Anne Reed
AFA Journal staff writer
November 2014 – For everyone who has lost a loved one by any means – natural causes, suicide, abandonment – there seems to be one common denominator: The sense of loss and grief is most overwhelming during a family’s traditional gathering times such as the holidays. Many go into an emotional tailspin that leads to depression.
This holiday season, Music for the Soul celebrates 12 years of ministry offering CDs and DVDs that use songs and stories to help survivors of crises find hope and healing. MFTS’s latest project is Drink Deep: A Musical Journey through Grief, a CD compiled by Steve Siler, founder and creative director of Music for the Soul.
Drink Deep is comprised of expertly integrated music, emotionally honest questions and expressions of pain, regret and aching sorrow. The CD contains 14 songs that delve deep into the heart wrenching responses to grief when one is faced with an empty place at the table, reality after the crowd is gone and the expectations of others.
Have you experienced profound loss that has left you asking whether grief, regret and confusion have become your existence? Does the possibility of ever feeling joy or laughing again seem far removed? Drink Deep will likely speak to your needs.
On this CD, you will not find pretension or airy answers. Instead, you will find that you are not alone, the pain is real, and God has not left you. You will be guided through grief in a way that acknowledges the pain of your loss, honors your loved one and reassures you of your ultimate hope in Christ.
For example, Drink Deep includes these lyrics from “No Such Thing as Normal:”
We sit down at the table
Our eyes cannot avoid the empty chair
I pick up the phone to call you
And suddenly remember you’re not there
I bow my head and close my eyes
But there’s somebody missing from my prayers
Every hour of the day is filled with pain I can’t ignore
There’s no such thing as normal anymore
We gather for Thanksgiving
But it’s hard to be grateful through the tears
Pretty soon it will be Christmas
There’ll be such a hollow feeling to my cheer
I know you’re gone and life goes on
But I’d rather just skip happy New Year
Where there once was joy and laughter
Now my heart is bruised and sore
There’s no such thing as normal anymore
The birds just keep on singing as if nothing’s changed
Don’t they know that everything is different and will never be the same
If you have a friend or family member grieving after loss, perhaps you want to offer solace and don’t know how. It can be difficult to find the words to properly express your sympathy. Drink Deep is a way to reach out to others through the gift of music. When the crowds are gone and the pain is still there, retreat can be found in the truthful and soothing words and music of Drink Deep. 
Drink Deep is available in digital download format or by mail. The physical copy will arrive in the mail in a beautifully packaged sympathy card. A case of 20 can be ordered at a 40% discount. For information or to order Drink Deep, visit musicforthesoul.org.
More MFTS music
Dignity for Caregivers
More Beautiful (cancer)
Somebody’s Daughter (pornography)
Tell Me What You See (self-image)
Chaos of the Heart (suicide)
Fifty Years From Now (aging)
Heroes Unsung (first responders)
Whole in the Sight of God (disability)
Crooked Road (chronic disease)
