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Zusatztext "Heather is a living example of faith, hope, and perseverance. It is my pleasure to call her my friend." --Kathie Lee Gifford Informationen zum Autor Heather Whitestone Klappentext Heather Whitestone. Her name has become synonymous with incredible determination and unprecedented achievement. In Listening with My Heart, Heather tells her own story and the stories of others who have inspired her, proving that with hard work, perseverance, and faith, each of us can move mountains. Profoundly deaf since she was eighteen months old, Heather strove to live a normal life, and refused to listen to the voices of discouragement that many of us so often hear, no matter what problems confront us. She wouldn't listen to the doctor who said she wouldn't develop beyond third-grade abilities, or to those who said she would never dance ballet, or even speak. She did, however, hear the encouraging spirit of her family and followed the guidance of her own heart's dreams. Struggling through her difficulties, she was sustained by every success--no matter how small--and ultimately became Miss America 1995. Though she is disabled, her incredible gifts have inspired many throughout the world, and in Listening with My Heart she at last shares her life-changing wisdom. Leseprobe Sometimes life catches us by surprise. Sometimes, though, those surprises are hinted at in our dreams. Consider David, the shepherd boy who went to check on his big brothers who were in the Israelite camp. Imagine his distress when he arrived and discovered that the entire army of hundreds of strong men had been sidelined--by a single boastful giant! David was so young and so small that a man's armor hung from his slender frame, more an encumbrance than protection. With five simple stones, the best weapons he knew, he went out in the name of God, killed the giant, and brought peace to the land. David, the one who praised God through his dance, had faith in his dream...and in his God. Barely twenty years ago, in a little Alabama town, a deaf girl dreamed of dancing ballet before an adoring crowd to music she couldn't hear...and receiving a crown for her efforts. On September 17, 1994, that little deaf girl danced ballet to "Via Dolorosa" before a television audience of forty million...and was crowned Miss America. She had faith in her dream...and in her God. I was that little girl. And I want you to know that dreams do come true. If they didn't, why would God design our hearts with the capacity to yearn for something greater than ourselves? A dream is a journey, and though 1 may not know you personally, I know that God has a purpose and plan for your life...a dream for you. I believe God has a dream for each of us, and our greatest challenge and joy lies in funding and following that dream wherever it may lead. I'm only twenty-three years old, and I'm still on the journey, still following the dreams God has planned for me. Along the way I've become deaf, learned to talk, won the Miss America pageant, traveled across America, married a wonderful man...and I'm still dreaming. I'm still listening to my heart. And I'd like you to know the joy of listening to your own heart and following your own dreams. Before you can begin, you must believe that the journey to fulfill your dreams is possible. Someone once said that there is very little difference between one person and another, but what little there is is very important. The difference is attitude, and yours can be positive or negative, hopeful or hopeless. If you will believe that God cares and that he can lead you to fulfill his dreams for you, then you will find success. We're not very different, you and I. By the time you've finished this book, I'm sure you'll know that I'm very human and far from perfect. But I've been amazed to learn that God can use anyone--even me--to influence the lives of...
