The Brilliance of Screaming

Grace.

The name of our second daughter.

She is a certified genius.

Because of her older sister, Grace didn’t get the chance to walk or talk until she was at least eighteen months old. For the most part, even now, Grace is a quiet, creative, and amazing person with a heart bigger than the cosmos. When we would go out in public she was so well behaved. Grace would color, draw, or create with playdough, french fries, or anything pliable. If you didn’t see her with your eyes, you wouldn’t know she was in the room.

But, there was one exception.

Grace liked to scream. For no reason.

And this was not a scream that could be ignored. It was of the highest pitch, the shrillest frequency, and of the highest possible decibels in an instant! No matter where we were or who was around.

One of our first experiences of this was at a restaurant. Grace was quietly composed. A waitress was walking by our table with a platter of food when the banshee-like utterance pierced the veil of the living. The waitress dropped most of the platter.

Frazzled and shaken. But Grace was fine. Her excitement was loose and back to the creative adventure that she was so blissfully enjoying!

These screams were always coupled with elation coupled with smiles and joy. We discovered that Grace just enjoyed things a little differently than the rest of us and when she could contain them no more, she let her happiness join the world.

While it did happen several times, it was a short-lived season. Eventually, she learned to contain her screams, but I am sure there are several people in the world today telling their grandchildren about nearly dying of heart failure at Applebee’s in Brunswick.

Thinking about this today has given me a real smile. At the time of my writing this, Grace just turned 22. She started making her mark in the world over two decades ago and she will continue to do so for decades to come. She doesn’t scream out loud at random anymore, but her passions and interests loudly speak of her brilliance and her ever-creating mind. One day, she will be able to see these things, until then, she has to have dad, mom, and the rest of us to keep urging her to find her voice and share it with the world.

Each of us has untold and uncovered brilliance. We need each other to help it shine. Even when it is a shriek from silence, the beauty of our unique interests and talents often inspires others. And who knows, we may even find folks along the way to grow closer with in life and beyond.