My mom’s an incredible woman.
This may be a charism of Motherhood, but my mom has this innate ability to hear what each child needs before they even say it. Not only that, but she knows how to respond to each child in a unique and beautiful way. Sometimes that it is in a firm yet tender statement, and other times it is through an experience.
There is one moment that shaped a lot of my life, a moment that I would not have predicted to change my heart and my ability to love others.
My anxiety, caused by an inability to focus and far too many irrational fears, left me hiding in the corner of my living room day after day. I would go to dance class and excel in the classroom, but I was in constant fear of going out in to public.
Now I know that I am meant to go out, to speak love to others, to share the joy of a life lived in Faith, but I would not have become this woman without my mother.
The Lizzie McGuire just came out, and we bought the soundtrack.
The first song, “Why Not” started to play, and when the chorus finished, my mom turned down the song and said, “Felicity this song is for you. Listen again.”
“Why not take a crazy chance? Why not do a crazy dance? If you lose the moment You may lose a lot. So why not? Why not?” ~Why Not, Hillary Duff
Therapy is great, but really only when it is addressing the real issue. My anxiety was not caused by the same source as Generalized Anxiety, so I did not gain as much as I needed. It was this song, played on repeat in our car until I understood that I needed to live my life out loud, that helped me overcome my anxieties and become a happy little tap dancer.
This was not the first time my mother used music to speak to my heart.
My first break-up playlist was one of the most empowering playlists I ever listened to. My desire to listen to hymns and listen to country music is based on my mom’s loving ear. From elementary school on, I listened more closely to lyrics, to the beat of a song, and to the way it affected each person around me.
Now I make playlists for everything.
I am far from a music major, let alone a musician, but I was raised by an incredible mother with a listening heart. I am far from a listener, but I was raised by someone who could sing with me in the car. I learned to listen to the experiences, to the joy and the sorrow of a room.
After many years of sharing the stereo with music majors and friends from all walks of life, I now listen to nearly every genre.
You can find something special in every song, in every genre, in every playlist.
Not just because the song has something profound to say or the musicianship is incredible, but because each piece of music shares a piece of someone’s heart. Musicians work hard to share their story with the world, and some even have the ability to tell the stories of those around them. When we take time to listen to a genre, to a song, to a playlist, we can see the essence of someone’s story.
Stories are not meant to be left in the shadows.
Stories are meant to be shared with the world.
Making playlists and running the stereo are Felicity Moments because they are the simplest way for me to share my love for the souls around me. Maybe they aren’t perfect, but I know that someone will smile because they heard a song they loved. Maybe they won’t be inspired, but I know that they will be comfortable.
My mama made the anxious little soul feel comfortable and courageous with a Hillary Duff song.
And I pray to someday have a heart that listens as well as her’s.
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