Nice to meet you, Shawn Mendes. Thank you, Do It For The Love
Four years ago, our family visited St. Louis. Christy and I attended an adoptive parenting-related conference and brought the kids along. While we were there, Aly found out some devastating news. At the time, she was a big fan of a social media-famous group of guys called MAGCON. Her favorite member of MAGCON, Shawn Mendes, had just announced that he was leaving the group. She cried the rest of the trip. No joke. She was bummed for four days straight because she was so heartbroken by this earth-shattering news.
Many conversations were had, trying to convince Aly that this was probably for the best. And who knew? Maybe someday he’d make it big and she’d be able to see him perform someday. And over the next four years, we listened to every album, celebrated every time we heard him on the radio, and might have even rocked out in the car a time or two to his songs.
And Mihret, following her older sister’s lead, became the biggest Shawn Mendes fan.
A Wish Kid connection
Thanks to the Indiana Children’s Wish Fund, Mihret was granted a wish to visit Central Florida and do all kinds of cool stuff at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Universal Studios, and Disney World. Needless to say, it was the trip of a lifetime. And it probably made 2019 the best.year.ever.
But wait.
That’s not all.
Out of the goodness of their hearts, there are many other organizations that do amazing things for Wish Kids. Organizations like Do It For The Love. You know what Do It For The Love does? They fulfill concert wishes for wounded veterans, people who have life-threatening illnesses, and children with severe challenges. You know who has partnered with Do It For The Love?
Shawn Mendes.
But of course you knew that. And if you didn’t know that, you figured that out already. Because y’all are smart like that.
We met Shawn Mendes!
The amazing people at Do It For The Love sent us to St. Louis for a Shawn Mendes concert. But it wasn’t just for the concert. They also arranged for us to meet Shawn Mendes in person! Mihret was beside herself. And so was Aly. It was like a dream come true for both of them. And that made it a dream come true for all of us.
When we arrived at the Enterprise Center (home of the Blues…you know, the Stanley Cup champions), we went into the arena with the VIP ticketholders. And then, before we knew it, we were standing face-to-face with Shawn Mendes himself.
The whole series of events was a bit surreal, honestly. I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a Meet & Greet like this one. It was certainly a memorable experience. After we took this photo, Shawn told us to “Have fun tonight.” I shook his hand, looked him in the eyes, and said “You, too.” He must have taken me seriously. Because he looked like he did have a blast that night.
You’re welcome, St. Louis. 😉
But wait…there’s more!
After taking our photo, we were led into a room with all of the other VIPs. Shawn came in for a brief Q&A session.
It was amazing to be sitting in a room with fans who were much like our girls: passionate about Shawn’s music. The questions were insightful. His answers were encouraging. It was clear that he is well-loved. And he loves his fans right back.
During one of his responses, the conversation moved towards dealing with critics and online bullying. I wish I had written down what he said because it was pretty good. I can paraphrase it, though.
“When people throw hate at you, push back with love.”
I loved his response. I wish I had written it down when he said it. Because he’s right. The right answer is love. Reply with love, y’all!
The Shawn Mendes The Tour experience
After some downtime in the arena we bought some merchandise for the girls and grabbed a quick snack. They opened the doors to the crowds and Aiden was able to join us. Because we only had access to four VIP passes, we bought him a separate ticket to the concert himself. He stayed at the hotel before walking to the arena and meeting us at the concert.
I’ve been to my fair share of concerts over the years. Some of the performers I’ve been able to see have really known how to put on a show. But this one was the most memorable. And it wasn’t just because of the performance on stage.
This was probably the loudest concert I’ve ever been to. Ever. And it wasn’t just because of the music.
During the Q & A earlier in the day, Shawn had said that he and his team were very intentional when they started planning Shawn Mendes The Tour. They wanted it to be a memorable experience. He used words like “surreal” and “dream-like” to describe what he hoped the concert would be like.
“You know how when you have an amazing night and wake up in the morning and ask yourself ‘Woah…did that really happen? Or was it all just a dream?’ That’s what I want this show to be like.” This isn’t an exact quote. But pretty close. And I think they succeeded.
When we went through the VIP line earlier in the day, we were given white (artificial) roses. And everyone who attended was given a white wristband. During the concert, we became part of the show.
Yeah. It was pretty cool. And some of us did wake up in the morning wondering if everything had really just happened or if it was just a dream.
See? Dream-like. And magical. And amazing. What a wonderful memory we’re able to share.
Thank you, Do It For The Love, from the bottom of our hearts! This once-in-a-lifetime experience is something we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives.
And thank you, Shawn Mendes, for allowing us to see a hint of your generosity and creativity. I think it’s safe to say some tears were shed again in St. Louis because of you. But these were happy tears.
Oh so happy tears.
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