Gold Coast, Australia
New stories update on 28 August 2010

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A Work In Progress offers real life inspiring stories on love, relationships, fun, lifestyle, goals and overcoming challenges, grief and timeless love, being happy and at peace.

QUICK LINKS TO STORIES see below:- To search the Web use search bar above. A Note for You from Graham and Bev
About Sam live a life with no regrets
David's Story the life of a wealthy and famous man
Leave your Mark our enduring worth
Living in the Present finding happiness each day with a promise of the future
Love in Motion love is a verb - an action
Love is Stronger than death how love is timeless and forever
NEW Never Give Up timing is everything and dreams can come true
Noel's Story - an Aussie Digger life works when we work it

A Note for You ...from Graham and Bev

We offer these true stories after walking through life looking for answers and realising that others are asking some of the the same questions. We hope in revealing part of our personal story it will inspire, give hope and courage to all to have patience and endurance in difficult times for they do pass and to embrace the good times which always definitely follow.

If we can learn to laugh at ourselves together
as we travel through the one life we have to live
on this earth and beyond.

Life has an ebb and flow ...

click here to go to web page 7 to read on...

Thanks to the first class, hard-working people at Google and for adding A Work in Progress website to the "Inspirational" category of their Directory - see link:-
http://www.google.com/
Top/Society/Philosophy/
Personal_Pages/
Inspirational/

We confirm our website is based on not-for-profit and we obtain no income from it. Graham and Bev are the only owners and don't employ staff and don't have any business associates who represent or act for us for this website or it's contents.

Never Give Up
...Timing is everything and dreams can come true

Ever had a dream so huge and possible but time moved on and it slipped away helped along by unbelievers who couldn't see it? A dream came to light as a 12 year old kid with the flames fanned by a teacher. We were in the struggle of my parents divorce, selling our home and leaving everything we knew. I saw the Sound of Music at the pictures and the inspiring songs gave me hope and I escaped into a happy world singing the songs. Our backyard had a truckload of rocks across it for a rock wall we were building so I'd jump from rock to rock and perch myself high on the backyard swing - a pretend hill in Austria - singing my heart out (as you do)...

          I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain,
          I have confidence that Spring will come again, besides as you see
          I have C O N F I D E N C E in M E E E E E... (YES!)

When my teacher asked if anyone wanted to sing a song from the Sound of Music I stuck my hand up and had a go. She stated with conviction I had a wonderful voice and my dream was born. I wanted to sing to lots of people making them happy - yes - I would be a singer. Dad played clarinet, saxophone, flute and piano and had been recorded with a Glenn Miller type band but Mum didn't see my plan and it was stomped on. In my late teens a family friend would play music and I'd sing along and I begged to get singing lessons. Mum told me if I learned to play guitar then I could have singing lessons (huh?) I failed at guitar and the "friend" said my voice wasn't "big" enough. The dream was buried.

It was a lifetime habit singing as I drove my car not caring if people stared, singing myself to sleep in difficult times when I lived alone before I met my husband. When I met and married Graham, he loved to hear me sing and encouraged me and we are given gifts and talents for a purpose. I started going to church and would sit at the back listening to Pastor Mike's stories of simple faith in God and when the music team played and sang of God's love and faithfulness the tears would come and past hurts inside gradually went away. After a year, Mike asked for backup singers and another girl, Sandy, had a dream to sing too and we both jumped in. The next Sunday we "had a go" nervously gripping each other's hand shaking like a leaf singing into a microphone.

It was challenging but lots of laughs working together - Russ on acoustic guitar, Rob on keyboard, Pete - Sandy's husband - on base guitar - Amanda - Rob's sister - singing harmony with Sandy - and Wendy - Mike's wife - song leading. I found a first class singing teacher to see if I really could sing. Turns out I had a "big" voice but it needed training. My singing teacher and her husband (he played piano while I sang songs) were professional musicians and, about a year later after a lesson each week, I sang a very difficult song and she confessed she had tears in her eyes as I was singing - and nothing made her cry! I realised I could inspire people and my dream as a kid jumping from rock to rock in our backyard was true.

Turns out I had great pitch singing melody and, with Sandy and Amanda who together had an amazing gift for wonderful harmonies, we were a perfect fit. People said we sounded like angels and it was a privilege to sing and see people being inspired and helped like I had been.

I wrote a few songs too - choruses. They would drop into my head and I'd sing into a tape recorder then bought a small keyboard, learned to write the songs into music chords and sing them at church - not bad going from the girl who was told she didn't have a voice!

I ended up song leading out front which is kinda like having a bullet train building up speed behind you and you have to let everyone know where you're going so you don't crash and burn! I learnt lots - like when we made a mistake just keep going 'cause people don't know if they're busy singing their heads off.

I sang at a fellowship with another girl in front of a couple of thousand people and it was inspiring to be a small part of it. A couple of times I lead the singing at the main church and everyone jumped up and sang heaps loud and we had a great time. I learned everything didn't have to be perfect - to do my best and that's okay.

A well-respected musician taught me if you're lucky 60% of the people will come with you, 30% won't know what's going on and 10% won't like you so don't worry about the 10% instead focus on the 60% or 80% who go with you.

I've learned timing is everything. My DVD of the Sound of Music inspires me and Julie Andrews says in the introduction:-

          "If you have faith and persevere" (do the work)
          "you can follow every rainbow 'til you find your dream".

I still sing songs every day in my car on the way to work - after being on stage in front of a couple of thousand people as long as my ego is in check its not my problem what people think of me.

I would encourage everyone to "look for your life", "fly free" and know that dreams can come true.

Early Sunrise at Broadbeach ... I have confidence in sunshine ...

Follow every rainbow 'til you find your dream

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Email contact address is: bev@aworkinprogress.com.au.
© 2010 Copyright www.aworkinprogress.com.au. Stories by Bev D. Photos by Graham D. Website by Bev D. The Authors, Graham and Bev, assert the moral right to be identified as the Authors of this work. No part of this website may be reproduced and published without the prior written permission of the Authors. All rights reserved.

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A Note for You ...from Graham and Bev

Never Give Up ...Timing is everything and dreams can come true

Never Give Up
...Timing is everything and dreams can come true