Singing For Grandpa

Julie was fifteen years old when her grandpa died. As they were very close, Julie took the death rather hard. Everyone that knew her said that something changed that year, but it was hard to put one’s finger on just what changed.

It was Julie’s grandpa who got her interested in music and it was he who paid for her lessons, and it was he who never missed her recitals. He was her biggest fan. He played the piano for Julie for countless hours so that she could practice her songs. Julie was a masterful singer, and that is what her grandpa kept telling her over and over until she believed it. He kept telling her that someday she would stand before a crowd of thousands and make every one of them cry with her voice. That is what he told her the purpose of singing was; to melt people’s hearts.

After her grandpa died, Julie became obsessed with her music and the desire to make her grandpa’s prediction come true. Everyone was amazed by the progress she made in the years immediately following her grandpa’s death. She worked every day for hours both before and after school. She entered and won contests, and finally, at age 19 she was invited to sing before a large crowd of several thousand people at the State Fair. The song she picked was a real tearjerker and she sang it so well there was not a dry eye in the house.

Julie was so taken by the rousing ovation that she almost fainted. The joy she felt at having done the one thing her grandpa wanted was overwhelming. She did not think she could possibly be happier.

It was the very next week that Julie lost her voice. It was not a temporary thing, though. Her voice seemed to be reduced to a whisper for good. The doctors could not tell what was wrong and the only advice they could give was for her to rest her voice… indefinitely. But Julie was not entirely disappointed. She felt she had missed out on a lot of life while devoting herself exclusively to her singing, and now she wanted to do normal things. She finished her studies and began dating the doctor who had told her that she may not ever sing again.

After a couple of years, Julie married the doctor, and then proceeded to have four children; three girls and a boy. She now devoted herself completely to her family. She reveled in being an ordinary housewife and mother. Her voice slowly came back in strength, but she never pushed it by trying to sing. She was happy enough just be able to talk and be heard.

Things changed, though, when the youngest child was still small. This was the boy and he had been named after the grandpa. The only way Julie could get the boy to sleep in those days was to sing softly to him. Before long, the boy was always trying to get his mama to sing. Slowly, Julie pushed her voice a little more with each new month. Before long, she had her singing voice back, but still, she sang only for her little boy — and for some reason, she was strongly compelled to sing for him. It was like her singing was breathing life into the boy. But it was also breathing life into her — and to see him smiling as she sang was all the joy she needed.

One evening before bed, Julie was singing one of her boy’s favorite songs and she became completely immersed in the song. She felt herself singing like she had not sung in many years. The song itself seemed to be coming through her and she was merely adding her own joy and passion to it. And that is when Julie realized that she not only had her full voice back but she also had her passion back. She was so happy she was about to cry.

Then she looked over at her little boy. He was crying tears of joy. And that is when she suddenly knew who he was.

Copyright by White Feather. All Rights Reserved. This is a work of fiction.
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