While sitting in my clinic at the VA Hospital, awaiting a routine appointment, I became acutely attuned to the voices of the staff, voices I have known and respected for 25 years. Even though I could not see the clerk Mary Ellen, I knew her voice, and it comforted me to be amongst competent  medical providers whom I know and know me.

Then, minutes later as the staff Nurse opened the door to signal the next patient, I could hear the voice of my Doctor, David McKenzie in the hallway. This man is a saint and a savior to many vets. Again, the sound of his voice afforded more comfort….like home.  And from that moment forward for next hour I became intensely aware of all the voices of the innumerable number of staff I have come to know at the VA. This attunement  to voices remained with me the balance of the day.

How marvelous is the human voice. It is clearly an appendage of the soul. We know each other by our personality and intellect and physical features, and spend so little time listening to the melody and unique signature of  each one of our voices.  It is the voice of my wife that transports me to tranquility- especially in the shrill coarse climate of urban living. It is the voice of my friends in Tucson that have brought me 52 years of  joy and adventure. It seems that a friend never really has to identify themselves when they call as their voice has an immediate melody of recognition. I want to record all the voices of my pals and listen to their tones and tempers when I leave. So much more heartwarming than the static nature of a picture.

A voice is born near the heart. A voice is more US than virtually any other attribute. When a loved one dies, it is their voice we hear. When children speak and laugh it is their voice that is absent of deception.  I love to sit on my porch in the early morning and listen to the voices of the children at Sam Hughes Elementary School. It gives me hope to listen to the children who embody hope.

There is nothing that matches the grown up voice of a child I coached in Soccer. Even though they have reached adulthood, their voice is still similar to the one I knew when they were 10 and 11!  It is the source of the bond.

The voice and laughter of my daughter is on the horizon of our move to California. The humor and wit of my son draws me toward him. The voice of family, may be the most powerful force we know. It is the voice of love that trumps all material existence.

“His voice is as the sound of many waters” Revelation

“He ceased but left so pleasing on the ear

His voice,that listening still they seemed to hear” Homer, Odeyssey

It is the voices of Tucson that I will miss the most.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 2:00 am and is filed under Health, Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.