Monday, April 2, 2012

Dear Friends

Dear Friends,
One of the reasons I love touring is because I get to meet such extraordinary people, and have unique experiences that I would not otherwise have if I was only in my own back yard. Don't get me wrong, Las Vegas is an amazing backyard, but when I'm home, I'm a bit of a homebody, and when I'm on the road, it's all about the people.
When I was in Florida last month, I was performing in Orlando at the Central Florida fair on the main stage for the run of the ten-day event. One rainy afternoon we showed up to do our first show and it looked as if it would be cancelled due to the weather. Under the technical tent stood a girl and her mother who was talking to my sound man. The girl was very distressed. When we went over to set up our gear, the girl was crying because the Fair had said she could get on stage and sing a song or two on the main stage, but because of the rain they had run late and it was now time for my show to to go on. Her mother went on to explain that her daughter was autistic, and that singing was her whole life.
Standing there in the mist, It was apparent that I would not be able to perform the show due to the rain, as no one was in the audience and the chairs were wet, but I told her mom that if her daughter wanted to get on the stage and sing, that she certainly could, and that my crew and I would love to watch her perform. She didn't seem to care if anyone was there… It was just for the joy of doing what she loved to do. She could not communicate directly with me nor did she even make eye contact, but up on the stage she went and we hoped the best for her.
Bethany proceeded to knock our socks off. She was fantastic. She sang everything from Broadway to the most current hits and was great at all of them. Then like any other young girl at a fair, she just wanted to go on rides. Tiffany, the entertainment director for the fair showed up and gave her ride passes. I asked Tiffany if Bethany could open for me that Thursday night, when we would have better weather and an audience and to my total joy, she said yes (God Bless Tiffany)
So on Thursday night, Bethany showed up, and sang like a pro. It's her way of communicating, and she does it very well. The audience loved her.
Never judge a book by its cover. Some people who have everything strive for nothing, and some who you would never imagine could have a special talent might just sneak up from behind and take it all. In us all is potential greatness. Be more than potential. Be your own great. It's what you were made for.
Bethany Burnette, you inspired the inspirer, God Bless you.

Love For Sure,
Cat

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