Slice of Life
This is February.
The month that belongs to Valentine’s Day.
The month of roses, chocolate, and love songs.
The month of candied hearts and silly school rhymes.
The month that I initial papers with red hearts that smile.
And so with hearts on my mind, I chanced upon the backstory to the song Tell Your Heart to Beat Again. After listening to the story, my thoughts leaped about. I thought of the hot August day when standing beside my mother’s hospital bed, her hand in mine, a smile lighting up her face, and the words “I love you” still echoing around us, a fatal heart attack took her from me. Then I thought of how very blessed I am to know so much love throughout my life. That love helped me make it through hard places. And then I thought of the those who . . . , But wait. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me share the song’s backstory first.
A number of years ago, during an open heart surgery, the surgeon sawed open the patient’s chest, lifted out the heart, and performed the necessary procedure. Then the surgeon placed the heart back in the patient’s chest and began to massage it to prompt it to beat again.
Something wasn’t working. The heart did not beat. The surgeon tried again. No response. The medical team tried more extreme measures, but still there was nothing.
The surgeon removed his mask, bent close to his patient’s ear and whispered, “Mrs. Johnson, this is your surgeon. The procedure went perfectly. Your heart has been repaired. Now tell your heart to beat again.”
And it did. (Listen to Phillips, Craig & Dean share the full story.)
As I was saying, after hearing this backstory, I thought of the those whose hearts hurt. Aching hearts. Perhaps that’s you. Maybe your heart feels cold like a stone. Like it has stopped.
The daughter of one of my teacher friends, sharing about this song on her blog, writes
Divorce, fear, a prodigal child, loneliness, abuse, illness, death of a loved one; something has left you holding your breath. It has left your heart deathly still. It is time to tell your heart to beat again. You will live to love another day, but you have to breathe. The gift is there. The procedure is complete, but now you have to do your part and tell your heart to beat. God can heal all that breaks our hearts. He willingly does so, but the gift is only complete if we draw a breath.
. . .
Tell you heart to beat again. There is healing. There is hope. The Great Physician has performed the procedure. Now it is up to you. (itza doozie)
So,
Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday’s a closing door
You don’t live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you’ve been
And tell your heart to beat again
–Chorus
* * * *
For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him
shall not perish
but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Head over to
http://twowritingteachers.org
for more slice of life stories.
#SOL18
This gave me chills. Beautiful post. All of our hearts need healing during several times in our lives. No matter what, we have to tell our hearts to beat again. Always.
P.S. I am a new Slicer. I posted my very first Slice of Life on my blog. 🙂
A Turtle is a Boy’s Best Friend
Love your turtle slice, Elaine. So glad you stopped by and shared a few minutes with me. Look forward to “seeing” you again, especially in the month of March!
Thank you. I am blessed to hear this truth today. I have friends who need the Great Physician’s healing. And they need to read this story too. Again, I thank you!
You are so welcome, JeNan. Here is a youtube link to the full song by Phillips Craig & Dean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfgu6tW8Lg8
The power of choice is so clear in your post. We must choose to love, live, move on, and open ourselves to let our heart beat once again. Thank you for this thoughtful post – important reminder.
Clare
You are welcome, Clare, and thanks for visiting today.
How poignant. Thanks for sharing. I have always believed that our mind and attitude go a long way in helping us to heal,
Yes, and in our words is the power of life and death, so evident in the avalanche that crushes us on social media.
An uplifting post, for a day of celebration before fasting. Thank you for sharing; I’ve gone and purchased the CD with this song!
That’s wonderful. Blessings to you!
Love, love, love this song, and the story behind it, which I had heard on my favorite radio station. So sorry about your mom.
The chorus keeps running in my head. I had to share.
What a beautiful song and story! I needed this message today- thanks for sharing!
So did I. 🙂
Fascinating, powerful, so beautiful – the backstory being more physical. So many things in in life are about the responses of our spirits. I can see that amazing physician leaning near, whispering …
So right, Fran. And our words touch the spirit.
As the mother of a 34 year old daughter who’s had 5 open-heart surgeries, I was fascinated by your post today.
I cannot imagine, Barbara. I’m always amazed at the power of our words. They truly give life.