I’ve posted this song here before, but since it’s one of my favorite Christmas songs, I hope you’ll agree it’s worth another listen. When I first heard it in 2005, the plight of the Virgin Mary, as depicted, captivated me. For some reason, I’d never looked at the Christmas story from her point of view before. At the time, I’d been married to my late husband Bill for two months, and we were happy, never dreaming that tragedy would strike a month later.
But it did, in January of 2006, in the form of a stroke that paralyzed Bill’s left side. We weren’t sure if he would ever walk again. You can learn more by reading My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.
After Bill’s stroke, I remembered the song and found myself identifying with the Virgin Mary, wondering why this was happening to us and if I would have to deal with the uncertainty alone. Thus, I was inspired to write a short story about a pregnant teen who gives birth in a barn. Later, I wrote a poem, which you’ll find below the audio player. It was published in the fall/winter 2018-19 issue of Magnets and Ladders. In the recording, I recite the poem before singing and playing the song.
According to Wikipedia, Amy Grant, who popularized this song, co-wrote it, along with a book based on it. The song appears on her album, Home for Christmas, which was released in October of 1992. In the 1980’s, Amy Grant was one of the first artists to cross over into popular music on the heels of her successful contemporary Christian albums. You can learn more about her here.
Now, I hope you enjoy my rendition of “Breath of Heaven,” along with the poem the song inspired. This post is in response to Dr. Crystal Grimes’ holiday blogging party. Click here to learn how to participate.
THE POOR BLESSED VIRGIN
She stands, alone, cold, weary
after traveling many days and nights.
Why was she chosen to bear this Holy Child?
Must she do it alone?
Will Heaven help her?
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By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy.
New! The Red Dress
Copyright July 2019 by DLD Books
When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.
Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.
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My Corner 