While celebrating July 4th, my youngest’s mother-in-law commented to my husband: “we will make a Dallas Cowboys fan out of you!” He may own a new home in Texas, but my husband spends most of the time in New York and will always be loyal to his NY sports teams.
Her comments (and my husband’s unmistakable expression saying not a chance) got me thinking and appreciating rituals and traditions – and voices – that bring comfort…the familiar that warms us.
Our family has always shared a deep love of sports. Rallying around home teams, surviving the losses and rejoicing after wins are great fun and a wonderful unifier. One of our favorite teams is the New York Yankees which was a Wordless Wednesday post you can see here and my son even named his puppy after a Yankee player you’re welcome to view here.
My thoughts eventually wandered to the voice of New York Yankees play-by-play announcer, Michael Kay.
His voice has been a part of our lives for decades…one that our children grew up with floating through the house and poolside during the lengthy MLB season.
Every April, the return of Kay’s play-by-play reminded us that despite the 40°F temps, the spring equinox really did happen and sun would soon shine in the northeast.
I took his voice for granted until the 2020 pandemic ended baseball until July that year. Prior to Covid, I never gave Kay’s presence a thought until I honestly missed it.
After the in-laws comment, I started wondering what other voices I might be taking for granted. My first thought? There are too many filling the days. TV shows, news, social media, five email accounts, workmates, the internet-at-large, family, friends…
Walking in and out of a grocery or retail store you’ll hear passerbys give opinions and the ever-present speakers inside and outside of shopping centers add to the information we collect in the average day.
There are a lot of voices seeking our attention.
Discernment is critical. Being intentional about who and what we listen to and allow to root in our homes and hearts requires attention. Tossing out the mental trash at the end of a day is a wise practice.
I don’t always consciously get rid of what Dr. Caroline Leaf calls your mental mess. (She is the author of Switch on Your Brain and Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess). After collecting too much trash, simply by existing in our information-saturated society, I get mentally tired.
We are not created to absorb every single feeling another person experiences and social media is filled with “feelings”.
We are not equipped to handle 365 days of 24-hour, non-stop depressing news, stories of violence, unrealistic influencers and distracting entertainment.
We are not designed to be masters of all things nor cater to all people, but the world’s voices tell us exactly that.
So, occasionally I disengage.
During those times, I remind myself that soft voices are powerful. You know, the ones who wait until you finish a complete sentence before interrupting.
The loudest voice (or opinion) in the room is seldom the wisest.
I’m a do-er and move-er type, so I must set aside time to get still and hear from the One voice Who gives me the truth. The wisdom that cannot be rushed and will rarely be loud.
I have many fun and worthwhile voices in my life, but none provides the stability, peace and assurance quite the same as Jesus.
Source: Pinterest
Voices featured image: MIT Technology Review
Happy Monday and have a wonderful week!
Tales from a Mid-Lifer 
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