Perspectives

Last week we had the chance to drive across the mountains from Eastern Washington to what we all like to call "the wet side" in western Washington. The difference between the two areas is striking.


Where we live in the Tri-Cities is one step above a desert. It is dry and hot. The indigenous plants are sagebrush and rabbitbrush.

As we drove up and over the mountains to reach our destination in Bremerton, Washington the landscape seemed to change in the blink of an eye. It became lush and green with waterfalls cascading down the side of the mountain as if we were driving through a movie set.

The kids noticed the difference at once and began to lament our dry existence on the far side of the mountain range. It's hard not to disagree with their perception. It gets over 100 degrees in the summer and the lack of trees allows the winds to blow 50 miles an hour pretty regularly. The cool green calm was a welcome change.

As we began visiting with friends and spending some time outside, the kids began to notice another west side trend. It was cold, cloudy and wet. Although they enjoyed gathering seashells at the side of the bay, we couldn't stay long. We tried to visit with friends at a park, but the rain and cold drove us back to the hotel. It wasn't long before the comments changed. Lamenting the lack of sunshine, which we enjoy in droves back home, became a regular occurrence.

We enjoyed our vacation and then headed back over the mountains towards the east. Once again the change was immediate as we dipped down into the valley. This time the kids began to comment on the sunshine and the vast tracks of land laid out before us like a patchwork quilt covering a lumpy bed.

We were home.

The Sound of Your Voice

One of the first things I missed when my daughter died, was hearing her voice. I listened to the recording on her voice mail over and over again. Thankfully, she and her friends had been silly enough to make videos of themselves. I used these videos to record Katie saying silly things. We put those recordings inside some teddy bears for her brother and sisters. The sound of her voice brings back so many memories.

Did you know your voice is as unique as your fingerprint? Some companies are beginning to use voice recognition instead of passwords. "Your voice is unique because of the shape of your vocal cavities and the way you move your mouth when you speak."

A few months ago, there was a story on NPR about a man with ALS who began recording phrases in his own voice to play back when he loses the ability to speak. This way, when the computer talks for him, it will actually be his voice that people hear. What a gift he is creating for his wife.

Have you ever considered recording your stories or stories from grandpa and grandma to play for your children. Use websites like "Saving Memories Forever" to record and save personally narrated stories for posterity. I can't imagine the joy it would bring to be able to listen to my dad or my daughter tell me a story as if they were right beside me once again. 

What phrases would you record for your family? What would you want those you love to hear straight from your mouth?