Breath Me

Name: Erica

Song that changed your life: Sia - Breath Me (listen now)(download) (lyrics)

The story behind it:

This song evokes many emotions about my mom who passed away 8 years ago today.

My mom was a brilliant woman, with so much potential, so much passion, so much conviction. She could have done anything with her life. She was outwardly powerful, extremely opinionated, and could at times be somewhat intimidating. But in reality, she was scared. She was lost. She had all the tools to be this highly successful person, but she wanted coddling. She wanted to be held. She was scared to move forward. There would be times where it seemed she took strides forward, but then she would lose herself. She couldn't quite make it to the top. In reality, all she wanted was to be loved. She had so much love in her life, but she wanted more. She needed to be the focus, but was not willing to reciprocate that need. She tried so hard: she tried to be a good mother, and she was. She tried to be a good wife, she wanted to be a faithful friend. She tried to be the lifeof the party, the beautiful woman with the long blond hair. But when she couldn't be that person all the time, she turned into a little lost girl. In the end, she died thinking she was a lost cause. We, her family, know differently.

Breathe Me, to me, is about somoene who is lost. Someone who tries and tries, but gets knocked down everytime, no matter what. Somoene who is so fragile that any bad time or dip breaks her. Someone who tries to cope, tries to live, tries to thrive, but always ends up broken. Someone who just wants to be held and be told that everything will be alright.

This is a very special song for me on so many levels. There are many songs that evoke emotion, whether it's a song from my childhood or a song that played at my wedding, but this song is so powerful to me because it haunts me every single time I hear it.

My mom was an amazingly brave and talented woman, and she is extremely missed. Everytime I hear Breathe Me I think of her and her life and how much I love her.