Day 3 - 358 -- The Backstory

I've always looked for the backstory -- you know, the "how did they get there" or "what caused that". Delving into historical documents can give some sense of what was happening in someone's life at the time. I enjoy backstories of fictional characters, too, like the television series that takes one episode to uncover some of the mysteries of a single character. Or a movie that provides flashbacks that help put the pieces of the story together. Backstory information helps to understand the puzzle.

When working this afternoon on my kitchen tasks in preparation for Christmas, a song from the holiday playlist got me thinking again. Sometimes there just isn't much available to help construct that backstory. Whether one believes the Christmas story to be truth or a strong cultural myth, very little is written about the parents of that little baby. We have some facts of the lineage and home towns but what were they feeling? Most of the questions remain lost in the centuries that have followed.  Yet, some have pondered and asked many questions and some have written songs about the story and wondered how the parents dealt with it all. Sadly, their stories seem relegated to the background so we are left to work through the 'what abouts' with our questions.

Today I am sharing two songs of the season that ask about and acknowledge the inherent difficulties that must have come to the parents. The first one deals with the mother and the second one with the father. The first video is sung in an evocative location, while the second one has no visuals and the quality is not the best, yet it makes the point for today. Enjoy!

Mary, Did You Know? -- Pentatonix

It Wasn't His Child -- Trisha Yearwood