What We Take for Granted

This time of year, it’s the sounds of hundreds of birds in the morning.  We have these two big Bradford Pear trees on either side of our back yard, and it seems that birds especially like to build nests in those trees because of the way the branches form natural “V’s” and the fact that there’s a source of water found beneath them.  So our back yard is especially noisy in the mornings and afternoons.

Today I just listened.

A few months ago I stumbled across a video of this 29 yr old mother of two who’d had the cochlear implant that allowed her to hear for the very first time.  It’s the kind of captured moment that will change your life.  If you have a pulse, you’ll be moved by that moment.  You may have seen this before, but it’s worth another watch.  This particular video has an interview with Ellen Degeneres that has some of her back story and experiences that I found particularly revealing. I’m not a big Ellen fan, but this video was amazing.  The things she says about hearing sounds that at times annoy us made me think about the things we take for granted. It’s a good thing to go grab a tissue before you watch this.

Most of us are such music snobs. It’s not just what we hear, but what we appreciate that makes us pay attention. I’ll admit it’s hard to appreciate Lydia crying at 3am. I don’t appreciate an out of tune instrument. It’s difficult to find the humor each sunday while a locomotive passed just outside the doors of our church (when you experience it for the first time you’re either comically amused or horrified; either emotion is pretty legit). But, thank God for the ability to hear! Thank You Lord for the ability to love you with music and remind me today of how wonderful you are!