In a touching Dancing With the Stars performance, country music artist Lauren Alaina honored her late stepfather by dancing to her song primarily about heaven, “The Other Side.”
Last year, the twenty-four-year-old lost her stepdad, Sam Ramker, to Stage 4 cancer. During last week’s competition, she performed a contemporary dance to her new single “The Other Side” with her dance partner Gleb Savchenko in Ramker’s honor.
“Don’t you cry for me ’cause I’m in God’s glory / And I can see his face, it’s amazing / I know you have doubts but I see it right now / I promise it’s real, keep praying / I’ll be waiting, take your time,” the lyrics read.
After the performance, Alaina took to Instagram to praise God for giving her the ability to perform in honor of her late stepfather, while also crediting Him with the strength to do so.
“I know the strength to get through this performance came straight from the Lord and my stepdad Sam,” the singer wrote. “This dance wasn’t just for my family, but it was for all families who have lost someone they love.”
“Last night was the most healing moment of my life,” she declared. “I have never been more proud of myself. What a true gift God gave me to share Sam’s story.”
Alaina thanked her partner Gleb Savchenko and Dancing With the Stars for letting her share the “beautiful life and story” of her Stepdad.
“He was a light in this world and will live on forever through this dance and my new song, The Other Side,” she wrote. “He is in a better place watching over my family.”
“Life is short and tomorrow isn’t promised. We have to live a life we are proud of. We have to love hard and trust in God’s plan for us. Thank you for all of the encouraging words and love you have sent to my family and me. Sam- see you on The Other Side. I love you.”
Alaina has relied on God as her source of strength since her stepdad’s passing. Last year, after his tragic death, the country singer took to Instagram to commemorate his life and share his touching last moments.
“My stepdad, Sam, went to heaven at one o’clock this morning,” Alaina wrote Oct. 21. “He was the purest example of how to love and live life fully.”
“His last few hours were some of the most amazing moments I know I will ever have the privilege of witnessing,” she wrote. “He opened his eyes last night. They shined the brightest I’ve ever seen anyone’s eyes shine, and he said, ‘Jesus.’ We said, ‘What do you see Sam?’ He said, ‘It’s so beautiful.’”
She added: “Mom asked him who he saw and he told her a bunch of people, including his mama. He later said, ‘I love you all. I found it.’ My mom asked him what he found and he said, ‘Heaven. I’ve got to go.’ An hour later he went to be with the Lord.”
You can watch Dancing With the Stars on Mondays at 8 PM ET on ABC.