on August 10, David was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for another solo performance. He had been having trouble with his voice for at least a few days, and on that Monday, he was supposed to completely rest his voice before the show in an attempt to save whatever voice he did have left for the concert that night. This meant that David would not be able to sing for or talk with the fans assembled for that afternoon’s VIP pre-show gathering at all, as he usually would. So, after David had signed autographs and posed for pictures, he and the fans waved goodbye to each other. Under the circumstances, it might seem that someone in David’s situation would have been preoccupied with concerns about his voice, wondering how he was going to make it through an hour and a quarter of singing later that evening, and glad to move on from the meet and greet to get some rest or try to get ready for the show. As David walked out of the room, however, he looked reluctant to leave. Minutes later, to the surprise of the group of fans, David returned. He said that he wanted to at least sing a verse of something for the group and proceeded to share a lovely portion of a spiritual song that was, I believe, new to at least most of his listeners. Then, he smiled and left the room again, apparently much more content with what had taken place. Despite all that must have been on his mind, it seems that David wanted to give something more to the fans that had come to see him, even though by doing so he might risk making things still more difficult for himself later by putting extra strain on his overworked voice. I was one of the people present at the pre-show event that day, and I really appreciated what David chose to do for us. It was disappointing that we did not have the chance to see and hear David, the amazing singer and musician, accompany himself on the keyboard while performing a couple of songs for us or David, the charming, fun, and amusing guy, chatting with and answering questions from the crowd. We did, however, still get to see, hear (just a little bit) and experience David, the caring, dedicated, unselfish, responsible young man of integrity, and that’s a pretty wonderful thing to witness in itself.

There is a (likely unfair) stereotype that labels celebrities as self-absorbed people who don’t really care about others. From all that we have seen, this description certainly does not fit David Archuleta, whose concern for other people is just one of his admirable qualities. Hopefully, we can all make an effort to look beyond ourselves and try to pay more attention to the needs and feelings of the people with whom we come in contact.