Falmouth Academy Resonance 2020-21

Family First

Everyone has a dream. A goal they must achieve, a point they must reach, a journey they must take. It is believed that once they reach that dream, then and only then, will they be fulfilled, happy and satisfied.

Some time ago, when George W. Bush oversaw America’s fate and the show Blossom shined on every TV screen, a young woman, a woman very important to me, had a dream. Her name is Wendy. She had long, wavy dark brown hair, and shimmering emerald eyes. She was beautiful in every way. With a contagious laugh and a smile that would make anyone feel home. The loveliest thing about her was her heart. A true, pure heart.

She lived in the land where dreams come true, the sunny paradise where celebrities of all kinds roam the streets, and Santa Claus wears shorts in the local Christmas parades: Los Angeles, California. She didn’t always live in Hollywood. She used to live in Brockton, Massachusetts. The opposite of LA. She grew up in a small house, constantly surrounded by her many siblings and her mother. Wendy loved her mother very much, as all children should love their parents. She was a genuine, sweet, and generous woman. She was a singer at all the local lounges. Her voice brought such peace as an angel’s voice would. Growing up, there was a lot of fighting and yelling in her household. As the youngest, Wendy found herself hiding under tables with fear and confusion, but her mother would talk to her, and sing to her, and would make all the worry disappear just by being around.

Wendy’s mother had a pure heart. Her heart was special for another reason. She carried a heart condition known as Congestive Heart Failure Nonetheless, her heart was beautiful and strong.

Money was short in that little Brockton house. If a jar of peanut butter fell on the floor and smashed into a million pieces, no way would it be thrown out! Wendy and her siblings would spend lunches for the next two weeks picking glass out of their sandwiches. It was a tough childhood, but all the love that Wendy’s older siblings gave her sure did help.

Throughout childhood, Wendy discovered something about herself. Through staring in school plays and dancing in local musicals, she learned her dream was to be an actress. The joy of inhabiting a character and performing for an audience was simply unmatchable. The friends that were made during those plays felt like true family. She still remembers and talks about those friends with me today! She has a fond gleam in her eyes when she reminisces about such things like she’s remembering a childhood home.

Wendy knew she had to act. It was her calling. Her family had mixed opinions about it, but it was comforting to know that Wendy had found something that she not only loved, but that she was also good at.

Wonderful at, in fact! Best actress I’ve ever known. So in her early 20’s, young and excited, Wendy took off to LA to follow her dream. LA was a different place from her home. There were earthquakes left and right, the heat was exhausting, and it was stuffed to the brim with people, but there was undeniably magic in the air. The Hollywood sign overlooked all the mayhem like a god. Holy, noble, and proud. There were gold and red stars pasted on the sidewalks with names on them like “Michael Jackson” and “Robin Williams” and “Judy Garland.”

These permanent golden stars were not just for ‘celebrities’ …but for legends: the ultimate honor. Wendy could just picture her name on that ‘walk of fame.’ Her whole life and her whole career before her. She was ready to commit 100% of herself to the art of acting.

It was a bumpy ride. Money was tight, so Wendy lived in a very small apartment in a not-so-safe part of town, far away from the breathtaking castles in Beverly Hills. All her furniture was either found at thrift stores and yard sales or made of cardboard. It was a scary situation, with robbers every so often stealing the little that Wendy had. This might have been enough to scare someone into giving up and moving home, but not Wendy.

She stayed strong and determined. Her acting journey began as they all do. She went on audition after audition for every role in every movie that she could find. As an unemployed actor, your job, what you wake up every morning and get ready for, is auditioning.

The pressure was painful. In Hollywood, your skills matter just as much if not less than physical appearance. While Wendy was undeniably beautiful, so was everyone else in LA. LA is where you eat clean, take yoga classes, and tan all day by the beach. It is known for its attractive population. Audition after audition, line after line, rejection after rejection. Wendy had been told every line in the book. “I’m sorry, you’re too tall,” “too young,” “too old,” “you just have the wrong look.” But every night Wendy passed back and forth in her 76