ONE DREAM FOR ANOTHER

What would it take for you to walk away from a career you’ve dreamed of all your life? That was the decision faced by singer and musician Phoebe Snow. In the early 1970s, her star was on the rise. Discovered in a club in Greenwich Village, her life changed virtually overnight. Within a few short years, she had released an album and had a top-five single on the charts. Grammy nominations, magazine covers, and guest appearances on television with other well-known acts began to roll in.

But at the height of her success, her life changed … again, virtually overnight. In 1975, she gave birth to a daughter with severe brain-damage. Soon after, her husband left. In those days, it was not uncommon for disabled children to be institutionalized. But for Phoebe, that was never an option.

She chose to devote herself to her daughter’s full-time care and stepped away from the accolades of the music business for years – a decision from which her career never fully recovered.

Did she regret her decision? No. In fact, after her daughter passed away at the age of 31, Phoebe indicated that leaving the music business for her daughter was simply the trade of one dream for another. In an interview, she said of her child, “She fulfilled every profound love and intimacy and desire I could have ever dreamed of.”

Careers serve a worthwhile purpose in our lives. But what profound validation that, when it’s all said and done, what matters most are our relationships – with our family, and ultimately with the Lord. After all, they’re the only earthly gifts that translate to heaven’s economy.