Life Lessons: Inspired by a young girl's courage and spirit

As the father of a special needs son I have grown to realize how important it is to have patience and to always be supportive and understanding no matter how hopeless and helpless the situation may seem. It is very challenging at times when you feel like you are overwhelmed and have no one to turn to in times of great stress which can lead to emotional unrest and depression. When you get to a low point in your life you feel as if there is no way to turn things around and you become very despondent and sad. I have lived through times of sadness and have encountered periods of depression and have managed to get through them by seeking advice and finding an inner strength and courage that helps me keep it together. We do sometimes succumb to our emotions and we get caught up in the dramas of our lives and tend to close up and become very private and try to work through the difficult times.

I have always looked for inspiration in reading books or by listening to calming and peaceful music. It seems that when we are on overload we need to take a step back and regroup. In the era of the internet it is so much easier to do research and to find inspiration through the most unlikely sources. As I was trying to find peace through listening to inspiring music I came upon a youtube channel created for a young girl only 7 years old who tragically lost her mother to ovarian cancer when she was just 6 years old. The page displays her story and her pledge to her mom that she wishes to be just like her. She developed her love of singing through her mom. The girl is very special as she sings in her mom's honor and she has the voice of an angel. Her name is Rhema Marvanne Voraitskol and she is a gospel singer who touches your heart with her beautiful voice and her indomitable spirit. I was touched by her video singing a Christmas song O Holy Night and she brought me to tears with her angelic voice and her devotion to her singing in tribute to her mother. I was so happy to come upon her page and I find her music simply inspiring and so beautiful.

I never felt so emotional about a singer's performance and her reasons for singing as I felt for Rhema Marvanne Voraitskol. I played her video O Holy night over and over and I was swept up with the same emotion and each time I watched and listened to her singing tears streamed down my face. Rhema has an incredible gift of reaching others with her beauty, her talent, her sweetness and most of all her courage. She is a very special little girl and she has touched my life with her inner strength and her beautiful gift of song. She has a maturity about her well beyond her years and she has such a presence and when she sings she captures the attention of all with her beautiful angelic voice.

It's hard to lose someone so close in your life and for this young girl who lost her mother when she was only 6 years old is devastating and for her to devote her life to singing in her mother's honor is such a wonderful and courageous thing to do and she does it so well and with such inner strength and determination and with nothing in return. She performs for all to hear and travels long distances to share her gift and her faith. I truly believe that Rhema finds peace through music and by singing she opens her heart to all and she feels a deep connection to her mother when she sings and my heart goes out to her and I am in awe of her for she has such an inner beauty that shines and an outer beauty and innocence that makes her a real joy. I also know that faith and healing comes with time and Rhema has found it and it is certain her mother is watching over her little girl from the heavens and is very proud of her as are all who see and hear her sing.

I wish Rhema a life filled with happiness, joy, love, devotion and a deep connection to her mother, her father and her family and I look forward to seeing her perform in her videos and would love to make a trip to see her perform at a Christmas mass as she is such a sweet, brave and talented girl who has such a way of touching people and making them realize the joys of life and also the heartbreaks. She is truly an inspiration and I wish her all my best and am glad to have found her and her beautiful music.

Thank you Rhema for showing me such strength, courage and beauty and for sharing your gift with all of us and for being so strong and devoted. You are an angel and a joy to listen to.

May you always be comforted by God and family and the love of your mother.

Edward D. Iannielli III