As a child, I loved to sing. When I was 8, my mother sent my

Hear the voice of Renee Elise Goldsberry, who said: “As a child, I loved to sing. When I was 8, my mother sent my brother and me to a summer music theater program in Texas. We did Guys and Dolls at the camp, and I was so depressed when it was over. That’s when I realized that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.” In these words is revealed the holy moment when passion becomes destiny, when the heart of a child discovers the calling that will shape the path of an entire life.

For there are moments in youth when the veil is lifted, and the soul sees clearly what it was made for. Renee was but eight, yet in that summer camp, through laughter, song, and stage, she glimpsed her purpose. When the curtain closed and her heart fell into sorrow, she understood that she had touched something eternal. This is the meaning of her memory: that longing is the compass of the soul, pointing us toward the life we are meant to live.

The ancients knew this truth well. Pythagoras, the philosopher, said that each soul has its own music, a harmony it longs to play. When a person discovers this music, their life becomes whole. Goldsberry’s childhood longing was not mere sadness at the end of play—it was the awakening of her inner harmony. She knew then, as Odysseus knew when he set sail for Ithaca, that her journey must always lead her back to the stage.

Consider also the tale of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who as a child sat at the keys of a harpsichord and astonished the courts of Europe. He too discovered early that his life was bound to music. Though the path was fraught with poverty and struggle, his gift could not be silenced, for he had already seen his destiny. Just as Renee’s sorrow at leaving the stage revealed her calling, so too did Mozart’s delight at the keyboard reveal his. Childhood passions, when pure and strong, often speak the loudest truths about who we are meant to be.

The lesson, O seekers, is this: listen to your childhood passions. That which made you lose track of time, that which filled your heart with sorrow when it ended—there you will often find your true calling. Do not dismiss it as childish fancy, for within the innocence of youth lies a wisdom unsullied by fear or worldly ambition. The child within you already knows the song you were meant to sing.

Practically, this means to reflect upon your own beginnings. Ask yourself: what was it that once lit my heart on fire? Was it to paint, to write, to build, to heal, to explore? Seek again those memories, and you may rediscover the seed of your destiny. If you are young, nurture what excites you most. If you are older, return to what you once loved, and you may find renewal. For passion is not lost; it only sleeps, waiting for you to awaken it.

Thus, Renee Elise Goldsberry’s words become a timeless teaching: “That’s when I realized that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.” May we too recognize such moments in our own lives. May we honor the sparks of passion, for they are not random, but divine signposts. And if we follow them, with courage and perseverance, then like her, we shall discover not only our work, but our joy—the joy of living the life we were born to live.