Someone recently asked me a very simple question that I have been thinking about a lot lately. It wasn’t a question that would really change the world, and it wasn’t a question that men have pondered for generations, but it was a question that has replayed in my mind over and over again. The question was, “If you could meet any five people in the world, who would they be?” When the question was asked, I didn’t have to give it much thought. I quickly rattled off the five names of the people I would most like to meet. Those five people were: Doris Day, Joanna Gaines, Kelly Ripa, Reba McEntire, and Dolly Parton.

Like all good questions, there was a follow up question: “Why those five people?” Now, I have to admit, this is the question that I have been thinking a lot about. I answered not long after the question was asked, but I have continued to think about why I said those five people. What is it about these people that I am drawn to? What do they have in common? What makes them special? I am going to do my best to answer those questions, and hopefully I will learn a little bit more about myself in the process.

Doris Day

I was first introduced to Doris Day by my grandma. It was just in passing really. She just said, “I love Doris Day. I always thought she had a wonderful voice.” With those simple words, I started trying to find out more about this person. This has become a lifelong quest to find out more about someone whom my grandma admired. I quickly realized what all the fuss was about when I watched my first Doris Day movie, Pillow Talk. I sat glued to the screen looking at this beautiful young woman with the blondest hair that I had ever seen. To say I was enamored would be an understatement. I was enthralled by her. There was something very special about her and I could not learn enough about her career.

During the years that followed, I watched most of her movies and walked away feeling good about the world in which I lived. Seeing her smile and be funny made my heart feel joy. When I purchased my first Doris Day album, I listened to it over and over again and could not help but experience all the same emotions I felt when I had seen her on the screen. Her voice was pure and honest. She has an emotional quality in her voice which makes it feel as if she is sitting right beside you singing only to you.

Then I started reading about her. I learned that her father had left her and her mother when Doris was very young. I learned that she was a dancer, but her dreams were shattered because of a car accident. I learned that she loved animals and was accepting of all people. I learned that she stood by her good friend Rock Hudson when he was dying of AIDS. She did this without judgment and without feeling superior. She did this out of love. She understood that love is the answer to all of our problems, and I realized that she and my grandma were very similar. They both knew that life is full of ups and downs, but they both were able to put a smile on their face, and in the process they made other people smile and feel better.

Thinking about it further, I realize that Doris Day and my grandma actually served very similar purposes in my life. They both brought me joy, they made me laugh, they showed me how to live, and they proved to me that anything is possible.

I am not sure if I will ever meet Doris Day, but I do know that if it is in God’s plan for me to meet her I will. If I have learned anything in this life I have learned that anything is possible and just when we think there is no hope something miraculous will happen and we will see just how powerful God is. I certainly am thankful that my grandma mentioned Doris Day to me all those years ago because I would have missed out on so much happiness in life had she not. Leave it to my grandma to always be looking out for me even when she wasn’t sure of what she was doing.

When we show love, compassion, and acceptance of all the creatures and people God has placed on this earth, there will be more peace in the world and PEACE MATTERS!

~Dan~