03/26/2017
A New Direction
Short Story
Written by Katte Schleif
After 7 years of touring, and building a successful music career, Michelle wanted something more in her life. She very much desired to get married and have a family someday, but as a successful singer and recording artist, it had been difficult to meet people, and to find time for dating. Having a career in the music industry could be quite challenging at times. Even though she definitely wouldn't have traded the last 7 years, she knew in her heart, it was time to focus on some different priorities, time to focus on connecting with people on a deeper level. She needed relationships in her life, not just a career.
She decided to meet with her agent, and tell him that she was going to take a break. She didn't know how long she would need, and she let him know there was a chance she may not come back at all, at least not to tour. She knew she would always want music to be a part of her life, but maybe not on such a grueling and time consuming level.
She flew from Los Angeles to her hometown in South Carolina. It felt so good to be home. She hadn't seen her lovely, shabby chic pastel inspired home in months! Her sister had been taking care of her Bulldog, Muffin, while she was away. She had missed him so much, and couldn't wait to be reunited with him tonight, when she would have dinner at her sister's house. She spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and organizing the house, and then got ready to go to her sister's on the other side of the city.
While visiting with her sister, Candace, her sister's husband, and her 3 year old niece, it made her think about the life she had been missing, and how wonderful it would be to have someone to share her life with. After having dessert, and her niece Rebecca had gone to bed, Michelle and her sister spent some time visiting on their own. They talked about her tour, about her sister's job, their parents, who were planning on moving to California, and they talked about ways she might start connecting with people in Charlotte, things she could do to start creating a life for herself outside of the music industry. Canadace suggested that she join a church group, and that maybe she could go to local hospitals to sing to those who were sick. That was a wonderful idea. It would give her something to do, while helping others.
She called one of the local hospitals to see if they'd allow her to sing for the patients, and they agreed that she could come down the following week. In the meantime, she joined a Women's Bible Study Group and went to some Singles Events organized by the church. At the women's bible study, she overheard two women who work for the organization called Uplifting Lives, which is an organization that helps place kids with mentors and role models, kids who desperately need support, encouragement, guidance, and just someone to talk to and spend time with. They were talking about an 11 year old girl who had just recently been added to the list of children who needed a mentor and friend, someone who they could look up to and learn from, someone who would encourage and inspire them. This girl was from a broken home, living with only her mom and brother. Her Mom had no time to spend with her, and their father had been out of their lives since this girl was a toddler. She was very lonely at school, and was so quiet and timid, and didn't really try to make friends, even though she really wanted to. She felt something deep inside of her, wanting to help this young girl. They said that she loved to sing, so it seemed like it might be a perfect match. She could sense God telling her that it was meant to be that she overheard this conversation.
The next day she went down and volunteered as a mentor/friend. And a few days later, the 11 year old, Ashley, and her went out to breakfast at a cute 50s style diner. It was a good way to get to know each other. At first, she was worried that she wasn't going to be able to get Ashley out of her shell, but after about thirty minutes, she started to relax, and the conversation began to flow nicely. After having pancakes and bacon, they felt pretty full, so they decided to take a walk to the library, where they ended up checking out several books, one of which was a book on improving your singing voice. Ashley said that she really enjoyed their time together, and thanked her for taking her to breakfast. It made me so happy to know that she had had a good time. Before I dropped her off at her house, I asked her if she would like to join me at the hospital next Saturday, to sing to the patients there. At first, she was a little unsure. But after I told her that she could just come along, and decide at the time, whether or not she wanted to actually sing, she was totally good with the idea.
Michelle had definitely been socializing a lot since she came back to Charlotte, but still hadn't met anyone to go out with on a date. There was one really great guy she was interested in, who was in the church choir, but he didn't seem to be particularly interested in her. Which was fine, and she was trying hard to just be patient and trust in God's timing. She knew deep down, that God would lead her to the man she is meant to marry. She just didn't know if it would be today, next month, 3 years from now. She had no idea, and sometimes not knowing made her feel a little impatient and discouraged. But she was very thankful for the friends she had made through church, and for the special bond she and Ashley had. They had spent lots of hours together, and had sung at the hospital a few different times now.
It was a beautiful Thursday morning, and Michelle was smiling with a happy heart as she drove along the highway, to go pick up Ashley. Since summer had begun, and school was out, it enabled them to visit the hospital and sing for the patients more often. That's where they were headed. Ashley was especially excited about today, because they had spent hours making beautiful handmade cards with words of encouragement to give to those who were dealing with a sickness or an injury. Anytime you have a chance to cheer someone up, it's a good day.
As they were making their rounds to each room, there was a very interested doctor watching them from a distance. His name was Collin Mcgregor. He had seen Michelle and Ashley many times at the hospital, as they joyfully shared their time and talent with those who were in need of some healing music and kindness. From the first day he saw Michelle, he knew there was something very special about her, and he felt himself very drawn to her. Many times, he had overheard her talking with patients, the hospital staff, and Ashley. She had this amazing ability to lift people's spirits. Even the most grumpy, unsociable people ended up leaving with a smile, after talking to her. She was so kind, gentle spirited, and sang with such passion and emotion. It was a beautiful thing to watch.
He had been wanting to ask her out since the first time he saw her, but every time he got close to getting up the nerve to introduce himself, he'd let his fear overtake him. He had gone through two very traumatic relationships in the past, which had left him gun shy when it came to rejection. These two different women had trampled on his heart, and it made it difficult for him to have confidence, or to even trust in relationships. But something told him that there was something very different about this beautiful young lady. She was sweet and genuine, and he couldn't imagine her ever intentionally hurting anyone.
He decided it was well worth taking the risk of possibly being hurt, in order to pursue her. So he marched into the hospital room where they had just finished singing, and as casually as he could, he introduced himself and began a conversation that would eventually lead to him asking Michelle out on a date. And with the sweetest, most demure smile, she accepted.
In only six months’ time, they were engaged, and were beyond excited to start their lives together as a married couple. They planned on having a simple wedding in the garden of an English manor, which a friend of Collin's owned. They were just going to invite their closest friends and family. There would be a 5 layer lacey pink cake, with a lovely vintage couple on top, elegant bouquets would adorn each table, and the playlist of songs they had made together, would be the perfect accompaniment to their special day.
Since Collin had recently left the hospital to start his own medical practice, he and Michelle had decided they would wait to go on a honeymoon, until the practice was more established. So for now, they had a beautiful wedding, and moved into a two story house in their favorite part of the city. This new life was heaven on earth, and they were so thankful they had found each other.
Michelle was loving every moment of her new life. Being married to Collin was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She enjoyed waking up next to him each morning, thinking about the wonderful memories they had already made, but also dreaming about the memories that were yet to come. They had an entire lifetime of ups and downs ahead of them, but she knew they could handle all of it, together.
Michelle had given up touring, but was still passionate about her music career, and was focusing on writing new songs for a future album that would be called "A New Direction." It was very much inspired by her decision to make a shift in her life, and come back to Charlotte. There were definitely going to be several love songs on the album, and also a song that Ashley and her were writing together, which was a really fun, upbeat song. They had been having a great time working on it, and were planning on singing it together for the album. She and Ashley had become incredible friends, and Michelle felt like Ashley was her own daughter. They spent at least two days a week together, and it had really had an amazing effect on Ashley. She was so much happier and more confident than when she first met her. She had even made a couple of friends at school, and joined the school choir. She was really excelling at school, and had grown tremendously as a person. Michelle was very proud of her.
A year after their wedding, Collin picked up Michelle from the recording studio to take her to dinner. They always made sure they went out every week for a date night. But tonight's date night was going to be very much out of the ordinary. He had promised her that one year after beginning his practice, they'd be able to go on a honeymoon, and in his romantic fashion, he took her directly from the restaurant to the airport, unbeknown to her. He had packed up all of their luggage, and proceeded to pull all of it out from the trunk of the car. She was shocked, but very much excited. She loved Collin for his incredibly romantic and thoughtful gestures. And this one was definitely taking top billing.
They spent two dreamy weeks in the Caribbean, and savored every minute of it. It was everything they had imagined and more. They had seen waterfalls, rainforests, lounged on hammocks beneath the palm trees, strolled down the colorful, vibrant streets of town, went dancing in the elegant hotel ballroom, and had candlelit dinners under the tropical moonlight.
When they got back from their honeymoon, everything was going really well. His medical practice was thriving, her album was coming along beautifully, they attended church regularly, socialized with friends, and were in the process of building a swimming pool in their backyard. They really could not have anticipated the huge turn of events that was about to befall them.
She got a phone call from one of the organizers from Two Hearts, saying that Ashley's Mom, Kendall, hadn't been feeling well, and went into the hospital. They found that she had stage 4 cancer, and had very little time to live. They were calling Michelle to see if she might be able to take Ashley and her brother in for a little while, while they figured out what was going to happen, and where they would live. Michelle was completely taken aback by the shocking news, and was heartbroken for Ashley and her brother. She knew without a doubt that they would take them both in while this was going on, but she wanted to call Collin to make sure she asked him first, if it was alright with him. And of course it was.
Over the next few weeks, they were in constant prayer. Every day, they went down with both children to the hospital to visit with their mother. It was unfathomable to even imagine what these two teenagers were going through, watching their mother get sicker and sicker, knowing that she was going to go be with the Lord any day now. It was heart wrenching to know they would never see their mother again on this earth. But at the same time, Michelle knew that God was watching over them, and that He would help them to heal and one day feel joy again. Tragedy would not stop God's beautiful plans for them, even if they felt alone and crushed in spirit now. As she had been praying these last few weeks, God had revealed to her and Collin what they needed to do, and how they were going to be a huge part of bringing hope and healing to both Ashley and her brother, Timothy.
It had been 5 years since the passing of their mother. And even though to this day, and for their rest of their lives, they would miss their mom, they were thankful for the blessings that had come from that darkness. They were given a loving family and a positive, safe place to live. Michelle and Collin had taken them in with open arms, and had legally adopted them. They gave them a home and a family. It had been the most amazing, God ordained experience for all of them. Michelle and Collin were so thankful that God had brought Ashley and Timothy into their lives, and were also blessed to have a little boy of their own now.
Timothy was now in trade school, learning carpentry, and Ashley who just turned 18, was going to join her adopted mom in working for the record label that her mom and a friend had started 6 months ago, and little Johnny was just beginning preschool. Collin's practice was thriving, and he had gone back to school online, to study a more holistic, natural, and preventative approach to healthcare, which he was enthusiastically incorporating into his practice.
What a journey life is. What an amazing five years it had been, challenges, obstacles, and all. You really never know when life is going to take a completely new direction. And when it does, there is no need to be afraid, because new directions lead to incredible destinations.
