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Some People's Lives

Some People's Lives

These are stories that fans have written to me about how Bette has touched them in their lives with her music, movies and all her entertainment and charity work.

A Bette Poem - Sofia Lotthagen
I was walking through the long lonely streets one day,
I felt so terrible, miserable so useless.
I only saw one way out.
It was a one way trip to heaven.
And then, all of a sudden,
I heard a woman singing.
It was the most beautiful voice I ever heard.
Her voice broke through my cold heart,
And warmed it up again.
And then I saw her,
Her face shined so bright,
Shined with so much happiness and joy,
So I forgot my problems.
She made me smile! She made me laugh!
She is what makes life worth living
Every one has a rose in their heart.
The rose makes people live.
But some people don't have a rose, like me.
But when I heard her for the first time,
I got a rose in my heart.
Bette is the rose in my life now!
So, she warms my cold heart,
She makes my quiet mouth laugh,
She makes my soul live.

To whom this may concern:

I was only three when I first saw the movie "Beaches" with my mother. I was so taken by the story that like a selfish child I continually played the movie over and over and over again. Just a year before that, when I was 2 I came the conclusion that I was to be an actress or an entertainer in general. My cousin told me when I was three that I needed someone to look up to. She was evidently hinting that it should be her. However, to my family's great surprise, I said Bette Midler would be my idol. I may have been a toddler but I definitely wasn't an idiot!

As I grew older I realized more about my desire to learn more about Bette. I refused to ever let the video of "Beaches" out of my sight so I decided to keep in my room with my teddy bears and Barbie dolls (and all else dear to me).

When I was five, my mother tragically passed away, much like the little girl's mother in the movie I held so dear to my heart. I was devastated, understandingly. I was told to move in with my 50-some-odd year old aunt, 60-year-old uncle, and two cousins (one of them being physically challenged). I was crushed in every aspect of my life. Only when I watched that one movie did I ever feel comforted. My family couldn't help me, only that one "melodramatic, sentimental" film would.Years have passed since then, seven to be exact. And every year I'd uncover yet a little more history on The Divine Miss M. And I'd also discover more of my interest in the field of refuge - acting.Now that I am twelve years old and have more opportunities as an actress I really required someone to admire. And still after about nine years only one name comes to my mind, and that is Bette Midler.I became further enchanted by this remarkable woman while watching the premiere of VH1's "Behind the Music: Bette Midler". Immediately I popped a blank tape in the VCR with the purpose of letting it not be blank. This woman, who has been my ongoing clutch for such tragic events, is such an inspiration to me. If there was ever a way to say what she means to me to her face I'd probably say the two words that pretty much sum it all up... "Thank you!" And thank you for letting me share my story.

Sincerely,
Olga-Marie Pratt

"To dream the impossible dream, To reach the unreachable star!" - Joe Darion

As a child with many expectations to live up to, I find myself needing a way to express the loneliness I sometimes feel. Other times, I need to courage to continue, and sometimes, I just need to feel loved. The Divine Ms. M has done all of those things for me, and so much more.At age 8, I saw Beaches in an old run down dollar movie theater, I walked out of the theater in awe of this beautiful woman. She captivated me, and made me more motivated to be the actress I had always dreamed of being. I went home that night, and wrote her a letter. I begged her for some sign that she was real, and not just another stuck up movie star with a ton of money and no appreciation for the people that got her there. I wrote to her about my life, and about how much pain I felt. Months went by and nothing, just when I was about to give up hope, I received a large envelope posted Disney. Inside was an autographed picture of the Divine Ms. Midler. That picture has given me hope and the knowledge that not all movie stars, singers, etc. are trapped in the "Hollywood attitude."That is not all Ms. Midler has given me, but I think that's probably more
than enough!!!
Thanks for the chance to share this...
- Jamie (JaBair9129@AOL.com)

I have been a Bette Midler since I was twelve years old when I first watched 'For the Boys'. When I was thirteen my father died of pneumonia and all I did was cry. I started listening to her music and it made me feel a little better. Bette was very instrumental in helping me move on with my life after I lost my dad and I wish that there was some way to let her know that.

THANK YOU BETTE

Melynne23@aol.com

Dear MTV,

Have you ever felt like no one cares about you? Well let me tell you that I have and the only person I felt that was there for me was Bette Midler. Bette Midler has inspired me in so many ways. To sing, to act, and to love myself.

I was born deformed. All my life I have looked' different". I have had over 20 surgeries to make myself look normal. I have always had mean stares from people at a mall or someplace else. Kids at school call me alien, doggie, monster,ugly,retarded,stupid,bulldog etc. I have had people actually come up to me and say " I heard you got hit by a train. I heard you got ran over by a car. I heard you ran into a pole."

Can you imagine having people look at you and call you hurtful names day after day, month after month, year after year? I have had to face these hurtful people everyday of my life. For 16 years, people have been really cruel. I have had very few true friends in my
life that I know will never make fun of me. I have always wondered why God choose to make me different. I have yet come up with an answer, but he has given me someone to lean on. That someone is Bette Midler.

Of course she has no idea how much of an impact she has made in life. When she was a child people made fun of her because she was Jewish and white. She knows how it feels to be hurt day after day. She never let that get in the way of what she loved, which was singing. Ever since I heard Bette I have loved singing. Music is one of the most important things in my life.

Everyday after coming home from hearing people make comments about that " alien girl" I would listen to Bette. She gives me such hope for the future. Though she doesn't know it, she is my angel and my hero. Just knowing that she never let those idiots get her down helps me tremendously. I still sometimes cry at night because of what people say. I honestly don't think its fair that I have to endure the everyday pressure I am put through. Through it all, I would never wish my experiences on my enemy. My experiences have however made me stronger. The only way they have though is by Bette and
knowing that she went through the same tortures I go through daily.

My dream is to be able to meet her and tell her how much she means to me. She has made me love life and to cherish my talent. I no longer wish I would die or hate the way I look. I know longer cuss God or normal looking people. I no longer do any of this because of Bette.

Please give me this chance to tell her.I am not just a fan anymore. Bette means so much to me and I just wish more then anything that I could tell her! I will do anything you want in order to tell her that she is my hero and that I love her!

Sincerely,
Amanda Tutor

Hi!, My name is Sascha and I'm 19 years old. I think that there is no other word for Bette Midler than divine! I just wanted to let you know that there is one more person, who loves Bette for so much.

Her acting, her singing but most of all for her entertainment. "Diva Las Vegas" is simply her best concert-show's I've ever seen. It's the best Bette at all. She does that with so much talent, so much happiness, so much joy and so much dignity!

She is simply the greatest and I would miss her if she stopped entertaining. But I think Bette is a person, who'll always be on stage or on TV if she wants it. Imagine Bette with 70, playing a filthy, old, bitchy broad in a Sitcom such as Sophia in Golden Girls. She would hit the heights again. She'll always be around.

She is one of the greatest personality I know in Show-Biz. I just love her for sharing her talent with us fans.

~Sascha Chretien

P.S. Your Bette-Page is great! I love it!

How Bette Inspired my life....
Well I am kinda new at the Bette Midler thing. Going on 5 years this January, but gosh do I love Her. I saw her first in Diva Las Vegas... that's when she clicked in my heart and soul. I knew of her before.. and I saw Big Business before.. and I always said.. "Hey that lady really has a twin." I didn't know if she did or didn't. I just thought she did. I was on the computer with my Grandma, and she said " Hey that Bette Midler thingy is on." I was like, " Oh cool" so I went to watch it. I saw the part where she started singing The songs from Gypsy, and I got into it. So enough of that.... I think Bette Midler is an inspiration only because she sticks to what she believes in.. not what other people make her to believe in. She is very much in love with everyone around her. Tall, short, thick, thin, black, white, Christian, or Jewish. She cares about her surroundings.. and I used to be one of those people who didn't. She is a very devoted parent/wife. She cares about what her child is doing, and she says "No" She inspires me greatly with her voice, talent, and good cheer. That's how Bette Midler inspires me.
Manda :)

TO BETTE:

What can I say to be unique? What can I say that you, haven’t already heard one million times. Do all comments blend together after awhile? I have tortured myself over what to say. I tried imagining I was stuck in an elevator with you and wondering what I would say to you, other than “how the hell do we get out of here?!” Or would I say that? I hate trying to pick out a few things to say to you that will help you realize who I am and what influence you have had in my life. Everyone of your fans dreams to be the one unique person that you stop to ponder a moment in your extremely busy life. Only few can express on paper how they really think about you. I just hope I don’t fail.

Many ask me, “why do you love Bette Midler so much?” It is very hard to put in words without sounding mushy, overzealous, or just plain crazy. Many of your fans including myself use the word love frequently when explaining what you mean to them. What is it about you that I love? I love your talent, of course...a voice from the heavens. I love your humor.....sometimes because I think like you do and sometimes because you can say things I wish I had the guts to say. I love your style.....unforgettable, fabulous, and impeccable taste. Mostly I love your passion....about life, love, caring, environment, and future for the children.

I remember finding a really interesting looking cassette tape in my dad’s work truck. I took the tape and popped into my tape recorder. What I heard made tears swell up in my eyes and I felt pressure in my chest either from joy, sadness, I can’t really say. The name of the was The Rose. I was only 8 or 9 years old with a mission. Who was this angel? I asked my mom to listen to the angel sing....and I asked her it was? My mom said, “Bette Midler.” Oh. Since I was so young, I did not know who this person was.....I new nothing of the Continental baths, TV specials, especially the move “The Rose.” So life went on...but I never forgot that song.

One spring, one of my best girlfriends bought Experience the Divine tickets for me. I was soooo excited!!!!!!! I was going to the see the Angel sing in person. So in May of 1994 I drove to Raleigh NC, and what transpired has changed my outlook on life forever. I was mesmerized from the first time you stepped out on stage. By intermission, I was hooked.  By your second encore, I was in love. I drove home that night with such a strange feeling in my chest I thought I was going to die. Imagine that??!!

The next day, I sped to the nearest music store and bought 3 Experience the Divine CD’s. One for me, one for my friend who bought the concert tickets, and one just to have. I couldn’t explain how I was feeling to anyone....so I won’t even try. I just wanted to know everything there was about you.....what your opinions were on life, love, careers, etc. I went crazy buying everything I could find. ( I have spent an obscene amount of money since then!!)  As I got to know more about you I found myself in a strange transformation. I did not want to be so introverted.

On Aug. 13, 1994, I came home from school for the weekend. My mom, dad, and I grilled outside and had a nice dinner. That evening, my dad and I decided to watch Stella. So we watched......it was pretty late....we cried....we said good night....we went to sleep. About 3am, I heard my mom screaming..... a very bad way to be jerked from slumber. My mom was yelling that my dad was making a weird noise and would not wake up. I tried everything......frantically I called 911.....they came....they took my dad....he never woke up. He had has a massive heart attack. Point is....now that I probably have depressed the hell out of both of us....was that my dad and I loved each other very much and I am so glad that the last few hours we had together we were watching you. Thank you.

Now, with that said......I don’t want you to think that I have been freaking out over my dad for the last few years. I have made my peace with how things happened. I will always have fond memories of my dad. Afterwards, going back to school was tough. I found the strength to go however, and it was very challenging. I had only a few months to finish my master’s thesis so that I could graduate. I have to admit....many late nights went by with me typing and listening to your music. I even acknowledged you in my thesis. So again, thanks.

I am a high school teacher now. I have become more outspoken.......partly because I have to in my field of work and partly because of you. I like the way you tell it like it is!!!  Thanks again. I look forward to your next endeavor. Your tour was Fabulous.....if I didn’t have to work for a living I would have gone to as many shows as possible. I also can’t wait to see your movies: “Isn’t she great?” and “Drowning Mona.” I hear you are thinking of retiring? Well, good for you.  Please take care of yourself and your wonderful family. If you ever get bored (yeah right) and need to talk....look me up. Ha ha. I love you Bette.

- Amy

P.S. To everyone, sorry this was so long.

"Ain't this my sun, Ain't this my moon, Ain't this my world to be who I choose!" Bette Midler

When Bette sings she takes on the character of the song. She becomes that old women longing for the old days when people cared about her life. She becomes the young girl from Cuba or the mother who gave up her child at birth. I don't think that there is any one singer out there can match Bette Midler when it comes to character. She is bursting at the seams!!! (oh when will she be on VH1 Divas Live? You know that she is the only REAL Diva out there :)
-Amanda Chamberlain

I have always liked Bette. I remember when I was very young watching movies like Ruthless People and Outrageous Fortune. My mom and I would laugh hysterically. I also remember hearing WBMW and From A Distance and fathoming at the beauty and warm emotion in Bette's voice. It wasn't until I was 13 that came to the full realization of Bette though. I wish to god I had found out about her sooner. My friend and I were watching FWC one night and I just totally fell in love with Bette in that movie. Her character was so real and it was that way because of Bette. After that we decided to watch Beaches (which was always and still is one of our all time favs) and we both sat there and cried our eyes out. That's when I realized that Bette wasn't just an ordinary celebrity. I guess you could say that I look at her as an act of God. She can stir up emotions in me that no one else can. I'm very impressed with her as an actress, singer, performer and etc. But I am utterly fascinated with her as a person. I love reading things about her goodness to the environment, her family values and her outlook on life in general. I also find Bette as the epitamy of womanhood. She puts up with a lot of BS in Hollywood and yet she sticks to her guns. And she plays in her own arena. Not many actresses can say they have done that. She has achieved so much in her life and that motivates me to put forth that extra effort and not give in. She has had her ups and down, although she has had more ups, but she didn't let the downs bring her down. The woman has got guts, and then some. I look at Bette as natural and human in every way. From her natural unique beauty to her genuine talent. I could go on forever about Bette. All my life I have been searching for someone to adapt to and look up to. I'm very proud to have Bette be that person. If Bette ever does read this, I just want her to know that she has my full admiration and love. And she will undoubtedly till the day I die.
Bette Midler isn't just a legend......she's a miracle.
- Heidi

I have to say that I met Bette Midler on a park called the Cloisters, which is a park that is not far away from my heart. She adopted when she moved back to New York a few years before, we spoke for a few minutes. I saw another side of her that not a lot of people have seen, I saw the woman without make up and a woman who was working next to a lot people picking up things from the floor and collecting garbage to maintain the park clean. To me she represents a real person and as one I like it even more now than before because she is who she is, a real thing.
-Isaias4899@aol.com

My story is small, but basically I became a fan starting with a day when Beaches happened to be on in the afternoon. I was home from school, and my mom was watching it. I have liked Big Business ever since I was a little kid, and loved First Wives Club when my parents rented it, but I had never seen Beaches until that day. I came in just to hear "WBMW" and said to myself, "I know that song"...but I didn't know she sang it until then! Thankfully my grandparents had the soundtrack, and after listening to it for a while, I was hooked...on the soundtrack. Then one day I heard "From A Distance" on the radio, which led to getting the CD, Some People's Lives, from the library. I heard "Night and Day" on the CD and recognized it from the video clip VH1 shows on Behind the Music. Anyways, after learning how to build a website, I established my website My One True Bette. For the rets of the history, please visit my website by way of the following link.
(http://www.crosswinds.net/~myonetruebette/).
-Jeffrey

Jeffrey and Clara

Bette Midler was gradually becoming an obsession when I discovered a movie called For The Boys that would change my life forever. Until this day it is my favorite Bette movie, and nothing will surpass it for me. I just think that movie is so incredible, it is Bette at her finest. From beginning to end it is riveting and the lesson behind it has helped me a lot throughout my life. Bette always seems to touch me in so many ways, whether in her songs or her films, she's just incredible. She has that "certain something" that gets me everytime.Very few performers can do that to me and she does. And not only is she a roller coaster ride, making me cry at one moment, and cracking me up the next, but she's really truly talented. A star beyond many others.One day I hope to be half as talented as she is in show business. I'm a teenage aspiring actress and there are not that many great role models nowadays, but Bette is someone I'm proud to admire. She is truly Divine!

Think Peace,
The Divine Lucy V,
Vanessa

No matter what Bette will always be beautiful.
It is impossible to fake her smile,
THAT is genuine warmth and beauty!!!!
~Mark

Like most fans my age (20) I discovered Bette when I was 8, while watching Beaches. I remember it was summer and we had cable, so after falling in love with her sassiness and red hair, I watched the movie every single time it came on cable that summer. I think I even taped it to watch. Gosh, what a worn out tape!  But after that she was my most favorite person in the whole world, and I wanted to be exactly like her. My love for her just grew and grew in the years to come, and she was there to help pick my face off the ground on many occasions. Like these in particular.

In 6th grade I had stopped showering for weeks at a time, and because of that I broke out with the worst acne. Classmates teased me constantly. I had few real friends. My mother did nothing to rectify the situation except buy me some horrible foundation to cover it up. I mean, this stuff didn't even match my skin color. You would think she'd tell me to shower or take me to a dermatologist! Bette was probably my only true friend back then. When I was 13 my Uncle Alan (who was diagnosed with AIDS) was spending lots of time with my family and we became quite close. I think we even spent some of that time bonding over Bette. He told me he had seen her back when she was at the baths. During my freshman year of high school, he was so sick he came to live with us for his final months. And I couldn't even bear to watch this man slip away before my eyes and I could do NOTHING to help, or to ease his pain. I would just sit with him and hold his hand and watch TV with him. And when I couldn't take it anymore I'd walk out of the room and cry myself to sleep.  It's been 6 years after his death and I still cry myself to sleep when I think about him. And the only thing that eases the pain is knowing that Bette must feel the same way when she thinks about all her friends that were snatched away by this horrible disease.

I have met Bette several times in my life and she still gives me hope and courage to chase my dreams.

The last time I met her, was a day or two after giving her the Divine Inc. letterbook and I knew she read my letter cuz she told me to "live in your bliss and I hope you do everything you want to do." Actually hearing these words out of the most DIVINE woman's mouth, who I brought to tears by a selfless act, gave me all the reason in the world to never stop going after my dreams.

I hold her in the highest respect, she is exactly what I want to be. Her soul is so pure, you can see that when you look into her eyes. She is so kind, and almost everything she does is a selfless act of generosity. I want to be like that. She has taught me how to lead an absolutely divine life.  I just have to stop being afraid of going after it.

Stella Sensel

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