This week’s theme is angels and while there are hundreds of applicable songs, one stood out to me immediately – “Concrete Angel” by Martina McBride.
Now, this is not your average angel song and it is by no means a happy one. It is about a girl who is beaten regularly by her mother and she holds in all the physical and emotional pain while the world turns a blind eye. The teacher notices that the girl wears the same clothes and isn’t doing her work but doesn’t get involved; either do the neighbors.
Why did I pick this song? Because it is the story of a lot of young girls and boys… including me (in some ways). I was never beaten by my parents – they were not violent people. I always had good clothes, good meals and did feel some form of love. However, I was beaten by words or even the lack of them. I always heard when I did wrong, but not very often when I needed building up or I did something good. I held it all in. I also held in all the bullying I received from peers.
Like the girl in the song I often wished I had never been born. But unlike her, my freedom didn’t come from death, or at least not mine. After my mother passed away 23 years ago, I started to feel some of the stranglehold lift. It came back again when my Dad came to live with us but not as bad because I had already started to evolve into the stronger person I am today.
The strength I found was earned by allowing myself to go through many challenges in life. The reward is that I have had the honor of helping others, whether a little boy at camp missing his Mom and wanting to go home or a young woman just needing someone to listen and give her some positive affirmations.
Make sure you check out all the offerings for this week at This Thing Called Life One Word At A Time
Lydia!
“Concrete Angel”
She walks to school with the lunch she packed
Nobody knows what she’s holdin’ back
Wearin’ the same dress she wore yesterday
She hides the bruises with linen and laceThe teacher wonders but she doesn’t ask
It’s hard to see the pain behind the mask
Bearing the burden of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was never born
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can’t rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she’s loved
Concrete angelSomebody cries in the middle of the night
The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate
When morning comes it’ll be too lateThrough the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can’t rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she’s loved
Concrete angelA statue stands in a shaded place
An angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished rock
A broken heart that the world forgotThrough the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can’t rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she’s loved
Concrete angelWriter(s): Rob Crosby, Stephanie Kay Bentley
Being Lydia! 
This song gets me every single time. It’s such a sad reality in our world. I, too, bear the scars of an abusive childhood. I’m so happy to hear that you’ve risen above what you suffered and can now see the light enough to help others. I do the same whenever and however I can. Thank you so much for sharing this. I’ve always loved Martina’s voice. ❤
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