Jake's Journey with Apraxia

Some people know lines in movies, actors’ names, or trivia, but I know songs – all types of songs – new, old, christian, rap, pop, country, and folk. Some people say a song for them is all about the rhythm; that the words don’t mean as much. For me, sometimes that is true, but the songs that I truly connect with have lyrics that speak right to my soul.

Because I am a writer and because I love all sorts of music, I am a huge fan of singer-song writers. I think it is the biggest talent on the planet to be able to write beautiful words, put them to a unique melody, pair instruments with the song to compliment it, and then bring it all to stage in an entertaining fashion.

My ultimate favorite singer-songwriters are Eminem, Taylor Swift, Richie Sambora, and Stevie Nicks. I love the truth that can be heard in the music of these artists. I also connect with television shows that have incorporated music into their story lines like the 1990s hit Ally McBeal and the more recent show, Nashville.

Over the past couple of years some songs have really spoke to me and have encouraged me to keep faithfully fighting and to never give up on this thing called apraxia. Today I share these songs with you …

1. “Roar” by Katy Perry – When I saw Katy boxing around on stage singing this song at the VMA’s a few weeks ago, this quote I had pinned on my Pinterest apraxia board flashed into my head …

This is an amazing fighting song. I know this song will soon become overplayed, so while it’s fresh, I quickly downloaded it so I can get sick of it on my own terms. A great song to crank up in a mini van with the sun roof down.

2. “Home” by Phillip Phillips – Jenny Sanzo, author of the blog The Flower City Fashionista, made this her apraxia anthem back in August of 2012. (Click here to read her post about Nancy Kaufman’s SPEAK Camp.) Each time I hear this song, I am reminded that I am not alone in this battle to heal my child and quite often it has come on the radio at the exact moment when I need to hear it. Although I have never given Jake the backstory of this song, every time it comes on, he refers to it as “his” song.

3. “While I’m Waiting” by John Waller – from the movie “Fireproof.” The week of Thanksgiving 2011 this movie played all day, every day. At the time, Jake was newly diagnosed with apraxia. I watched bits and pieces of this movie several times throughout the week and the words of this song really spoke to my heart. This song helped change how I looked at the challenges that had been placed upon me and I declared it as my theme song. It is now framed in my office.

 4. “I Will Wait” by Mumford & Sons – Patience. Us apraxia mamas have no other choice but to wait, wait, wait for all those first words to be said.

5. “Angels Among Us” by Alabama – Has my journey with apraxia, etc. been perfect? No. Has everyone I met been nice? No, again. However, I can honestly say that the good people have far outweighed the bad. People have strategically shown up at just the right moments in our journey when we needed them the most.

6. “Hurricane” by Natalie Grant – Over the summer, Jake’s last allergy test showed that his allergies had actually gotten worse instead of better. Five minutes after I published my blog post expressing my devastation, Jenny Sanzo, that same stylish girl from above, sent me a text message with a video of this song attached. She also explained the singer’s story behind this song. Grant was going through some trying times in her life and she was reminded of one of her favorite Bible stories. Grant says to Salem Music News, “Jesus comes to the disciples and there is a raging storm. Instead of Jesus stopping the storm, which He could have done, He comes to them in the middle of the storm.” I love the words, video, and melody of this song.

7. “Fighter” by Christina Aguilera – Love, love, love this chorus. Enough said.

8. “The Best Day” by Taylor Swift – Taylor wrote this song about her mom and gave it to her as a Christmas present. It captures the innocence of childhood and reminds me that what we do day in and day out as parents is important to our little ones. I admire Taylor’s lyrics because they all have a piece of her heart in them; she is my all-time favorite singer-songwriter.

 9. “Help Me Find It” by Sidewalk Prophets – This is my current theme song. Love it. Every. Single. Word.

10. “Stonger” (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkston – First off, this girl holds a special place in my heart because she does what she believes in and hasn’t conformed to what Hollywood wants her to be. Second, this song speaks truth … what doesn’t kill me will make me stronger.

11. “Not Afraid” by Eminem – Yes, this guy has some crude songs, but guess what? He doesn’t care! He speaks his mind and expresses his heart and soul through brilliant rhymes. No matter how many times I listen to this song, I never get tired of it.