The Spiritual World

It's been three days since my grandmother passed and although I still have difficult moments in dealing with her death, overall I'd say I'm doing fine. She didn't want us to grieve too much for her and we have to keep in mind that she is in a much better place now, no longer having to suffer with the pains of her illness that she had to put up with for so long. What still gets me down is when I think about her laying in that hospital bed suffering and so drugged up. Then her telling my mom two night's before her death that she's going to miss her. Death is just so final. There's no turning back; no way to turn back time. All that remains are the memories. My grandma was just short of her 80th birthday, which she would've turned in June of this year. My mom and sister were going to plan a small party for her and as a matter of fact, they were talking about this a few days prior to her getting deathly ill. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

My grandmother's passing was the first real death I've had to deal with in my family ever since I was real little, when both of my grandfather's passed away less than a year apart when I was five years old. It's been a real eye-opening experience for me. And what makes it easier to deal with is the fact that we've had two to three years to prepare for her ultimate passing. We knew it would happen eventually; we just didn't know when. Luckily for us, she was able to be with us for a lot longer than the doctors had initially predicted. Now I am left to wonder what it must've been like for her to die in those circumstances and leave everything behind. Dying is a part of life. We all must experience it at some time or another. Some experience it sooner than others. But I have to wonder what it must be like for her up in heaven now. What was her journey like from the real world to the spiritual world? What is it like to see friends and family members that have passed before her again? All of these truly are fascinating topics to ponder.

Needless to say, my grandmother's death has sparked my interest in knowing exactly what happens when people die. People have all sorts of opinions on what actually happens when we die. Some believe nothing happens when we pass on, while others believe we make the journey into heaven. A lot of our opinions are based on the religion we are part of. The common belief is that that there is a transition that takes place between human life and the spiritual. For those individuals that have experienced near-death occurrences, they claim to have had an out-of-body experience where a person's soul is outside of the actual body over looking the surroundings at the time the person has died and the soul not being able to communicate with anyone else who may be there. Then there's a transition to a light at the end of the tunnel; a darkened space which gradually opens up to a lighted area. People have also claimed to experience the overwhelming feeling of love upon arriving to the spiritual world, where they are greeted by spirits; angels if you will. There, they are communicated to - and for those who aren't ready to die yet, they are sent back to their bodies to live out the rest of their life. For those that may not believe in this kind of thing, you should check out some of the real-life accounts on YouTube. I am not here to sway people into believing something completely different from what they are used to. But the process of transitioning from human to spiritual life is a fascinating, yet heavy topic. Some people just aren't comfortable talking about it. That is completely understandable, too.

I guess you could say what actually happens to us after we die is still mostly a mystery. People have had first hand accounts of nearly dying but then coming back to life. Are we to believe that what they recall is true? There definitely seems to be a pattern amongst all of these near-death experiences. But it still is a secret; a mystery that we'll never be able to understand until we've reached that point. The idea of not knowing can be frightening, yet fascinating as well. We just can't completely shut out that idea - otherwise we'll be in for one big surprise once we get into the spiritual world.

David Archuleta Update

It's been a couple of months now since American Idol ended and I know I said I wouldn't write anything more about it here anymore (since I will be creating a spin-off blog for it soon ... I hope). And technically, this blog won't be about American Idol - only about this season's runner-up and the variety of things he's been doing since the finale in May. The American Idol's Live Tour is well underway and the top ten Idols just finished up their tenth show of the tour last night in Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City is the "hometown" of David Archuleta and the fans went absolutely ballistic for him at the concert (and rightfully so). I have been following the stops along the tour since it began and by far, last night David received the largest ovation thus far. In some of the performances from the concert uploaded on YouTube, the screaming is so loud that you can barely make out what he is singing. He even got emotional at the end of his last performance and was wiping tears away even before the song ended. The outpouring of support from his home crowd really overwhelmed him and it truly humbled him. I am so happy for him; it seems like he is now able to do what he's always wanted and he definitely has the fans to back him up.

One of the truly magical performances from David's American Idol run happened during Hollywood week but was one that nobody ever got to see. David's first audition that week had him performing Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" on the piano. Paula commented that it was awesome while Simon went all out and called it incredible. If Simon were to say that, you know it had to have been good. The only problem is, American Idol was never allowed to show it! Apparently those involved with Gnarls Barkley wouldn't allow the song to be cleared. Jason Castro also performed his own rendition of the song in Hollywood week and naturally, his version never aired, either. So for David Archuleta fans everywhere, "Crazy" was one song that we've all been craving to hear him sing. He received such glowing comments from the judges during Hollywood week and for Simon to say what he did about it; well you know he doesn't give that good of praise all that often. I am happy to say that David Archuleta fans everywhere finally got their wishes to hear this song as of yesterday. While in Salt Lake City, he stopped by the local FOX station and performed "Crazy" in front of a keyboard. And let me just say, it was worth the all the hype we had heard about during his prior version in Hollywood week. It's definitely slowed down quite a bit and very soulful. He does such an amazing job changing things up with all of his songs and "Crazy" is no exception. Check it out for yourself:



David was amazingly strong for someone 16 years old in Hollywood week and it was becoming clear that he was someone to be reckoned with. Although we never did get to see his first audition there, we did see him for his second audition. This time, David selected a Bryan Adams' classic, "Heaven." You could tell that Randy Jackson became a fan of Archie after this performance and the rest of the judges knew he would be in the competition for a long while. People watching on TV had already became familiar with his vocal cord problems and how well he was able to perform with that obstacle. For Archuleta fans, "Heaven" was another song they craved seeing again. That time we were able to see him sing the song, but it was only a very short snippet. The fans were wanting to hear the full version of the song. Well, we got our wishes granted during the finale - somewhat. "Heaven" and a few other of Bryan Adams' classics were performed as a medley by the top six guys during the finale. David did get to sing a portion of "Heaven" as a solo, but that wasn't good enough. We all wanted to hear him sing it by himself. And David did just that today, as a matter of fact, on another Salt Lake City local TV program. He sounded just as good, if not better that he did in Hollywood week singing this song. Check it out for yourself:



Now all we need is another rendition of "Shop Around" and we'll be all set - LOL. Somehow I don't think we'll be hearing that one from him for awhile - but I think a lot of people really do like his performance of that song since it's an upbeat song he was so successful with. I don't he personally thinks it was very good which is why he never could watch it back all the way through (but even he said he can never hear or watch his previous performances). Nontheless, it was another performance that really set the bar high and it was becoming clear he just might become the frontrunner of the competition. And the rest is history.

So David will be on tour until the middle of September and then afterwards I'm sure he'll get a much needed break. In the midst of all these concerts, David is also currently working on his new album, which he's been doing his own song writing, collaborating, and recording. Whether or not his own songs will end up on the album remains to be seen. But whatever the case, I'm sure it'll be a truly epic album that'll sell millions of copies. David already has a huge fanbase and it continues to grow each and every day at the different tour spots. Even people who were never Archie fans originally are enjoying him now. That right there is a clear sign he'll be successful for a long while to come. And although his new album likely won't be released until sometime in November, the first single from it is rumored to be released in August and it titled "Crush." In the meantime, watch this blast from the past as David sings his very first song on American Idol "Waiting on the World to Change" during his hometown stop of the Idols Live tour. And it wouldn't be complete without a lyric flub, either! That's the David we all love, now isn't it? Enjoy!