The truth is sound…

It’s no coincidence that the word for my final sense, to discuss, has a second meaning of firm, solid, foundational…

This week my sister and her husband had to make the excruciating decision to send their three children (whom we are incredibly attached to) to another state to live, for awhile. On top of that, my mother had two major surgeries, several dangerous days in ICU- all culminating in her needing 9 liters of blood, which opens up an entirely new string of problematic possibilities…

But the one thing that has screamed itself known, throughout my week, is the very thing I’d known I would blog about today, before…

Before my son was injured in military training.
Before my mom had the most difficult night (healthwise) of her life.
Before my niece and nephews left for this new chapter in their lives…

Sound. The importance of sound, from (and to) those we love. At least I thought I was blogging about it’s importance, but really- today- I admit importance is actually an understatement. Vitality is the word.

To a mother, exhausted from labor, waiting for her baby’s cry…
To the wife, whose husband fights a war on the other side of the ocean…
To a child, frightened and sleep strewn from nightmares…
Sound is everything.

When I heard my mama’s voice, after that long ICU laden night of not knowing- i heard heaven.

and it reminded me, of those literal aching moments of needing to hear my husband’s voice.
of those miscarriage laced years of feeling i’d die without ever hearing the sounds of a child’s laughter fill my home.

Then again, there’s an ugly flipside. Though the childhood adage tells us words can never hurt us, they can… They can break bonds, destroy marriages, crumble childhoods and take down a nation. Gossip can ruin reputations and relationships. Sound can lead to broken hearts…

There are moments when sound is everything…

Today in my 28 day challenge, I will:

– bite my tongue.
– use my words well, and wisely.
– memorize their voices- their laughter… for today is a gift with no guarantee…