Quiet Noise

A friend of Aaron's, Chris O., has a special greeting on his cell phone curtesy of Aaron. The voice a caller hears if Chris doesn't answer is Aaron. Speaking in his own voice Aaron greets the caller "Hey, this is Chris..." and then goes on to let the caller know that they can leave a message but "I" probably won't call you back because "I don't check my messages...etc".

I've called that number a few times to hear Aaron's voice and sense of humor. Today I called Chris to see if I could get him and a few friends to lend a hand at the demolition project at Aaron's House (www.AaronsHouseMadison.org) Chris didn't answer so I got the greeting. At first I thought the voice was Chris'. Then the tone seemed more familiar and sure enough it was still the Aaron message. Aaron's voice was clearly less familiar to me.

May will be two years. The pictures are too few but recordings of his voice don't exist. At least not his voice of the last months. I have something on video from April '04 (can't watch it though--not ready to see him walking and talking) and a few words from January '05.

Cathy and I talked about this today. Hearing Patrick (they sound similar but not the same) my ear is tuned to his voice; not quite as deep as Aaron's. Cathy said the sounds of Aaron, which were so loud and urgent, are much quieter to her. Aaron rarely entered a room without his sounds preceding him--footsteps, knocking things around or over, music in his truck, talking to somebody..., announcing his appearance. I know what she means. Aaron came into this world with a deep, husky cry. He kept it up for most of 18 years letting the world know that he had something to say or do. The Aaron-noise is vanishing. The Aaron-noise that should be, won't.

It must seem way to quiet for Patrick; they spent so much time together being LOUD. I remember thinking how I would miss the noise from their basement rec room when they grew up.

The world is a quiter place around our house. Not because the boys grew up, but because they didn't.

Tom