Beautiful sunlit morning, enjoying my breakfast and a few tunes off the on-line streaming service.

Heard a song that I hadn’t really listened to in a long time. It’s called The Rose, and Bette Midler sang it in a movie of the same name. The film was loosely based on the life of a rock singer that died of addiction in her prime. I never saw the whole movie, because I tend to veer away from movies and programs that have tragic endings. My personal belief is that life is tragic enough, I don’t want to spend my entertainment time watching more pathos and tragedy.

The song, though, is wonderfully written and brought back a lot of memories. I had picked it to sing in a high school music program and worked on it for several weeks, when a classmate asked in earnest if she could have the piece instead, feeling strongly that she should sing it. I was a flexible and compliant person at that time, and pretty much handed it over to her. Still working on not regretting that decision, because I sang instead Mamas Don’t let your Babies grow up to be Cowboys. Yeah. In a cowboy hat and a dress that looked like I swiped it out of Loretta Lynn’s closet. *palm to forehead.

Back to the song. The lyrics are very strong recovery lyrics, so if you have access to music on-line (I don’t plug any specific sites, but I’m sure you can find it), go have a listen, and look the lyrics over. I love the bridge…it says :

It’s the heart afraid of breaking, that never learns to dance
It’s the dream afraid of waking, that never takes the chance
It’s the one who won’t be taken, who cannot seem to give
And the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live

Written by Gordon Mills • Copyright © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group

Yup. Powerful stuff for the recovering soul. If we can’t admit our need for something greater, our powerlessness, then we stay stuck in fear, never waking to dance in the light and love that recovery brings to us.

Recovery is the warmth that can pull the beauty out from under the snow of our dysfunction. It’s our choice to respond to its warmth and love.

Hugs and love.