Mom and me, circa early 90s.
“Hello, beautiful baby girl.”
“The world does not revolve around you.”
“Read your Bible and take your vitamins.”
“Dogs are done; people are finished.”
From telling me how much she loves me and teaching me how the world works (or does not work, in the case of this particular example) to giving me advice for daily living and correcting my grammar, my mother is always talking to me – even when she’s nowhere to be found.
She is the voice in my head.
Just like Lucy Kelson and her mom. You know, from Two Weeks Notice? Man, I love that movie. It’s just one of those that I can watch over and over at any time.
Midway through the movie, in the scene where George meets Lucy’s parents and begins to realize why the passionate lawyer is the way she is, she says about her mother, “She’s the voice in my head.”
And this is what George, of course, says about Lucy in the end of the movie, after he’s grown a conscious and found his heart: “She’s become the voice in my head.”
I have a feeling that Lucy and I are not the only women walking around with their mother’s voice running through their heads. One thing I’m learning as I go through Me, Myself & Lies (a Bible study about self talk by Jennifer Rothschild) is that most of us have voices in our head – and that doesn’t even mean we’re crazy!
It just means that certain people in our lives tend to resonate with our hearts, whether they speak truth or lies. I’m thankful that the things running through my head – especially the words from my parents – are often truth.
I mean, think about it. Doesn’t it sound better to say that people are finished? “I am finished.” Much nicer than “I’m done.” Right?
But there are words in my heart and my head – some from people in my life, some courtesy of my own imagination – that aren’t so true.
The trick is figuring out which words are true and which aren’t – and then holding on tight to the truth and getting rid of the lies.
Whew. Heavy stuff! And not an easy task, for sure.
I know this is a constant battle for me. What about you? Who is the voice in your head?
Wow you and and your mom look EXACTLY alike! No one can doubt that family resemblance! :-D
You know, the voice in my head is a conglomeration of many voices.
My mom: "They have a mother that loves them too!"
My dad: "People who curse are too lazy to come up with a better adjective." (although since I became an adult, I found that he curses a lot in the company of other males…who knew!)
My husband…he is the predominant human voice in my head right now.
But I prefer it when God is the major voice in my head. I know that He tries hard to get my attention many times throughout the day. He likes to implant verses or songs that "magically" change my outlook on things. My days are much easier when I let Him remind me of things: "Slow down HonorMommy. Your job is to raise these children for ME." "God will provide." "The Fruit of the Spirit is PATIENCE"…on and on and on. Now I just need to remember to listen to THAT voice in my head.
What a wonderful tribute to your mother. It always amuses me when I hear my mothers voice come out of my mouth, but I know that is because she made a big impact on me. I loved this post:)
i loved this post, too :)
My friend and I are working on Me, Myself and Lies on our blogs, too.
Unfortunately, I have my own voice most of the time and it's mostly verbal abuse.
The Bible study is amazing and I'm looking forward to my end result as I work thru it!
HM, you are so right. It's not often enough, but it's so refreshing and encouraging when the first voice I hear is His.
I love that movie too. :)
"…but the truth is plain to see, she was sent to rescue me…" You are the voice in my head and the face in my heart, always my Beautiful Baby Girl. Thank you