The Most Beautiful Sound

Last night I called a dear friend and her husband answered the phone.  Not an uncommon occurrence.  But there was something about my brief exchange with him that impressed my mind and heart, though I couldn’t place why until later:

It was how he said her name.

This couple has been married now for at least fifteen years.  Long past the “newlywed stage,” it wasn’t infatuation or even awe that I heard.  It wasn’t something he had rehearsed ahead of time, or a guise he put on for people he wanted to impress.  It flowed from him as naturally as breathing.

How can I describe it?

Imagine the tone of wonder in a child’s voice when he asks his mother about where flowers come from, or why the sky is blue, and the excitement you can hear when he identifies a shape in the clouds on his own for the first time.

Imagine how a teenager handles a precious heirloom as she listens to a grandparent tell her about what it is and what it means to them.  Now imagine the look on her face when she’s told she may keep that precious thing as long as she’s prepared to keep it special and safe.

Remember the way you feel when you return home for a special occasion and are greeted by all the sights, smells, and people you remember, love, and count on.

Remember the way you felt last time a child saw you and immediately smiled and ran to you for a hug.

I felt all of those things when he said her name.  It wasn’t a word, or even a name, to him.  It was the most beautiful sound, and she the most beautiful woman, in the world.

That's how my husband says my name, too.

The Holiday season is upon us, along with all of the mind-bending list-building and tradition-fulfilling that generally follows.  Let’s not let the stress crowd out the effort we put into how we talk to, and about, the people who mean the most to us.

My grown-up Christmas list this year is that everyone who isn't married will search until they find a spouse like my friend's and that all of us, married or single, will work to become more like that ourselves.