The Christmas CD was released in Europe today via iTunes!  Lots of people are tweeting great things about it on Twitter, but us poor North Americans will still have to wait till the 13th to get the CD.

These scans are from the People Magazine 35th Anniversary issue.

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The other night, I happened to listen to “Keep it Real,” a song that the Jonas Brothers wrote and performed for their new television show. Nick, Joe, and Kevin may have written the words to describe themselves and their TV characters, but some of the lyrics really reminded me of David Archuleta, as well. Here are a few of the lines from the middle of the song that especially struck me as relevant:

When you’re home, you’re still the one you were before you left to go on tour.

Now’s the time. Let the whole world know you can shine bright but still keep it real.

You can find the entire song and see it’s video here. (Be warned, however, that this song has a very catchy chorus and could potentially be rather addictive…)

As I’ve mentioned before, I have always liked David, the polite, considerate, appreciative young man that we met on American Idol early last year. What we saw from the beginning was a really nice, good guy. I admire that, and I would not want the music industry or “being famous” to change David into something else.

Of course, everyone changes and grows in some ways as they get older and go through new life experiences, especially when they are still in their teenage years. David’s life has changed a lot in the last couple of years. His very busy schedule has often kept him away from his family, friends, and home. He has had to get used to having more attention focused on him, even when he is not performing. He has also needed to become more accustomed to dealing with interviews, photo shoots, interacting with fans and reporters, carrying off much longer performances on stage, and many other things. Despite all of these things, while David may be more professionally accomplished and more comfortable and confident in many situations, he still seems to mainly be the same positive, sweet, humble person that we first saw at the American Idol auditions.

I think that many of the things that David has told us in his recent blogs and tweets really do seem to make this point. Since his traveling schedule has slowed down a bit lately, he has been able to have a little more time to do other things that are important to or fun for him. David told us how much he enjoyed the trip he took to California a couple of weeks ago with his mother and sisters, and he seemed really happy that he’s “been able to spend some more time with my family!” David still gets excited and nervous about new experiences in his career, such as his recent performances at the U.S. Open and the ALMA Awards. He doesn’t take things like that for granted, and he also made note of the fact that he just got his first fan mail from Alaska the other day. Also, while David appreciated being able to sing at those recent special events, he also said in his blog that, “I think my favorite thing was that I got to spend the week with my mom.” He is really excited about his new Christmas CD that will be released soon, but he’s also taking the time to discuss the brain of his pet fish and enjoying the chance to get back to doing some running, sometimes with his mom, even though that may cause him to need some sun block to ward off a “farmer tan.” Televised happenings in New York and Los Angeles aren’t the only events that David can appreciate, either. Last Saturday, he told us that “State fairs rock,” which is probably not surprising, since he “had some awesome roasted corn on the cob and cherry limeade.” In the last week or so, he’s also described the Utah Symphony as “pretty amazing actually” and the circus as “Way cool!,” and he had fun supporting his friends Brooke White, Michael Johns, and Benton Paul at their concert in his hometown. All of these things seem to show us that David is still a pretty regular guy who just happens to have a not-so-ordinary job that affords him some high-profile opportunities.

So, even though David Archuleta has had quite a bit of success in the first year or so of his post-American Idol music career and has gone through a number of changes in his life, it does seem that he has been able to remain basically the same nice David from Murray, Utah that started on this path a couple of summers ago. My wish for David going forward is not anything huge or extravagant. It is simply that he will be able to continue doing what he loves to do in singing and sharing music, but also, more importantly, that he will be able to retain his positive qualities and personality so that he can be a happy and good person throughout his life.

In other words, referring back to the song again, I hope that David will always find it true that “you can shine bright and still keep it real.”

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As I was posting this article on Labor Day about ‘love’, I thought about David and what a “labor of love” music is for him. He works so hard, making sure to give his best with each performance and he never disappoints! So as we celebrate this day with family and friends, I hope David is doing the same. Taking a well deserved break, enjoying a picnic or barbecue somewhere. David, thank you for all the work you put into making your music…we fans are so grateful. Happy Labor day all!

Now abide, faith, hope, love, these three remain, but the greatest of these is Love. -1Corinthians 13:13-
Love is a very powerful emotion. It is something we all want and something we all need. However, I do believe that love is an emotion some find hard to accept, and even harder to easily express. In my opinion, David Archuleta is one young man who has no problem accepting and expressing his love for so many things in his life. He is someone who sees all that he has and he shows so much appreciation for it. He expresses love through his zest for living.

Follow the way of love.-1Corinthians 14:1-
David has a smile that could light up any room. Many times when we see him, he appears happy and his face exudes pure joy. He follows the ways of love by living very simply. He seems to know what is important in life. He has a wisdom that is very uncommon for someone his age, and it seems to lead him to be a very content person. I believe this is in part, because he loves so freely. He is a kind person with a sincere heart . He is giving of his talents and his time. He is thoughtful and charitable. David Archuleta puts all he has into whatever it is he does. He emanates love.

Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.
-Vincent Van Gogh-
David has talked often about the many things he loves. He has spoken openly about his love for God and his faith and he has lovingly shared that faith with so many others, when he has been asked to speak and sing at a Fireside meeting. He has discussed many times, his love for his family and his friends. He appreciates them in his life and does not take them for granted. He knows time spent with them is precious. We all know about David’s love of music. It makes him happy. Whether it is listening to his own favorite music or performing himself, he loves everything about it and he loves to share his enthusiasm for music with others. David has told us that he loves to support many causes and charities and how much he loves to get involved and do what he can to help those less fortunate than himself. The list of things David loves and enjoys could can go on and on. He has even talked about his love of food on more than one occasion! We all know how much he loves to perform and spend time with his fans. He has also expressed in interviews, that he loves to travel the world and meet his fans from other countries. David has mentioned that he loves a healthy lifestyle. It is important to him to eat right and get exercise. He has shared how much he loves a good challenge, trying to test himself when he performs a new song in front of his audience for the first time. David has expressed that he loves modesty, strong values and being honest.

It is not how much you do, but how much Love you put into the doing that matters
-Mother Teresa-
As I said before, we all know how much David loves his music. He loves to perform it, listen to it and learn about it. Music is his passion and sharing it with others is what he does so well. He takes performing and singing a song correctly very seriously, making sure to use the gift of his voice in the right way. He takes nothing for granted because he doesn’t want to lose his voice. He is grateful for his ability to use it. David is a dedicated performer and he does his best to put on a wonderful show for his fans. He has such a wonderful ability to emotionally connect with his audience. He gives his all every time he is on stage. He enjoys sharing the music he makes with all that will listen, and boy do we love to hear it! He sings beautifully and it inspires so many of us. David’s music has touched our hearts and our souls, and we are grateful that David so unselfishly loves to shares it with us.

All mankind love a lover.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-
In turn we love David back. We love the way he sings his songs. We love and admire him for the ways he lives his life. For the commitment he makes to share his talent with us. We adore him for being so humble and down to earth. We are delighted by the way he supports others, whether it is a charity he feels strongly about, a friend he wants to promote or a fan he is appreciative of. We love the way he is simply ‘just David’ even after all the fame.

The symbol that is often used to signify love is a heart. David Archuleta certainly has a heart of gold. He has a pure heart that shows patience, kindness and tolerance. It is a heart that only wants to do the right thing. It is a heart filled with love. Love for God, family, friends, music and life!

I am sure there are some things David dislikes, but I think David would rather focus on the positive aspects of his life. He chooses to find the good in any situation, and to concentrate on all the things around him that he loves. It’s like looking for the silver lining in a dark cloud, and David does it well.

As I was thinking about all of this, I was reminded of the Beatle’s song, “All You Need is Love.” Perhaps if we could all try and remember these words. To focus on being more loving. To choose to see the positive in what we have and center on the good, no matter what hand we have been given in life. To give love to others more freely. And when it comes straight from the heart, the way it does with David Archuleta…well, I think it could make us feel happier about our own lives. It might even make us feel more content. So, maybe we could try a little harder. Each one of us, to express our love for life a little more and appreciate all that we have a little better. Then we too might realize the way David does, that the simple words in the song… “All You Need is Love” really do ring true. Call me an optimist, but it sure seems to work well for David! ;)

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Just about every day of our lives we hear music without even noticing it much…background music. It’s in the supermarket aisles, under the whir of the dentist drill, in the elevator that takes us to our office, in the restaurant where we are having dinner. It is meant to lull, mask and motivate us to spend money. Now if by chance we hear one of David Archuleta’s songs in the background a little light goes on inside of us. We can’t stop smiling and we may even loudly blurt out “It’s David Archuleta!”. I personally scared several people shopping for supplies in Staples when “Crush” came over the loudspeaker.

Mozart, the Beatles , the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. What do they have in common with David Archuleta? Their music has the ability to pierce even our routine activities and make us feel happy to be alive. We feel the music enter our entire being.

There is a theory that when we were a baby in our mother’s womb we were influenced by the heartbeats of our mother. This is perhaps the way we first experience sounds that sooth and calm us. As we grow up we are exposed to many different types of music that generate different emotional responses. We may hide our eyes when we hear spooky music in a darken movie theater or feel a rush of pure joy hearing a beautiful Christmas Carol. We learned nursery rhymes and played musical chairs. Some of us can still remember advertising jingles we heard on TV when we were very young. Others may remember the songs on Sesame Street or the piano melody on a Charlie Brown holiday special.

As we mature we open ourselves to different types of music. David Archuleta touched on this when he was just starting his American Idol journey: “Something that surprises a lot of people is usually the music I listen to just because it’s so diverse and it would be like Hispanic music from my mom, you know I grew up listening to Hispanic music on my mom’s side and then my dad listened to Jazz music and so I grew up with that and I just love Gospel music and you know, mostly I listen to Pop, and like Pop-Rock, but soulful music ‘cuz it’s just one of my favorites as well.”

Music punctuates the most ordinary and extraordinary moments of our lives. Our happiest and saddest days may be wrapped in music…whether it be the care we take when choosing music for our wedding or the tears we shed when hearing a familiar hymn at a beloved family member’s funeral. Think a moment..can you remember the sound of a merry go round tune as you decided which magical horse you would ride? Or the happy jingle of the ice cream truck as you ran down the street in hot pursuit?

Music has always been around us but David has opened our hearts and our memories to the melodies and songs that have been the soundtracks of our life. And it is not just a backward glance but a new excitement of music we have yet to hear. Soon we will have that Christmas CD in our hot little hands! Brand new music from David and a promise that it is from his heart.

Plato wrote a statement that rings true over 2,400 years later:
“Music…gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination…and life to everything.”

Thank you David for awakening music in our very souls.

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Each month as I flip the page over on my calendar, I am treated to an image of astonishing inner beauty. The calendar creator is Steven N. Meyers, photographer and MRI technician. Pictured here,a magnolia takes on an almost other worldly aura. Myers explains, “By using x-rays instead of light, an unusual inner vision is revealed, and Nature shows us textures, details, and shadows that would otherwise not be seen.”

There is no special camera or x-ray machine that can scan and record the details, textures and shadows of our own inner beauty. It takes a thoughtful, perceptive human being with a big heart to have that kind of x-ray vision. Can you guess who fits that description? Can’t you almost hear him singing the old Billy Joel song ”I love you just the way you are.” He treats us, all of us, not only with kindness but with sincere affection. There is a lovely quote by Martin Buxbaum about growing older: “Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty - they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.” I think David sees his fans in this way. He senses their hearts and he responds to who they have become.

This is a rare quality especially in young man not quite 19 years of age. We are hot wired as a teenager to be aware of physical beauty…who has it and who doesn’t plays a big part in our path to maturity. David is human and it would be impossible for him not to notice his young and sometimes very lovely fans. But he chooses not to limit himself by focusing just on those fans. He tries to keep his heart open to all of us. David doesn’t need to discover the truth of inner beauty, he seems to instinctively already know it. It takes a very enlightened person to see past the obvious and to be able to appreciate who we are inside as well as who we are on the outside.

David Archuleta’s fans come in all shapes, sizes and ages. Some of us are even physically ill and we may not feel like we look our best. But some of the most touching and expressive photos taken with David are with fans dealing with a physical challenge. It is in those moments that we have an opportunity to see beyond David’s good looks and see into his beautiful soul. His inner beauty shines bright and inspires us to take a fresh look at the world. David Archuleta’s genuine acceptance of all of his fans is a bridge that links us all to one another. We may look different, speak varied languages, and be decades apart in age, but because David sees us as equals, we can relax and not feel self conscious with one another.

Like the lovely unique flower images that Steven N Meyers produces, we too can create our own beautiful inner garden. What we can do is plant the seeds of compassion, patience, wisdom and generosity in our hearts .
“Cultivate the habit of taking time every day to sit in the middle of your soul so you can be in conscious contact with the beauty of your inner garden.” Lucy MacDonald