"I was surprised to see a letter decrying the Medical Mystery column as sensational and harmful"
I was glad to see the letter in response to the “Sounds of My Childhood” feature, written by a woman who described learning to change the soundtrack to her difficult childhood. Unfortunately, her words really resonated with me.
I too come from a childhood in which the soundtrack began with angry whispers and moved into yells that increased their volume by the minute, culminating in a loud slam of the front door to my home. But it didn’t stop there — the crying coming from the kitchen that followed afterward was painful to listen to. Although I am saddened to see that someone else lived with this reality too, it did bring me comfort to see that I’m not the only one.
When I was a child still living in that nightmare, I often used the gift of music to cover up the painful sounds. I always made sure that the music I was using was bringing me closer to Hashem and not further. Sounds of beautiful Jewish lyrics would play in my headphones, and I believe the music brought me closer to Hashem and deepened my relationship with Him in a way that still impacts me today. Listening to pesukim and timeless Jewish teachings in musical form while difficult family conflicts were just a few feet away taught me that it is possible to connect to Hashem even during frightening times.
Although my childhood memories are not full of warm and fuzzy soundtracks like the ones described in the article, the soundtracks of music that I listened to that covered up the painful sounds helped me build such a strong connection with Hashem. Baruch Hashem, this connection has helped me accept the reality of the sounds of my childhood. I truly believe that they were for my good, even if I cannot understand why.
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