Do you know what being a highly functioning hard-of-hearing person is? It's being able to talk on the phone, listen to music, verbally speak with hearing people, etc. I am one of those. However, from time to time, I find myself woefully LOW functioning. I hate it.

I participated in a SWAP where people across the globe, exchanged some of their favorite things. My swap partner, Kate, sent me a lovely package. Among the items, was a cd of hand-picked songs just for me. (I'm assuming that were some of her favorites.) Anyway, I eagerly played the cd and found... I didn't really care too much for the music. That, WOW, we didn't really have the same taste in this sort of thing. That was okay, I appreciated (hugely) the time she took in putting the cd & package together just for me.

Time went by. Then, as I was talking to Hero, the subject of lyrics came up. He knows that I can't understand the words that are sung as there's no mouth for me to lipread. He knows that even if there was a mouth for me to follow along with, I still wouldn't get it as singing distorts the mouth (as opposed to speaking.) I'm sure that frustrated him to a small degree whenever he would exclaim to me, "Ohhh! This is in your music collection I have on my zen!" Let me explain, on his mp3 "ZEN" player, he has sorted his music into Boo's Collection, Sariqd's collection and I don't know what other collection he has. Anyway, he puts songs in there that make him feel a certain emotion. Boo's songs are about Father & Daughter. My collection has songs in there about us, me, life, growing old together, lovers, struggles, etc. etc. Now, to go back to our discussion, I didn't understand why the strong emotional ties he has to certain songs. At that point, he decided that he would pick out a song from "my" collection and send me the lyrics every day. When I would open the email, I could see the song and get it playing on napster and follow along with the lyrics. WOW. These songs had some PUNCH! I mean, some of these lyrics are not exactly eloquent. However, they convey the thoughts, the emotions, the LOVE that my Hero is trying to get across. I've come to look forward to these daily emails and regret (in a minute way of course) when he's home on the weekends as I don't get that visually, albeit printed words, affirmation of love. Don't get me wrong, he's wonderful in expressing his love for me. The songs however, are poetry in motion.

Now, I'm discovering what WONDERFUL lyrics there are out there. I'm also discovering, whoa, that song was about WHAT?!?! And much to my dismay on THOSE, I have deleted them out of my own zen player. *sniff*

What songs have touched you? Why? Blog about it, if you will. I'm going to... with the following:

"Thankful"

Josh Groban

Some days we forget

To look around us

Some days we can't see

The joy that surrounds us

So caught up inside ourselves

We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be.

And on this day we hope for

What we still can't see.

It's up to us to be the change

And even though we all can still do more

There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves

There's so much sorrow

It's way too late to say

I'll cry tomorrow

Each of us must find our truth

It's so long overdue

So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be

And every day we hope for

What we still can't see

it's up to us to be the change

And even though we all can still do more

There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences

There is a place we're all connected

Each of us can find each othere's light

So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be

And on this day we hope for

What we still can't see

it's up to us to be the change

And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for.

My Hero has a tradition of writing me a Christmas Letter every year. It is the one single thing I look forward to on Christmas Morning that comes from him. He included the lyrics to this song in my letter and played the song for me as I read. Hero? Are you reading this? I love you always and forever. I am thankful for you, my one and only Hero. Thank you for the reminder that I too, have much to be thankful for.