My mom loved to sing. She sang all the time. She was part of the church choir. She sang while she did housework. She sang in the car. She sang while she rocked the grandbabies. She even had a really annoying little ditty that she sang to wake up sleepy kids who were in danger of being late for school. I miss that voice. I’ve been thinking of that voice as I prepare to get my VNS to turned on in a few days.

I’ve sung since I was a baby. Mom and I sang together all the time. It was something we both loved and that brought us together. These last few days I’ve been listening to a lot of the old country songs we used to sing together. What an amazing era of music. I don’t sing as much as mom did, but I still sing quite a bit and find it to be one of my greatest healers

The VNS is implanted in my chest with wires that go up into my neck and wrap around my vagus nerve. It will send a small electrical wave every couple of minutes on a regular schedule and whenever my heart rate jumps or it’s manually set off. When that electrical impulse goes off it’s likely my voice will change, getting a bit scratchy or maybe causing a cough. I find myself wondering if I’ll be able to sing.

I was listening this morning to Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette singing together and thinking about mom. I was reminded mom never sang like any of these women. I don’t sing like any of these women. It doesn’t matter. There are times and places where hitting the right note is important, but the thing that really made my mom’s singing beautiful was the way that her heart showed through in every note whether her pitch was perfect or not. My voice will scratch. I might not be a good addition to a choir again, but I’ll still be singing along with the radio and with the little kids in my life and that’s what it’s all about.