All About You FRIDAY – The Academy of Dreams

Have you ever had one of those moments where you are moved to tears? Where you witness something so beautiful that you just want to turn to someone and say, “Can you believe this?!”

I had a moment like that in June of 2014. It was my first trip to Europe and I was traveling solo. I had dreamed for years about going to Italy. Watched movies about it. Looked at a lot of photographs. I mentioned it to my husband and then several boyfriends afterwards. Each time I thought I got close, something would happen and my dream would continue to be just that…a dream.

One day, I decided I would take matters into my own hands. I went to visit a travel agent recommended by a patient. I told her of my dream and months later, my feet landed on the cobblestone streets of Florence, Italy.

I can still remember in vivid color highlights of that trip: walking through the central market and taking in all the sites and smells of Italian cuisine. Chasing the sound of a lone violin and getting my own private concert by a Russian musician playing on a deserted street of the business district after hours. Racing up the steps of the duomo to catch a birds-eye view of the orange rooftops. Riding up a steep hill on an unintentional private bike tour of Tuscany (because I was the only one that wanted to ride a bike instead of a Vespa) as my handsome guide said, “Sherry, we will sweat a lot but we will take our time.” In my dreams, I had kind of pictured myself sweating with a hot Italian man a little bit differently, but we made it up that hill.

Those were some great moments, but nothing beat the moment I walked into the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze and laid eyes on Michelangelo’s statue of David. I had seen pictures of it and read about it. I paid extra to skip the line to get into the museum. I stood in an adjacent room for at least 20 minutes with great anticipation. And then finally, they signaled us to walk through an archway. I turned the corner and then I stopped.

Amidst the small crowd that walked into the room with me, a single word escaped my lips. “Whoa”. I just wanted everyone to stop and take it all in. Standing 17-feet high and placed under a dome of natural light, David is a site to behold. My heart skipped a beat and my eyes welled up. In that moment, I wished I could have turned to someone and said, “Can you believe this?!”

Yesterday, I worked an 11-hour day. Usually I turn it into 12-hours to get all my documentation done, but I was on a mission. I raced out of the clinic, drove home, rinsed off in the shower and got ready to head to the annual fundraiser for the Academy of Dreams, a program for special needs students over the age of 18. I prayed my second wind would kick in. This would be my first time at this event and I was there to see a client.

Kate is a 26-year old woman standing less than 5 feet tall, but her personality outweighs her size by a mile. Every time I see Kate, I ask her, “How was school?”

“Fantastic!” she replies. Every time. She told me she was dancing in a musical number from Grease and singing We Are The World with her classmates. “I get to sing Willie Nelson’s line!” she said exuberantly. This was huge to her. She is Johnny Cash’s number one fan and, by extension, a fan of the Highway Men which included Wille Nelson.

“Sing it for me” I said.

“I don’t want to ruin the surprise,” she replied.

The students lined up on the dance floor of the room as the music started to play. I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t expect to be moved to tears. “We are the world! We are the children!” they all sang out, waving their arms and holding up a sign. Some were in wheel chairs. All were smiling. “We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.” They passed around a microphone for the solo parts and as Kate’s turn approached, she bounced up and down in anticipation reaching for the mic.

“As God has shown us by turning stone to bread” she belted out. “And so we all must lend a helping hand!” She finished her lines and then passed the mic on, but not before doing a fist pump.

That was a moment for me. A moment I turned to my partner and said, “This is the best.” A moment I wanted to share with the world and say, “You should see this. You need to see this.” Kate signed autographs afterwards. The world feels a bit brighter after last night.

The Academy of Dreams started making Dreamy Soups for sale and hope to open up a brick and mortar store that will employ some of their students. You can also support them by purchasing needed supplies from their Amazon wishlist.

The Academy of Dreams and the Statue of David. You should witness them both. Dreams do come true, in Florence and in Macomb County, MI.

It’s been a long week. Don’t forget to celebrate and chase a dream or two. It will be good for your soul.

Until next time…