Beauty Unnoticed
the
lyrics
of
1. Ode to You
What color are your eyes—
Are they they color of his grace?
What’s the sound of your voice—
Is it the laughter of praise?
Did God take all my tears
and make them jewels in your crown?
When the bridegroom took your little hand
Did you wear a wedding gown?
Lest your beauty be unnoticed
or your story be unsung
I will sing this testimony
Of our child gone home
Our child gone home to God
You were never hungry or cold
You were not afraid
Of passing forth from this world
No less member of our family
than we on earth who still remain
Than we on earth who still remain
2. Into the Chaos
I’m not asking you to take away this pain
I can’t avoid this void that still remains
I need strength to face it o’er and o’er again
It’s a choice I have to make
to let you enter in
Come, Lord.
The storm is raging
And you’re sleeping in the boat
But I’m staying here; I’m not leaving you
I can’t, I won’t.
My pain shows me
where your healing wants to go
Into the chaos, groaning
Labor pains- A new creation is forming
And the storm stops raging
The void now calm and bright
The light shines in the darkness
has not overcome my life
Not in spite of death, destruction, tragedy
But precisely through it
You are drawing me
Not ignoring the battle
It’s all or nothing it can destroy you
Unless you keep surrendering
Into the chaos, groaning
Labor pains- A new creation is forming
And the storm stops raging
The void now calm and bright
The darkness has not overcome
the light that shines in my life
Love doesn’t simply resolve my crisis
Your love accompanies me through it
Into the chaos, groaning
Labor pains- A new creation is forming
And the storm stops raging
The void now calm and bright
The light shines in the darkness
has not overcome my life
Come, Lord.
3. The Start
I fell in love before I ever saw your face
Heart quickening within
And everything changed
Discomfort was sweetness
Yes, I was afraid
But swing wide, heavenly gates
A new soul’s been made
What love has made
Can never be taken away
I’ll always love you
I’m still falling deeper in love with you
Your name is a prayer
And the earth is a veil
Behind those clouds
You’re dancing with the Son
And the story of your soul
Goes on and on and on
Why would I ever said goodbye
When I say hello to you now
With every beat of my heart?
Can this valley keep love apart
Can this valley keep love apart?
No, no
I said hello to you then
I say hello to you now
With every beat of my heart
With every beat of my heart
Why would I ever say goodbye
To boundless love at the start
I carried you hidden growing
Silent like a seed
Your presence true
I know
You made a mother out of me
Your roots grow deeper and deeper
beneath our family tree
Can a mother e’er forget her child?
O I shall never forget thee
I said hello to you then
I say hello to you now
With every beat of my heart
With every beat of my heart
Why would I ever say goodbye
To boundless love at the start
4. Fly Little One
God was ready before I
To welcome you to paradise
You were always His
But He let me call you mine
Shared with us for just a little time
Fly, baby, little one, fly, fly
Fly, baby, little one, fly
Now my treasure is in heaven
Buried in His kingdom’s heart
Mary with the angels singing
Holy, holy, holy Lord
The giver of all good gifts
Gave to us a little saint
Our great loss on earth is
Truly heaven’s gain
Our great loss is truly heaven’s gain, gain
Our great loss is truly heaven’s gain
A thousand years are like a day
With our God who gave you life
I am grateful for each moment
You formed deep inside
I do not regret the pain nor the sacrifice
You are my pearl of great price
Oh, you are my pearl of great price
Eye has not seen, ear has not heard
What has been prepared
For those who love God
Ear has not heard, eye has not seen
Let the little children come unto thee
Let our little child come unto thee
Oh, let our little child come unto thee
5. The Gift of Mary's Trials
You were not spared from earth's trials,
Though you did not choose sin.
Delivered many times from evil,
From the devil's grasping grip.
You gave birth to God's son
In a cave dark and cold,
Then you fled in the night
To escape Herod's sword.
Returning as refugees to the very place
Israel, Israel prayed so hard to escape.
How the fears tried to chain you,
Enslave you to sin,
But your family became holy,
Not destroyed from within.
You didn't run from your trials, Mary
You didn't push God away
You drew Jesus close
Knowing you need not escape
God is present with you
In all things
You were present to Him
When the time came for your family
To return to Nazareth,
For thirty years you lived beneath
The humble veil of hiddenness.
You were not swayed by worldly gain,
What others do & do not see.
The false consolation of admirers
You did not receive.
You became a widow
When your earthly spouse had died,
Remaining with your son
Until His hour had arrived.
As you stood beneath the cross,
His gaze fixed upon your face,
Your soul gave birth to surrender,
The self gift you always gave.
Behold your mother,
Holding Jesus lifeless in her arms,
Pierced by a sword within the temple
Of her spotless heart.
Woman, behold thy sons & daughters,
Purchased by the blood
That flowed within your veins
To bear the flesh Christ bore
Upon the cross.
6. Discovering Paradise
A new day born,
I think of you
Clothed in light brighter than the sun
A new night falls,
I think of you
Kissing the stars one by one
I think of you in the winter,
Knowing your heart’s as clean as snow
When the springtime blooms
And the summer grows
And the autumn breezes blow
As you hold the hand
That paints the sunrise
Please remember me
As you dance with countless children,
Let the leaves dance in the trees
Every glimpse of beauty
Tells me more about your life
Continues now to lead me
To discover paradise
You lift my eyes to paradise
When you’re swept up in
The ceaseless song of the seraphim
Please remember me
That my soul may touch
The fire of love you dwell within
When you’re bathed in praises like petals,
Roses falling from the sky,
Will you send a feather from their wings
To help my praises fly?
Fly to paradise
If time could speak each day a letter
Written back and forth with you
Raise my eyes and I can see
That his promises are true
Each moment brings me closer
You help me be less afraid
Of my final hour that leads me
To behold your unveiled face
I’ll behold you face to face
7. In the Middle
Instead of looking around the corner
My desire discontent
Help me fix my gaze upon the gift
You’re offering at present
In the middle of the growing
In the middle of the grief
In the middle of the waiting
Am I exempt from living this life
You’ve given me
Whom have I in heaven but thee
There’s nothing on earth I desire but thee
My flesh and my heart they may fail
You’re the strength of my soul
and I will find you there
I’ll be content alone in thee
To be present in the moment
To embrace the in between
Giving you my full attention
Receiving the love that we all need
Not in past or the future
Can the sower sow the seed
If all I ever had was what you’ve given now
To grow in union from now through eternity
8. From Home to Home
I was chosen as your pathway to eternal life
The bridge to cross you o’er the valley
To the other side
You began and you completed your race
My heartbeat marked the hour
When you first saw Jesus’ face
Instead of loathing
The darkness of your death
Thinking I am just a tomb
Where you were laid to rest
I was open like a gateway
Becoming heaven’s door
The window where you first saw
The light of the Lord
Inside of me to you he came
You were never alone
You were held in love every moment
Carried from home to home
Instead of loathing
The darkness of your death
Thinking I am just a tomb
Where you were laid to rest
I was open like a gateway
Becoming heaven’s door
The window where you first saw
The light of the Lord
Inside of me to you he came
You were never alone
You were held in love every moment
Carried from home to home
You were always at home
Carried from home to home
9. Prodigal of the Present
I was tired of sitting in this place
Waiting for something to change
I think it’s time to go away
Maybe I’ll find peace some other day
I said, “Father, give to me
What I want, not just what I need
I think I’m ready to leave
I’m not content with what’s here
In front of me
So my heart began to wander
And I searched the world over
Couldn’t wait to find
what would fill this ache so deep
Then I spent all my time
Consumed by my desires
Squandered everything like a fire
Inherits and devours the offering
Left me hungering for my dreams
Brought about a famine within me
I lost touch with everything
grew cold to my surroundings
In my deep desperation
I came to my senses
My searching elsewhere
Did not give me peace
Maybe if I just went home
Returned to where my search started from
Father I’m not worthy to be your son
I’ve sinned against you constantly
Father, you live and move
In the present
Heaven’s presence is true
But I don’t know how
To dwell here with you.
Son, just remain in me
You were lost till you found
I was here all along
You were dead to my presence
Now you live
Will you live in the present?
Or will you be jealous
Of what future holds — but don’t forget
All that’s mine is yours presently
My love is a feast
Remain with me
I'll never leave thee
Father—I’m not worthy,
I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy
You dwell in my weakness and need
Even the angels are jealous
of how close you are to me
Oh, in union with thee
Stay with me
10. I Won't Tell God
Why does God allow evil & suffering
For Christ to bring forth
A greater good from it
Behold the mystery of the cross
And the death of our Lord
The greatest evil became
An even greater good
And I won’t tell God
How big my problem is
Tell my problem how big God is
I won’t tell God
How big my problem is
Tell my problem how big God is
I consider that the sufferings
Of this present time
Ain’t worth comparing to the glory
God’s revealing in this heart of mine
When I see myself conformed
With Christ crucified
I move from war into peace
When I let God inside
You are stretching my heart
With this grief I will grow
No longer spectator
To my neighbor’s sorrow
11. The Stream
One day a drop of water
Flowed from deep in me
It grew and filled me like a flood
Till it became a stream
To start a journey all its own
Searching for the sea
I’m grateful this new stream sprang forth
Your river source in me
New life began in me
Like the shore that holds you up
At every curve and bend
My love will carry you along
Until this journey ends
Don’t know how long you’ll run the course
This river of your life
Someday you’ll reach the ocean shore
And we’ll be satisfied
And you’ll be satisfied
And when it seems you’ve disappeared
And waves of grief crash down,
The sun draws you up in the sky
And I see can see the clouds
Sometimes it rains and then I know
You’re reaching out to me
For just a moment I feel you there
Flowing within me
I know you’re here with me
Yes, I’m the drop of water
You led me to the sea
Love flowed from deep within your heart
You gave my life to me
I don’t know how long it will take
For you to join me here
Someday you’ll reach the ocean shore
Our love will draw you here
My love will draw you near
One day each and every river
Joins to become one
To rest in mercy’s ocean
And waves of endless love
12. We Have Been Mothers
What I wish to say to the mothers
Who have lost children is this:
We have been mothers
We have had this great gift
The amount of time does not matter
One month, two months, a few hours.
What matters is that
We have had this gift
And it is something
That can never be forgotten
Quotation for "We Have Been Mothers" used with permission from Sophia Institute Press: "Chiara Corbella Petrillo: A Witness to Joy." This book is available for purchase at www.sophiainstitute.com