How To Save A Life

I really love this song. I first heard it last year when I was watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy. It's by The Fray and if you haven't heard it before, it's definitely worth a listen. The lyrics read -

"step one you say we need to talk
he walks you say sit down it's just a talk
he smiles politely back at you
you stare politely right on through
some sort of window to your right
as he goes left and you stay right
between the lines of fear and blame
and you begin to wonder why you came

where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
somewhere along in the bitterness
and I would have stayed up with you all night
had I known how to save a life

let him know that you know best
cause after all you do know best
try to slip past his defense
without granting innocence
lay down a list of what is wrong
the things you've told him all along
and pray to God he hears you

where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
somewhere along in the bitterness
and I would have stayed up with you all night
had I known how to save a life

as he begins to raise his voice
you lower yours and grant him one last choice
drive until you lose the road
or break with the ones you've followed
he will do one of two things
he will admit to everything
or he'll say he's just not the same
and you'll begin to wonder why you came

where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
somewhere along in the bitterness
and I would have stayed up with you all night
had I known how to save a life"

The song is about an adult that is trying to help out a troubled teen but just doesn't know how. The band states that even though this story was the original intent, the lyrics are open for interpretation.

Have you ever saved a life? Do you know someone that has? The only person I can think of is my dad. He saved the life of his friend. It was a couple of summers ago and they were working outside on one of their many projects down at the lake. Luckily Dad noticed the early signs of a heart attack and eventually convinced his friend to go to the hospital. It was a good thing too because his friend was willing to shake it off and continue working!

Do you know someone whose life has been saved? Has someone ever saved your life? My life was saved when I was around two years old. I walked off the end of the wharf at our cottage and sank to the bottom of the lake. A neighbor happened to notice and he jumped in, clothes and all, to bring me back up. Hence the reason why I hate water but then again, if you sink like a stone I don't believe you were meant to be a great swimmer ;o)

Saving a life doesn't necessarily mean saving someone from death. There are other ways that you can save someone's life, as pointed out in the song. Try donating food or winter coats to your local shelter or become a Big Brother or Big Sister. Imagine the impact you could have on a child's life further down the road. There are not only human lives to be saved but animals as well. Just dropping by your local SPCA and donating some dog or cat food would be greatly appreciated.

There have been a few times that I have saved the life of an animal. I'm always on the lookout when driving now after rescuing a poor little dog that was hit by a car and left in the middle of the road :o( I have never saved a human life though, not that I know of. I've seen death in action once and I can't even begin to explain the feeling of helplessness that overcomes you. I received bad news last night that a dear friend, and fellow breast cancer survivor, has lung cancer and that helplessness has returned. How can such a thing happen to such a wonderful woman (she has basically outfitted Brie with all her lovely bandanas). If I could save her life...I would.