I'll Be Seeing You - Iam Tongi

I don't usually watch regular television. We are streamers. I do like to vege out on YouTube, though, and I ran across the audition of Iam Tongi on American Idol. OMG, this kid from Kahuku, Hawaii, is fantastic.

I cried right along with the judges. His dad passed, and he sang Monsters by James Blunt. Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan openly cried, and Katy Perry valiantly tried to keep it together, probably because she didn't have the right eye makeup on. Anyway, his voice penetrates the heart and touches souls. I watched grown men such as Joe Rogan and Jelly Roll, plus several music critics cry while watching the audition song. It wasn't just the one song, either. The judges cried over the Sounds of Silence, Making Memories of Us, and other songs. As someone who works with grievers, I was happy to see this 18 yo kid teaching men and boys that it is perfectly natural to cry. It restored my hope that cultural taboos that forced males to bottle up, ignore or pretend that they aren't hurting will be a thing of the past. Iam's first official single, "I'll Be Seeing You," is the perfect song for all grievers. It tells you that you will see things and places that remind you of your loved one. You will hear songs, see something on TV, or read a book that will trigger your longing. Initially, that might make you sad, but at some point, it will be a comforting reminder. I had a Kool-Aid display for my first reminder. I remember it clearly. I fell apart in a grocery store. Now I laugh about it. BTW, Iam won American Idol, and he received some very unfair, racist, and nasty comments accusing the show of being rigged and that he didn't have any talent, he won because of his sob story, blah blah. I want people like that to know that Iam was still in high school grieving his father's death at the time. Shame on them. His I'll Be Seeing You immediately shot to number one on I-tunes and Billboard, so the assertion that he didn't have talent proved absurd. Mahalo nui loa, Iam Tongi. You have no idea the impact your angelic voice affects people. Prayers for you and your 'ohana to adapt to life without your dad. Hugs to your mama. Be Well, Shirley