It was the singular event that changed my life forever and changed the way my son and I approach seemingly insurmountable challenges. Looking back, it was pretty small in the grand scheme of things, but for me, it was a game changer. It was the night I met Nancy Wilson of Heart.
Nancy had been my rock and roll idol since I was 13-years-old and although I’d thought about what it would be like to meet her, it wasn’t the kind of desire I dared to dream about because it seemed as unrealistic as winning the lottery, inheriting an English estate or marrying Jon Bon Jovi.
But in 1999, I learned that Nancy was coming to town to play an acoustic gig at a small venue not too far from my home. It only held 250 people and I knew that if there was ever going to be an opportunity to meet the woman who inspired me to play guitar, this was it. There was only one problem: I didn’t have the first clue as to how to go about it.
I called up a friend of mine, who was a keen problem-solver. “How do you catch a rock star?”
“I give up,” she laughed. “How do you catch a rock star?”
“This isn’t a joke,” I explained. “Nancy Wilson is coming to town and this might be my only chance to meet her!”
She didn’t tell me I was crazy. She didn’t laugh and she didn’t tell me to spare myself the humiliation. Instead, she helped me concoct an elaborate, but well thought out plan that would give me the best shot at finally coming face-to-face with my idol. I wrote a heart-felt letter to Nancy in care of the promotion company. I sent flowers to the venue and I told her I had a guitar similar to hers and politely asked if she would consider signing it.
On the night of the show, I was anxious but confident. I had no idea how it would turn out, but I knew I had done everything within my power to make it happen. All I had to do was to have a little faith that after 14 years, the impossible dream might finally come true.
About 15 minutes after the show ended, I was hanging around by the stage when Nancy’s guitar tech asked me my name. I told him who I was and he said, “I kind of figured. You’re the girl with the guitar, right?”
I brightened. “Yeah, I am!”
“We got your letter,” he told me. “It was really nice.”
“Cool,” I said, trying to keep my composure, but secretly freaking out that Nancy had actually read my words. “Do you think she’ll come out and sign it?”
The guy shook his head and continued winding up some wires. “I don’t know, but I tell you what, as soon as I am done, I will take the guitar back for you and get it signed,” he promised.
It wasn’t what I wanted, but I was willing to negotiate. After all, a signature was better than nothing. But somewhere deep inside I knew God was aware of how much this woman meant to me all these years. He wouldn’t let me get that close and then yank it away from me, would He?
No He wouldn’t and before the tech could finish his tear down, Nancy Wilson came out of the backstage curtain. “Well, there’s Julie,” she said to me
like we were old friends. “You want to bring your guitar up here?”
Is the pope Catholic? I felt like answering as I leaped onto the small stage to join her. Nancy told me how much she liked the letter I wrote and how cool my guitar was, and I thanked her for all of the music she and her sister had given their fans over the years. She signed my guitar and I drove home feeling as though I had moved a mountain, thanking God for such an amazing experience and knowing that my world would never be the same.
That night, I crept into my son’s room and woke him up. “I want to tell you something very important and if you never listen to me for the rest of your life, you’ve got to listen to me right now.”
“OK?” he said, rubbing the sleep from his 10-year-old eyes.
“Never let anyone tell you dreams can’t come true. If you have faith and you want something badly enough, you can do anything,” I told him. “Impossible is nothing.”
“Does that mean I’m going to get to meet Michael Jordan someday?” He asked.
It took another eight years, but he did get to share a basketball court with the Bulls legend and he still credits Nancy Wilson for the fact that it happened. While it may not be as impressive as exorcising demons, it is the kind of event that gives you the faith you need to endure any challenge, face any fear and believe in yourself when you need it the most. God’s grace comes to us in so many ways, its important to recognize it when we receive it so that we can make the impossible possible and turn our dreams into realities.
Today’s readings for Mass: HAB 1:12-2:4; PS 9:8-9, 10-11, 12-13; MT 17: 14-20
