Music is an incredible comfort to me. It relieves stress. It removes me from the moment. It brings up comforting memories. This is one that brings me incredible comfort as well as reminding me of God’s continual presence and grace to help me get through each moment. I am indeed free and my chains of PPD are gone. Yours will be too and indeed are. Look for the light at the end of tunnel, He’s leading you there.
I wrote in the post below about the Wade Bowen benefit concert for Postpartum Support International. Here are the lyrics, and following that is a YouTube video of him singing the song. It’s a beautiful song, written from a dad’s perspective. Be encouraged. Our spouses love us and want to be there for us, in almost all situations. And if not, I can guarantee you that Jesus Christ does. Always.
It’s not easy anymore, everything seemed to change
With one blink of an eye, I’m the man to lay the blame
Well I’ve let you slip away, trying so hard to make this right
Well I have nothing left to do, nowhere else to turn
I know it’s dark babe…
CHORUS:
Please turn on the lights, let me see you cryin
You’re not here alone, I’m in here with you tryin
I want to see the truth, find the broken pieces
We can make it right, but you have to, you have to
Turn on the lights
We can step into the sun, and kiss the night goodbye
Those things that hold you down, cut ‘em loose and fly
So keep reaching for my hand, it might be hard for you to see
When shadows fill the room, baby I won’t let you go
I know it’s dark babe…
Oh please don’t be afraid
Girl it’s only me
Yeah, I am here to help you
Oh, turn on the lights
Yeah you have to
Turn on the lights
“WADE BOWEN CLASSIC” CELEBRITY GOLF TOURNAMENT AND CONCERT SET TO BENEFIT WOMEN WITH POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
Cross Canadian Ragweed To Join Bowen At Event on Nov. 2-3 in Waco, TX
NASHVILLE, TENN – October 3, 2008 – Country music artist Wade Bowen will host his 11th annual “Wade Bowen Classic” concert and celebrity golf tournament on Nov. 2 and3 in Waco, TX. This year’s event benefits Postpartum Support International (PSI), the world’s largest nonprofit supporting women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
An all-star concert kicks off the two-day event at the Heart of Texas Fairground GE Building in Waco at 7:00pm on November 2, featuring Bowen and friends, including Cross Canadian Ragweed and Stoney LaRue, with more guest announcements in the coming weeks. The golf tournament the next day will be a two-man scramble and will take place at beautiful Cottonwood Creek Golf Course in Waco.
“I’m so proud of how this event has grown and how everyone has come together to raise so much money,” said Bowen. “This year we are partnering with PSI, which hits really close to home for me because my wife battled postpartum depression after the birth of our first child, and I know how severely it can affect families. Believe me when I tell you that it is a cause that needs more awareness.”
Bowen recently released his new album, “If We Ever Make It Home,” featuring the song “Turn on the Lights,” which he wrote about his family’s experience with postpartum depression. To see him perform the song, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bnh0EuexQE.
Tickets for both components of the weekend are available at http://www.wadebowen.com/bowenclassic and start at $15. Over the past two years, The Bowen Classic has raised nearly $60,000.
Postpartum Support International (PSI) is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to helping women suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including postpartum depression, the most common complication of childbirth. PSI was founded in 1987 to increase awareness among public and professional communities about the emotional difficulties that women can experience during and after pregnancy. The organization offers support, reliable information, best practice training, and volunteer coordinators in all 50 U.S. states as well as 26 countries around the world. Working together with volunteers, caring professionals, researchers, legislators and others, PSI is committed to eliminating stigma and ensuring that compassionate and quality care is available to all families. To learn more, call PSI at 800-944-4PPD or visit www.postpartum.net.
For additional information on the Bowen Classic, visit http://www.wadebowen.com/bowenclassic. For questions regarding sponsorship or group ticket rates please contact “Big Hearted Babes” at www.bigheartedbabes.com.
I am, once again, woefully slow in posting this, but I wanted to let you all know that Sue McRoberts, author of The Lifter of My Head: How God Sustained Me During Postpartum Depression, was interviewed on 100 Huntley Street, a Canadian Christian television program back in September. You can find the link to her episode here:
http://www.crossroads.ca/100hs/program-2008-sep01-sep05.php
Her interview starts around the 14:30 mark. My player stopped working partway through the interview (which frustrated me to no end) but what I did see was marvelous.
Sue – you did a fabulous job, so composed, so calm and so beautiful!! I cannot wait to see the rest of the interview!
Ladies, check it out – the interview and Sue’s book. She is an inspiration and a true example that you, too, will make it through your journey through PPD.
It goes against our nature, doesn’t it? Praising God in the storm. I’m still learning how to do it. Whether its an afternoon shower, a thunderstorm, a line of storms, or a decently-sized hurricane, I always want to yell at God for the situation I am in. Why does it have to hurt so much? Physical pain, emotional pain, sadness, anger…whatever it is, I don’t like it! But God does not promise us this life will be easy. In fact, He tells us that in this world there WILL be troubles. But He will be there with us in the Storm.
This is what I found on Casting Crowns website about this song:
If there ever were a test of our faith – if there ever were a test of the motives of our worship – it is when a storm rolls into our lives. We watched and prayed for a precious little girl named Erin Edwards struggle with a deadly disease for several years. The courage, the witness, and the worship of Erin’s mother Laurie inspired this song. Sometimes God calms our storms. Sometimes He chooses to ride them with us.
Romans 8:28 / 2 Corinthians. 4:16-18
Psalm 42:5 / Psalm 121:1-2
Job 1:20-21 / Daniel 3:16-18