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When Nightbirde first appeared on America's Got Talent, she captured our hearts not only with her talent but her curious blend of mental strength in fighting her cancer and her physical fragility from the effects of the disease.
Since then she has continued to inspire with her deep faith -- a faith that has pulled her from her darkest and most frightening moments, a faith that is almost contagious as she shares the joy it is to be a child of God.
We've shared some of her most inspiring thoughts to date but in true Nightbirde style, even as she continues her painful battle, she can't help but bring more inspiration and joy to our lives.
Most recently, the talented singer shared with her growing number of fans on Facebook an eloquent post in which she describes the toll cancer has had on her life in the past 20 months, while also realizing a long-held dream:
"My most vibrant hopes and deepest fears have been poured onto the same canvas. I stare into the chaos of it. My ears are ringing. The universe offered herself to me, then cut off my hands," she explained, adding:
I think about the dreams my heart has carried since I was little. Dreams of singing to the whole world at once; writing words that sink so deep they don’t need to be remembered; being a truth-teller, a hope-holder, a strength-sharer. Wait, am I in the dream?"
Her words have definitely sunk deeper than she could have imagined, moving many thousands of people to question their own happiness and perhaps the depth of their faith. After all, if someone with just a 2% chance of survival can show such faith and gratitude in God, then she has something to teach us.
But as for living in her dream, Nightbirde examines it in her own poetic way:
I thought it would be sparklier than this. I didn’t imagine standing before of the world with so many bruises. I didn’t imagine that in my shining moment I’d be suffering in front of an audience. I’ve always expected miracles. I thought the miracle would be that I could skip to the end, spared of pain. I thought the miracle would make me scar-free, brand new."
Then, as usual, Nightbirde faces her battle, and sees the miracle inside of it:
I did get a miracle—just not the one I wanted. I get to look for light and find it. I get to see how much love can endure. I get to walk the journey with thousands of people like me, who can’t stop hoping, no matter how hard we try."
To find this miracle in the love and hope that engulfs her is a testimony to her character, and her ability to see the gifts God has given her. Something that many of us find so hard to see through the fog of our everyday lives.
Nightbirde ends her post with some sage advice -- as ever -- and teaches us that the miracles we look for in life are surrounding us every day. We just need to be open to seeing them, and accepting them for the miracles they are.
If we only take the miracles that taste sweet, I don’t think we’ll ever taste one. If we wait until we have the perfect song, I don’t think we’ll ever sing. Don’t miss it—it’s now. We are in the miracle, we are in the dream."
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