Listen to me...

Confession Time: I've had this ongoing affair for some time...and I can't keep secrets from you...so I'm going to tell you about it.

I'm in love.

I'm in love with the sound of my voice.

Shocking, I know...but, it's a fact. I love how I sound when I talk.

You see, it started when I was very little. My parents taped me saying some of my first words ("My name Carrie!") on a reel to reel portable (the thing weighs about 15 pounds...but hey! It's considered "portable"!) tape player.

A few years later, my sis and I would take our parents tape player and tape ourselves being goofy...saying stupid things...

When I was about 11 or 12, I got this cool boom box for Christmas. It was a radio/cassette player/8 track player. It was AWESOME!

I taped myself talking. A lot. I did my own songs, commercials...made myself laugh...talk...talk...talk. And then I'd listen...listen...listen.

In high school, my friend Alice and I would turn on the player and talk about stuff...and then listen to our conversation later. Sometimes we would go so long that we'd have to flip the cassette over and start again.

And let me just say, for the record (pun intended!)...I was sooooooooo funny!

For instance, this one time, I had my Walkman, right...and I put in Alice's Billy Joel tape...and sang with this song I barely knew the words to...and Alice taped me singing...and we laughed until we cried! "heart attack...ack...ack...ack!"

Ahem....well, I guess you had to be there. Which you weren't...

(crickets chirping)

Anyway....I went to college and studied theatre and further 'developed' my voice. Worked on enunciation, different accents, projection, etc.

I don't get tired of hearing the sound of my voice. Ever.

I'm my biggest cheerleader.

What I do get tired of...is WHAT I hear my voice saying. Some things are pretty ugly. (which is an oxymoron, you know! There's your lesson for the day!)

I'm also my worst critic.

So here's what I'm doing: Each time I hear my voice telling me something ugly (or telling someone else something ugly!)...I think "Flip that tape and start over!"

When you've listened to the same ol' tapes about yourself day after day after day...it's hard to change.

Flip the cassette...my friend. I like you. You're amazing! I can't believe that more people don't worship the ground you walk on! You are one incredible human being!

That's what I tell myself....anyway.

(she chuckles to herself...ignores the crickets...)

Okay...maybe that's a little extreme (again...an oxymoron! Wow! Two in one day!)...but we need to remember that Someone finds us very amazing. And when we can see how valuable we are to Him...it makes us see how valuable others are to Him.

If you need help hearing that Voice...let me know. I think I've got His tape somewhere...