Oh, the wonderful memories we now have of Clay's co-hosting on The Mike and Juliet Show. Is there anything he can't do? The answer is, of course, "He can do anything and everything he puts his mind to, and do it amazingly." We saw that on this show. And the pictures and videos are there to remind us of it at any moment we so choose.
And, here is another fabulous essay by CorieLuvzClay, inspired by this very show. This is her way of sharing, after seeing the show, those things that came to her mind. I cried when I read it. I feel these very sentiments in my heart. Maybe you will as well.
Enjoy this beautiful essay.
Dancing Spirit
Have you ever seen a spirit?? Have you ever witnessed a dancing spirit?? Have you ever seen a soul?? Have you ever witnessed a rapturous, luminous, impassioned soul?? If you’re a Clay Aiken fan you have seen and witnessed all of this and in so many varied ways…the brilliance and the after-glow of a true and prominent star. This is the essence of the man we have loved and supported for more then four years now. This is the man whose at once angelic and most powerful voice brought us all together…and we stayed with him not only for his voice but we stayed for his heart, his intelligence, the dignity and morality with which he lives his life.
Today Clay was the Guest Host on The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet and once again he brought the “house” down. Although Clay had a cold…he came out to play and to win and he was victorious!
I’m not going to go into the show because every single solitary nuance of it hit the internet as it was airing…we are getting better and better at keeping pace with our gorgeous man…ain’t technology grand?!?!?
What I will do is reflect upon something that so often comes to mind, perhaps because it is branded to my heart. This love affair we have…Clay Aiken and his diehard fans…how we love him and have loved him from day one. I borrow from myself as I quote a few paragraphs from an essay I wrote during the clackless time after The Juke Box Tour.
With the pages of “Learning To Sing” ever reverberating within I wrote in part…
“We are so lucky, he is so very lucky, his family is luckier still; that with all the inflicted pain and agony to his soul, that with the verbal and emotional abuse Clay suffered, he also encountered a miracle. This beautiful soul, so young and impressionable had no relief from its torment. Many children who are abused at home find solace at school and in childhood friendships. Many children who are bullied, ridiculed and cast aside at school find love, understanding and warm hugs waiting for them at home…with kisses to adorn tear stained cheeks and soothe the wounded soul. Not Clay though, wherever this child turned, he was forsaken and abandoned in one way or another.
This wonderful child whose little body housed a loving heart and an amazing spirit, walked an emotional fine line to be sure and how miraculous is it for him first and foremost and for the rest of us that Clay Aiken did not fall to the dark side of life, one perhaps of drugs and alcohol to dull the pain and make it go away, but instead he listed toward the lighter side in his growing up years until he fell full force into the guiding light meant only for him.”
“That guiding light has since turned into a blazing star, and what a phenomenal, enterprising expedition he has been on. And us, what about us? We came along, we came in droves, he couldn’t keep us away, we knew immediately, we saw instantly, we fell in love unabashedly! And Clay? He knows, he sees and he feels us…he misses us…he said so…unabashedly…in a public blog…”Missing You!”
“Clay needs us, every bit as much as we need him…we are nourishment for his soul, for the scars on his heart...for all the times he was thrown away by family members who should have loved him, protected him and accepted him just for him. For the pain in his heart for every lonely hour he spent at school or after school being the "odd" man out, in his too big sweaters and his double strapping. We saw what no one else seemed to see, we loved what no one else seemed to love...we found adorable and endearing what no one else seemed to find adorable and endearing or even acceptable.”
“We loved his adorable ears, when everyone else made fun of them, we loved his freckles when he himself hated them, we loved his feet when others snickered, we loved his demeanor when others would put him a corner, we drank up his beautiful voice and called him sexy, perhaps for the very first time in his life.
We found his hand movements to be a thudding experience when the butterfly-like movements hovered and gently caressed the mic stand, we found his deep knee bends alluring when others told him to "dance a little"..we loved him and uplifted him every step of the way. We filled his soul with what he so desperately needed just as he filled ours. We filled a void in his life just as he filled the void in ours.”
“We fell in Love with each other and I believe that he will take us with him, for the rest of his life, wherever he may go because our mark on Clay is just as indelible as his mark is on us...we are branded to each others hearts for all time, because Clay and his Claymates are a once in a lifetime anomaly.”
“Only "we" could have a Wilkes-Barre moment…when the realization hit him that we knew the words to his song...only we could bring him so visibly to tears in Raleigh when we packed the theatre and he stood and cried. Only we...he and us could have a relationship today that allows us to let him know what we want, that let's him know how important our cameras are because he can actually see the beautiful creations from those cameras that pour out the love we have for him. Only "us" no one before and I venture to say no one that follows...this was a Phenomenon that can never be duplicated because there will never be another stardom/fandom combination like us again!”
“Our love for Clay was unconditional from the start...we fell in love with him from head to toe and from inside out! The one's who "got it" early on needed nothing more then to see his beautiful smile, hear his angelic voice and have their hearts tugged and caressed with every gift of laughter he gave to us, with every humble nod and lip bite holding back obvious joy and pleasure at hearing some very lovely things that were being said to him...Gladys Knight comes to mind as does Paula on the Wild Card show. That adorable lip bite, lowered head & crooked smile as he listened to Paula tell him he raised the bar and he's a star. Clay loved this and ate this up as he never in his life experienced such glowing remarks from the people who had mattered the most.”
“Clay does love us and I'm sure he misses us...we freed his soul and showed it how to soar, we lightened his heart with love and attention...with the desire to have him near us and to sing for us...we nourished that part of his being that was so depleted so hungering for love and acceptance...we let him know that he would no longer sit all alone and off to the side lines. We would raise his spirits and carry him as he in turn did for and to us. I have often said that this love affair of "ours", Clay and his fans, is a love affair of grand proportions. This is a first in the history of stardom and fandom for we are most right when we say that there are no celebrities today nor have there ever been to have the relationship that we have with each other. I would venture to say that the Internet does help an awful lot in these modern times to keep a star alive when out of public sight...as discussions, videos, pictures, etc. are such an amazing means to that end. BUT make no mistake that it is precisely because of Clay's sweet, funny, giving, loving and humble nature, that we are so willing to keep him alive during the down periods.”
“He loves us because he has been loved by us. He misses us because he has been missed by us. He wants us in his life, because we want him in our lives. Ours is a mutual love, a mutual respect, he is our Idol, but I think perhaps, that we are his as well! This truly is a love affair to remember and keep safely tucked away in our hearts for all time. I don't think there will ever be another "Camelot" like ours!!”
Clay looked absolutely gorgeous on The Morning Show and I know he made two more friends in Mike & Juliet. You could tell that they had a blast with our man and he impressed in every way possible within a mere sixty minutes. He was charming, witty and intelligent. Clay was serious and informed when the segment turned to the story of the hour regarding the Anna Nicole Smith storyline and he was funny and playful during the “arts & crafts” segment.
Clay is definitely on a high right now…he’s so happy he makes my soul sing. When I look at Clay I see the light of his spirit dance in his beautiful eyes. To see that beautiful bow shaped mouth crinkle up in a smile steeped in sweetness is all I need to know that he’s ok.
Our mantra is “We came for The Voice and stayed for The Man” and what a man Clay Aiken has grown into. The skinny “white boy”, with the big ears and the coke bottle glasses from North Carolina has blossomed into an absolutely handsome prince of a man.
We stayed for his humility, loving heart, spirited soul and a demeanor steeped in playfulness, charm, wit and pure good natured fun and silliness all while encapsulated within a body beautiful…a temple, that we have watched grow and change in maturity and knowledge. Today, Clay is tall and slender but filled out in a solid, manly way…gone is the skinny “boy” body. His hairstyles of late frame his face in such a manner as to heighten the model-like cheekbones, enhancing long lashes and his eyes of jade…eyes that sparkle and are alive with happiness and awareness…aware of where he has come from, where he is and where he is going.
A line comes to mind from “It’s a Wonderful Life” by Jimmy Stewart….
“What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”
We lassoed the moon for you Clay, continue building your wonderful life, we will continue to love you unconditionally and unwaveringly support you…just stay true to yourself, make sure your spirit dances…keep us in your heart and you will never walk alone.
By: CorieLuvzClay
February 22, 2007