A Healing Affair of the Heart - Volume One
The Best of Deanna Edwards
Late one afternoon when Deanna was wandering down Robson Street in Vancouver, Canada, she heard the voice of a street singer who thought no one was listening to him. His beautiful songs healed her heart.
Any of us can be an Angel Unaware to someone in a time of need if we tap into the hidden love and healing spiritual light which is within us all.
Angel Unaware
He was standing in an alley of an aging city wall.
Singing in the shadows strumming his guitar.
Noone else was listening as the people passed him by.
But the power of his music made me cry.
I asked if he would sing my daddy's favorite songs.
He said if I know them darling, you can sing along.
His music blessed the twilight like a gently answered prayer.
And I knew I'd met an Angel Unaware.
He glanced at me and noticed the tear stains on my face.
As the pieces of my broken heart fell softly into place.
Into his faded pocket I tucked some bills away.
For a debt I knew I never could repay.
I asked if he would sing my daddy's favorite songs.
He said if I know them darling, you can sing along.
His music blessed the twilight like a gently answered prayer.
And I knew I had an Angel Unaware.
Deanna sings this all-time favorite international gospel classic in hospitals and nursing homes throughout the world. At a hospital in Eastern Canada, she sang this to a woman who had sustained a critical brain injury in a car accident a year prior to Deanna's coming. Somehow, this beloved song bypassed the injured part of her brain and accessed a new language capability. She sang in perfect harmony with Deanna after a year of silence.
Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed.
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found
I'm blind but now I see.
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun;
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun.
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
This song speaks of the joy and the unconditional love that can come into our lives when we care for children with special needs.
Holding Hands With God
When you were born in springtime,
They said you'd never be
Like children who could laugh and run and play.
And though our hearts were breaking
We looked into your eyes
And through our tears we thought we heard you say.
I'll be whole because you love
I'll be strong because you care
Though my faltered steps
The world may not applaud.
I'll bring you close to heaven,
Close enough to touch the stars.
Though my arms will be close around you
I'll be holding hands with God.
A little child grows slowly
I learned to take the time
To find happiness and watch the flowers grow.
Love came to live at our house
A special kind of pain
And little one, we just want to let you know.
We'll be whole because you love us.
We'll be strong because you care.
Though our faltered steps
The world may not applaud.
You bring us close to heaven,
Close enough to touch the stars.
Though our arms will be around you
We'll be holding hands with God.
Though our arms will be around you
We'll be holding hands with God.
These are Sanscript words which mean "Home of Peace." The song speaks of the eternal nature of the human spirit, and the universal search for a heavenly home.
Shanti Nilaya
I was a stranger in a lost land
I saw the fear on every side.
My soul was searching for the answers,
And I was lost within the tide.
I longed to have someone to hold me -
One hand to hold mine through the night.
But there was no one in the darkness,
And I was crying for the light!
Shanti nilaya, shanti nilaya,
My home of peace - my home of peace.
Shanti nilaya, shanti nilaya,
My home of peace - my home!
And then I saw a light before me!
I was surrounded by it's glow!
The universe was all around me,
And then I cried, "At last I know!"
We need no chains of doubt to bind us.
We need to know with every breath,
That all the peace of God will find us
When we know there is no death!
Shanti nilaya, shanti nilaya,
My home of peace - my home of peace.
Shanti nilaya, shanti nilaya,
My home of peace - my home!
Deanna wrote this song after being stricken with Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, an illness from which she is now recovering. She sings not only of the grief and pain which accompany the diagnosis of a life-challenging illness, but also of the shining hope that is born when we create something beautiful with our suffering and find within it life's greatest lessons.
Bird With A Broken Wing
Once my world was forever.
There was plenty of time.
There were frontiers to conquer,
And mountains to climb,
But the door to my future
Is now standing ajar,
And I feel like a falling star.
I once flew in the sunlight
With strength in my wings
In the joy of the moment
With the freedom it brings.
I'm forgetting the songs
I once knew how to sing
Like a bird with a broken wing.
Will you know how to find me
When I'm lost in the dark?
Will you reach out your hand?
Will you give me your heart?
Can we both go the distance
With no answer in sight?
Can I lean on your love tonight?
There's a cry of the spirit
And it longs to be heard
In the sound of your laughter,
In the song of a bird.
When my spirit has conquered
All the warriors of pain
I will learn how to fly again.
I will learn how to fly again!
After viewing with concern the way we become pre-occupied with idols we create in the movie, music and sports industries, Deanna wanted to write a song about the common bond of humanity that unites us all, and the importance of finding the greatness that lies within ourselves. She believes that we can live with greater self-esteem if we remember that love is the key that opens any door, not the media spotlight.
I Don't Believe In Heroes
He signs his name for people in a hurry.
Just a famous name on paper, nothing more.
I like his song that's playing on the jukebox,
But I don't believe in heroes anymore.
I live in Cresent City down on Grove Street
With a tree in front and lots of kids next door.
I feel so good inside when Johnny bugs me,
But I don't believe in heroes anymore.
I built my dreams on someone else's glory.
I lived my life through someone else's pain.
I read about those big stars in the movies,
Forgetting that inside we're all the same.
I believe in me and all my feelings,
And I believe in what I'm living for.
I believe that love's strong hand can open any door,
But I don't believe in heroes anymore.
Sometimes it is difficult for us to convey the love we feel for someone, or to hear the love another is trying to share with us. When we listen with the heart we can hear far more about love than we can with the physical senses.
Listen With Your Heart
Today I tried to share with you
That my heart's an open book.
But then my plan fell through again
Like all the times before.
And though you hear the words I say
If you'll read between the lines,
You'll find the words unspoken,
like all the valentines.
Listen with your heart and you'll hear love.
Hold me with your eyes, the truth's plain to see.
Love is in my song soaring above.
Listen with your heart and you'll hear love.
Sometimes I try, and though I try
The words are hard to say.
I stumble through my love for you
While searching for a way.
Someday I'll learn to say a prayer
like a perfect work of art.
But til that day I'll ever pray
You'll hear me with my heart.
Listen with your heart and you'll hear love.
Hold me with your eyes, the truth's plain to see.
Love is in my song soaring above.
Listen with your heart and you'll hear love.
Listen with your heart and you'll hear love.
The gift of believing in dreams was the great legacy of Deanna's father. This song deals with the power of having a dream and being willing to take the associated risks in making it come true.
Where Have All The Dreamers Gone
He never had a dime to spare,
His suit was faded gray.
The only things he cared to own
Were those he gave away.
We used to drive in Dad's old car
And talk of things to be,
And I still recall a question
My Daddy asked of me.
Where have all the dreamers gone?
When did hope get lost?
Sometimes we have to take a risk
And never count the cost.
And though our dreams may not come true
As our curtain starts to fall,
I'd rather have a broken dream
Than never dream at all.
The years have passed, and Dad's old car
Has finally turned to rust.
His poems that lay unfinished
Have crumbled into dust.
But I have a dream to change the world,
And sing love's legacy.
My Daddy was a dreamer,
And he gave this dream to me!
Where have all the dreamers gone?
When did hope get lost?
Sometimes we have to take a risk
And never count the cost.
And though our dreams may not come true
As our curtain starts to fall,
I'd rather have a broken dream
Than never dream at all.
I'd rather have a broken dream
Than never dream at all.
So often we describe beauty in terms of physical appearance or social status. Deanna believes that when we love someone from the inside out, not from the outside in, we can find the true beauty within every person, and become the beneficiaries of those discoveries.
Am I Beautiful To You?
I just met her in the hallway.
I'd never seen her there before.
But I noticed the appearance
And the faded dress she wore.
Though her features were disfigured
I could see through this disguise.
She didn't need to ask the questions.
I could see them in her eyes.
Am I beautiful to you?
Have you eyes to see my soul?
Do you know that I'm a child of God
And your love can make me whole?
Am I beautiful to you?
Do you see my light within?
Please love me from inside out,
Not from the outside in!
Everywhere I go I see them...
People asking for our time.
They are searching for acceptance
Hungry for your love and mine.
In our different shapes and sizes
Only love can hide the scars
And give everyone the answer
You are loved for what you are!
Am I beautiful to you?
Have you eyes to see my soul?
Do you know that I'm a child of God
And your love can make me whole?
Am I beautiful to you?
Do you see my light within?
Please love me from inside out,
Not from the outside in!
A musical declaration of independence, this song speaks of the importance of taking responsibility for one's life and claiming the right to make our own descisions, regardless of the opinions of those around us.
My Road
I don't know where the road's going to go
but it's my road.
I don't know how heavy the load,
but it's my load.
I'll take the pain that no one can share.
I'll bear the sorrow no one can bear.
I don't know where the road's going to go,
but it's my road.
I'm so afraid to give you my hand,
you may not take it.
I'm so afraid to give you my heart,
you might break it.
I have to learn to stand on my own.
I have to learn each man walks alone.
I don't know where the roads going to go
but it's my road.
I'll take the dream I'd forgotten before,
and I'll dream it.
I'll write a song to carry me on,
and I'll sing it.
I'll find that highway, follow that star,
with my faith in God and my old guitar.
I don't know where the road's going to go,
but it's my road.
I don't know where the road's going to go,
but it's my road.
This is a classic song which, for the first time, gives people with a terminal illness a musical voice. This song helps to build bridges of communication between those who are dying and their loved ones who may be in denial, or who feel they do not have the skills or appropriate tools to make the experience of death a loving and learning one, in spite of the pain. Its use on an NBC News Special led to the work Deanna is doing today.
Teach Me To Die
Sunlight filters through my window
Falling from the sky.
Time slips like a silent stranger,
Softly passing by.
Life goes on in busy circles
Leaving me behind.
Memories. like portraits,
Fill the attic of my mind.
I know it isn't easy
Seeing me this way,
It hurts to watch me
Lying here day after day.
Trade your fear of parting
For the faith that knows no pain.
Don't be agraid to say goodbye.
I know we'll meet again!
Teach me to die. Hold on to my hand.
I have so many questions,
Things I don't understand.
Teach me to die. Give all you can give.
If you'll teach me of dying
I will teach you to live.
Concerned about love songs that carry negative messages and create co-dependent relationships, Deanna, with the help and encouragement of her husband, Cliff, wrote a song that speaks of the strength of the human spirit and the ability to gon on, even when a relationship has ended. Instead of the message "I'll die without your love," this song says, "Even if we take seperate roads we can survive and go on to create happy and meaningful lives."
If We Should Say Goodbye
I hear them on the radio,
And when there's no place else to go,
I sit and listen to the songs they're playing.
"I'll die without your love. I'll cry without your love."
This is the message all the love songs are saying.
But I've a new song I could write.
If I should lose your love tonight,
Everything will be alright in my life.
Touch, but we can't depend too much.
When our love becomes a crutch.
We are lost and so afraid to try LIFE.
Free, love affirms the right to be.
If you walk away from me,
I'll be strong enough to take it.
My love can never chain your soul,
Can never gain control.
And I know that we could make it
If we should say Good-bye.
You've touched my soul with tenderness,
And my life has been so blessed
By the shining doors you opened for me.
Our love will live eternally
If we learn to set it free,
Whether skies are bright or dark and stormy.
Free, love affirms the right to be.
If you walk away from me,
I'll be strong enough to take it.
My love can never chain your soul,
Can never gain control.
And I know that we could make it
If we should say Good-bye.
It is a powerful experience to return to a house we used to live in and reclaim the memories that are so much a part of the fabric of our lives. The inner child lives again through the kaleidoscope of those memories.
The House I Used To Live In
The house I used to live in
Is fading now with age,
Like a treasured book from yesterday
A story on each page.
The weeds have taken over
Where flowers used to grow.
The paint is cracked and peeling
And the fence is bending low.
But the house I used to live in
Has magic on it's face,
And the memories it holds for me
No mansion could replace.
And so I walk with reverent step
As I visit it today,
Where the little child I used to be
Once more goes out to play.
The words of love once spoken
Within those silent walls
Have drifted into distant dreams
That still my heart recalls.
Gray cobwebs cross the windows
From which we used to peek
And refuse hides the little yard
Where we played hide-and-seek.
But the house I used to live in
Has magic on it's face,
And the memories it holds for me
No mansion could replace.
And so I walk with reverent step
As I visit it today,
Where the little child I used to be
Once more goes out to play!
We are taught in our culture that we must stop loving people who stop loving us. This song is about the decision to go on loving because love can only enrich our lives. Each person is like a unique color in a vast, universal rainbow of life, and each of us has qualities worth loving.
You Are Like A Color
How could I describe you?
Noone could paint all that I can see.
No poet could capture your laughter with a pen.
You are like a color I've never seen before
A color I'll never see again.
You are the special longing that never was returned.
You never noticed how you caught my heart in flight.
I never saw my picture reflected in your eyes.
I never saw me standing in your light.
I look at the joy that's in my life,
Even when my heart is torn.
With every loss we live with
Something beautiful is born.
So I wouldn't change my memories
Even though you turned way.
I wouldn't stop loving
Just to take away the pain.
You are like a color I've never seen before
A color I'll never see again.
Eric Lund, a young man who was dying from leukemia in a New York hospital, said to his mother, "Mom, walk in the world for me!" He was really saying, "I want you to live better and love better because I was here." His message has given hope to countless thousands who have made the decision to make their "walk in the world" a beautiful one.
Walk In The World For Me
The time has come now
For me to say goodbye.
No sad farewells
Will we share
For you will live within me
And I will live in you.
No words can say
How much we care.
We've walked together
On the dusty roads of life,
But kept our eyes upon a star.
We've laughed at the little things
And cried along the way.
I've come to know
The friend you are.
Walk in the world for me!
Sing a happy melody!
And keep my memory
Not far away.
May you find
That life will bring
All the best of everything!
Take special care of you
For me today!
Sometimes we wonder how we can be of help to others when we, ourselves, are wouded. This song teaches us that even in our darkest moments, a light still shines through our broken hearts, and we can use that light as a guide to help ourselves and others.
Broken Windows
There is pain in me that you cannot see.
I can hide all my tears with a smile.
Through my darkest skys I can see your lives.
Let me walk by your side for awhile.
Let the light of love shine through.
Let the light of love shine through.
Through the broken windows in our wounded hearts.
Let the light of love shine through.
Love is worth the cross that we have to pay.
But we can't make the journey alone.
Let me care for you as you care for me.
All the promise and pain are as one.
Let the light of love shine through.
Let the light of love shine through.
Through the broken windows in our wounded hearts.
Let the light of love shine through.
Let the light of love shine through.
All Songs by Deanna Edwards
with the exception of Amazing Grace, Public Domain
Copyright © 1994 All Rights Reserved
Rock Canyon Music Publishers
