Silence Speaks Louder
Prologue.
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Listening. It's a beautiful concept--to hear the beat of another's heart, a gentle breeze that rustles the trees, or your name on the lips of a loved one. Simple sounds that speak volumes, if only you'd take the time to listen to what they're saying. It's a valuable sense that most people never fully appreciate.
Emilee Taylor never took listening for granted. As she grew up, she realized that she was losing the ability to hear, little by little. Gradual deafness, it was determined, and at such a young age! By the time she was eight years old, Emilee could no longer hear even the loudest of noises.
But she never let it stop her. Emilee knew that she wasn't going to use her disability as an excuse and worked just as hard as the rest of her peers, while also managing to master both sign language and lip reading. And, incredibly, she found solace in her passion for music--she learned to play the violin by feeling the vibrations of the notes, much like the way one might touch a piano being played and feel the reverberating tones. She heard the music in her heart.
Just after she turns sixteen, the gossip central of Emilee's small town in New Jersey suddenly revolves around the return of a few local rock stars. Sure, she's heard of the Jonas Brothers, but to her they're nothing more than a name. And there's not much time to focus on things like that--she's putting all her energy into the new school year and searching for a job. College is coming up quick, after all, and it isn't going to pay for itself. Emilee's got her priorities in line, and boys aren't at the top of the list.
When the brothers and their family arrive home, their mother Denise decides that she misses her job working with hearing-impaired children. So she returns to the Center for Hearing and Speech, ready to do what she loves best; the trouble is, the number of needy kids has grown exponentially and she can't quite handle the volume of work by herself. It's time she hired an aide--requirements: competent knowledge of American Sign Language and a gentle nature, with patience being a must.
In other words: Emilee.
When Emilee is hired, she's thrilled to hold such a position where she can assist kids who are struggling every day with what she herself learned to manage. Little does she know, though, who her boss's children really are--and that who they are is a bigger deal that she imagined. After meeting by chance, Denise's son Nick strikes up a friendship with the clever, unique girl, teaching her to play a new instrument and gaining a small glimpse of what it's like to live in a world with no sound. But in return, Nick discovers that he's the one who has a lot to learn about music--and that it's not merely hearing the notes that makes a song.
And he and Emilee both have a lot to learn about love.
Listening. It's a beautiful concept--to hear the beat of another's heart, a gentle breeze that rustles the trees, or your name on the lips of a loved one. Simple sounds that speak volumes, if only you'd take the time to listen to what they're saying. It's a valuable sense that most people never fully appreciate.
Emilee Taylor never took listening for granted. As she grew up, she realized that she was losing the ability to hear, little by little. Gradual deafness, it was determined, and at such a young age! By the time she was eight years old, Emilee could no longer hear even the loudest of noises.
But she never let it stop her. Emilee knew that she wasn't going to use her disability as an excuse and worked just as hard as the rest of her peers, while also managing to master both sign language and lip reading. And, incredibly, she found solace in her passion for music--she learned to play the violin by feeling the vibrations of the notes, much like the way one might touch a piano being played and feel the reverberating tones. She heard the music in her heart.
Just after she turns sixteen, the gossip central of Emilee's small town in New Jersey suddenly revolves around the return of a few local rock stars. Sure, she's heard of the Jonas Brothers, but to her they're nothing more than a name. And there's not much time to focus on things like that--she's putting all her energy into the new school year and searching for a job. College is coming up quick, after all, and it isn't going to pay for itself. Emilee's got her priorities in line, and boys aren't at the top of the list.
When the brothers and their family arrive home, their mother Denise decides that she misses her job working with hearing-impaired children. So she returns to the Center for Hearing and Speech, ready to do what she loves best; the trouble is, the number of needy kids has grown exponentially and she can't quite handle the volume of work by herself. It's time she hired an aide--requirements: competent knowledge of American Sign Language and a gentle nature, with patience being a must.
In other words: Emilee.
When Emilee is hired, she's thrilled to hold such a position where she can assist kids who are struggling every day with what she herself learned to manage. Little does she know, though, who her boss's children really are--and that who they are is a bigger deal that she imagined. After meeting by chance, Denise's son Nick strikes up a friendship with the clever, unique girl, teaching her to play a new instrument and gaining a small glimpse of what it's like to live in a world with no sound. But in return, Nick discovers that he's the one who has a lot to learn about music--and that it's not merely hearing the notes that makes a song.
And he and Emilee both have a lot to learn about love.
♠ ♠ ♠
- R.