There was a time when men were kind

- Susan Boyle

I was really touched by a post from Fr. James Martin SJ at America magazine's blog - Susan Boyle and the Love of God - about an unemployed, unnattractive Scottish woman living alone with her cat who blew peoples' socks off with her surprising voice. Here's part of his post ....

*******

[...] Ms. Boyle, a matronly 48-year-old unemployed woman, who touchingly described herself on camera as "never been married, never been kissed," lives in a small English village with her cat, Pebbles. When she strode onto the stage of "Britain's Got Talent," you could see the contemptuous grimaces in the crowd. And when the heavyset woman smilingly announced that she would sing the vocally challenging song from "Les Miserables," called "I Dreamed a Dream," you could see the collective judges (including the ever-present Simon Cowell) literally roll their eyes in barely disguised disgust. Please.

When Ms. Boyle opened her mouth, however, out came a voice that silenced her critics. Watch her video (which is unembeddable) here if you haven't already .....

The way we see Susan Boyle is very nearly the way God sees us: worthwhile, special, talented, unique, beautiful. The world generally looks askance at people like Susan Boyle, if it sees them at all. Without classic good looks, without work, without a spouse, living in a small town, people like Susan Boyle may not seem particularly "important." But God sees the real person, and understands the value of each individual's gifts: rich or poor, young or old, single or married, matron or movie star, lucky or unlucky in life. God knows us. And loves us .....

******************

The video is worth a watch - it made me cry :) - here are the lyrics of the song, from Les Miserables ...

I Dreamed a Dream

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.