#Beautiful Life by Rick Astley

[icedteaandoldlace]

Alright, I've got it figured out now. I've been torn on whether Cisco and Kamilla's first dance song for their wedding should be something slow and romantic or fast and peppy, and now I've got it, and this way it can be kind of both.

So it starts out with Winn on the piano, playing a soft, slow, wedding-ified version of Only One. (Can Winn actually play piano outside of Barry and Kara's musical dream? Don't know, don't care, he can now.) Cisco leads Kamilla onto the dance floor, doing that thing where they're holding hands and keeping a wide distance apart, and she walks in a big circle until she's standing right in front of him. Bart sings the first verse solo (I couldn't decide before if adult Bart and Nora should be at the wedding, but, well, looks like they are now). Cisco and Kamilla begin with a few basic ballroom dance steps. They both look a little tentative, but they get through it gracefully and without any missteps. It's a perfectly romantic moment, and it looks like it's gonna be a pretty standard first dance for them.

At the end of the first verse, Winn takes over for the last couple of lines (Kendall's part of the song). The nervous look on Cisco's face suddenly disappears. Holding Kamilla's gaze, he very slightly tilts his head forward in half a nod. Kamilla subtly nods back. They both grin, and as the chorus starts, several things happen at once: more instruments start playing, the tempo picks up as the bass drops, Barry takes the lead on vocals, and Cisco dramatically spins Kamilla out and they go full Fred and Ginger, to the surprise of several of their guests.

Iris's jaw is on the floor. Chester is losing his mind. Caitlin is beaming. She knew Cisco could dance because he's mentioned music being a big part of all Ramon family gatherings before, but she's never seen him do it when he wasn't goofing off. Barry of course knew what the plan was, but he's still thrilled to see it actually happening and to be a part of it. He takes his eyes off the happy twirling couple only long enough to direct the first half of the second verse to Iris, who smiles right back at him, and then he gets his head back in the game.

Why the heck it never occurred to me before that Barry should be singing at Cisco's wedding, idk, but he leads for the rest of the song, with Bart and Winn's voices harmonizing beautifully with his (and jumping into small solos where it makes sense for them to), and Cisco and Kamilla absolutely killing it on the dance floor, their eyes locked on each other the whole time.

[allthedesiredusernamesaretaken]

... morning music ...

[crusheswhimsandfancies]

😮‍💨🥵🫠

Kendal Calling 2023

[dailyrickastley]

[helloparkerrose]

Happy Birthday Rick Astley! (February 6th, 1966)

[beardedhandstoadshark]

Hot take but Rick Astley genuinely has a smooth-as- butter voice. Like, the man’s actually pretty good at singing (and he still does! Sing!)

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Okay so my Molly x Roger playlist became a general playlist instead, I tried to focus more on Molly and Cynthia but I also have this handful of songs that are from Molly’s pov of Roger, plus some that are kind of, somewhat, character studies of Cynthia, and I have none so far from Roger’s pov (wait no, I have one), and nothing that can really describe the story because it’s so specific and big and all in all, it’s kind of a mess and I wanted to ask if you have any song recs that fit w&d that I could add to the playlist? 🥹

Oh, well, now, this is a tough one, because I don't think I have ever made a playlist for characters/stories other than the one for Percival and Nadine... XD

When someone asked fictionadventurer the other day for songs that fit Molly and Cynthia's relationship (was that you?) the first thing that came to mind was Sister Sledge's We Are Family XD so I guess you can tell my help might not be the best in this endeavor :D but I can try?

The whole story is definitely extremely hard to fit within a song. I once watched a fanvid of LW 1994 set to Life is Beautiful by The Afters, and now I think it fits pretty much any slice of life story of the kind, more or less loosely.

For Roger I think there's different songs for different stages, perhaps? His infatuation with Cynthia can fit something like Who Wouldn't Love You? by the Ink Spots... in a deeply unorthodox take I'd use Baba Yetu and Book of Days for his African journeys... and his final realization about Molly would fit a range from classics like Coldplay's The Scientist, to stuff like More Than a Woman by the Bee Gees, My Confession by Josh Groban (or his Hidden Away) or Rick Astley's Let It Rain (which is in fairness, to me, squarely an Edmund song).

There's a bunch of songs that fit Molly's pinning after Roger, like The Cranberries' Empty, Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx, When Can I See You by Babyface, Michael Jackson's You Are Not Alone...

Roger and Molly's is also super difficult to find in lyrics, but the nature motif is so strong I think most love songs that include that ingredient strongly are very fitting? Thinking My Love is Like a Red Red Rose (I love specially the Bill Douglas arrangement), We'll Gather Lilacs in the Spring, How Long Will I Love You by Ellie Goulding, Perhaps Love by John Denver, Longer by Dan Fogelberg and Laughter in the Rain by Neil Sedaka.

Cynthia songs feel like a dime a dozen, but mostly because there's so many angles you can take for that one? from something more flippant like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Bitch by Meredith Brooks, to more sad and existential stuff like Coldplay's Clocks or Owner Of a Lonely Heart by Yes (though I prefer the Trevor Horn/Rick Astley version because I'm me), passing through Martika's Toy Soldiers, Chris Isaak's Wicked Game and Jennifer Paige's Crush.

To date myself even further, Avicii's Hey Brother makes me think of the sibling relationships in the novel, but specifically for Molly and Cynthia... Close (Your Shoes) by Rick Astley? XD

And there's loose threads (some memetic ones) like I Wanna Get Married by Dorothy Shay being the Hyacinth "I want" song in a W&D musical XD, Somebody That I Used to Know having big Cynthia/Preston vibes and Sting's It's Probably Me being impressively fitting to Mr. Preston's mindset and creepiness, and a last Astleyian indulgence because Blue Sky by him gives me a very Osbornean sadness.

Those are my recs. As you see, all very dated and very me, but I cannot help it XD

Maybe someone else has better ideas?

[novankenn]

He's a ... BARD!?!

Everyone has their strengths, and talents, even Jaune. It's just his don't translate well into a way to fight grimm. Yang follows Jaune into Vale one night after a disastrous attempt by the Blond knight to woe the Heiress.

Yang - One (Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana) Two (Burn it to the ground - Nickleback) Three (Thunder Kiss '65 - White Zombie) Four (Godzilla & Shake That (Dirty) - Eminem +)

Blake & Deery - One (Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood & The Destroyers) Two (Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley) Three (Enter Sandman - Metallica) Four (Thunderstruck - AC/DC)

Pyrrha - One (Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones) Two (Push - Moist) Three (Hurt (NIN Cover) - Johnny Cash)

Interlude - One (All I have to do is Dream - Everly Brothers & Unforgettable - Nat "King" Cole) Two - Weiss & Jaune just talk

PAID GIG! (White Fang) - One - 1k Each! Two (Killing in the Name of - Rage Against the Machine) Three (Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins) Four - A Friendly Chat & the Yeeting of Roman Five - (Land of Confusion - Disturbed) Six - (Jaws Theme - John WIlliams / Metal Cover Bob Music)

Back at Beacon - One - (Let's Get it Started - Black Eyed Peas)

OMAKES/SPIN OFFS He's an... ACTIVIST!?! (Blood//Water - grandson) He's a... STREET-PREACHER!?! (God's Gonna Cut you down - Johnny Cash) He's a... a... HUH!?! (Techno-viking) He's a... DJ!?! (Mortal Kombat Theme - Syndrome Remix) He's a ... POPSTAR!?! (Pop/Stars & More - K/DA) He's a ... the DRIFT KING!?! (Tokyo Drift Remix - Ken Block (Driving)) He's a ... THE Super-Model!?! (Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You (Remix) He's a ... GOT STREET CRED!?! (Eminem - Everybody from the 313)

OMAKE: She's a... Barbie!?! (Dytto - Barbie Girl Dance) OMAKE: She's a... For Pyrrha 💕 (Beautiful Life w/Shuffle Dance) OMAKE: She's a... STRIPPER!?! (Ken Dysso - Do It Now)

[goyurim]

Thanks for the tag @theimpossibleness!!

Last song: never gonna give you up by rick astley

Currently watching: i took a break from kdramas bc i became very anxious about. life in general and everything has become really frustrating so a friend suggested watching this anime called life lessons with uramichi oniisan and it's just. really funny but in a dark, twisted, existential crisis kinda way and it's exactly what i needed rn

Currently reading (thanks for the suggestion Jo!): i'm always reading like 20 books at once so the ones i can remember off the top of my head are: sea of monsters (pjo book 2 by rick riordan), jane eyre by charlotte bronte, except for palestine by marc lamont hill, invisible women by caroline criado-perez, winner's curse by marie rutkoski, zero to one by peter thiel, inglorious empire by shashi tharoor and probably like 3746378 others

Spicy/sweet/savoury/sour: i agree with jo it's supposed to be savoury, spicy, sweet, then sour. that is the correct order

Relationship status: this question should be omitted. for my sanity

Current obsession: korean skincare. it's weird i've never been into beauty products or anything before but ever since i moved to this new place my skin has become abysmal and nothing i tried worked until i decided to check out k-beauty stuff. and i am blown away?? by just? how much research has gone into this industry like this stuff Works (and it's melanin friendly!) and i've looked into it so much that at this point i could change my phd topic from cardiovascular science to dermatology and no one would notice

Favourite colour: this is a tough one. i would say PINK without hesitation but that sounds unfair to other colours when there are so many beautiful colours in the world. like have you seen purple. or orange when the sun sets?? omg when the sky is orange and blue together like that is such a powerful combo. but then there's also green which is so soothing. but have you considered dark brown eyes. how gorgeous they are. i saw a colleague's deep red nails yesterday and she described them as cherry mocha and i was positive that that is my new favourite colour. but did you know that butterflies can see five primary colours. and mantis shrimp can see 12???? in that case we're all colourblind like maybe i can't even see the colour that i'll most likely like

Favourite animal: unicorns seem lovely

i'll tag: @what-breaks-my-heart @fierycavalier @lingering-sunrise @tinyleia @wullu @myromanholidays @xumoonhao maybe? like. if you wanna

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 03/01/2024

Never Gonna Give Up Mahjong

Season 3 Featured on: 2018.­Unregistered­HyperCam­2.­Full­Album.­XviD.­KfaD.­320­kbps­[CDRip]

Ripped by The Duane

For as much of a perceived SiIvaGunner loremaster as I may appear to be, I've expressed a few times that there are still several areas of the channel's legacy that I know very little about. Last month I talked about my unfamiliarity with the Touhou series despite its prominence and influence on the channel with rips like Imperial Touwer and Beautiful! ~ Curveball of Sean Kingston, and beyond that there's stuff like waterwraith pokos, a requested rip that opened me up to something I had...genuinely no idea about beforehand. Of these surprising new worlds I've been introduced to though, one thing truly shocked me more than any other - Why the Fuck do video games based on Mahjong just consistently have bangers?

Back way long ago during "Voiceless Week", I was requested to cover one of the song's arrangements called voiceless - simple ds series vol. 01 - the mahjong (¥1480). It was far from the first song ripped from its game, and it was a series of rips I was well aware existed, yet never gave any time - what could be so special about some DS Mahjong game music? As it turned out, the game just had an inherently super compelling, distinct, and flat-out BANGING sound to it, that just drew tons of rippers toward making things with its instrumentation. It reminded me of all the rips I'd already heard using the instrumentation of Pokémon's 4th-gen games, like yesterday's Bidoof's Big Band, yet now applied to a game I had next to no familiarity with.

Turns out, there's an entire small sub-community of Mahjong game fans out there, and that Mahjong games having fantastic soundtracks is far more common than I'd been led to believe. Never Gonna Give Up Mahjong is ripping a track from a *different* Nintendo DS Mahjong game, yet its sound is incredibly distinctive from the one I just described whilst still sounding fantastic. The rip's melody swap to Never Gonna Give You Up is a relatively subtle change all things considered, as the track's original percussion and beat is still being used, yet that one added accent just brings out the excellence of those pre-existing elements so much more. It gives the played out Rick Astley internet classic a whole new life, a funky, peppy feel to it, recognizable yet so different in tone.

Compared to many of the other Hypercam-themed rips such as YACKER TOILET, it doesn't feel like the rip is exactly celebrating or relishing in its original track's cheesiness, or to make you nostalgic for an older period of internet life. Its hard to describe, but Never Gonna Give Up Mahjong works so well for me specifically because I'd never gotten anywhere close to hearing its original source material, making this rip simply feel like a stylish, out-there reimagining of Never Gonna Give You Up, one that reminds you of how good the tune is. And even now that I know where that original piece came from, now that I KNOW that "Mahjong Bangers" is a very real thing, I still believe The Duane did a bang-up job making a melody swap this theoretically simple truly feel...sparkly. And just like Beautiful! ~ Curveball of Sean Kingston, its the underappreciated gems like this that so easily slip between the cracks, that I end up really cherishing.

[ascensabyss]

when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers or moots (positivity is cool) 💖

Aaahh thank you so much for the ask😭🤍

This turned out to be really summer themed but it is my favourite season after all:

Take A Slice by Glass Animals - my favourite Glass Animals song and a perfect summer song! It’s so sensual and I adore how they go absolutely feral in the live version! I can’t wait to hear it live later this year (wavey davey you better not skip that one!!)

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by Rick Astley with Blossoms - this is a The Smiths cover they did at Glastonbury last year and it just makes me so happy! The smile on the drummer from Blossoms and the crowd, this is the beauty of live music and what concerts are supposed to be like!

Darkness At The Heart Of My Love by Ghost - "when the summer dies / severing the ties / I’m with you always" this is my favourite Ghost song and on constant repeat at the end of summer when I’m starting to feel that sadness about the colder months and my seasonal depression creeping in.

Friday Afternoons, Op. 7: A New Year Carol by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - this is a two part song from the "Challengers" soundtrack. I usually listen to it in a dedicated playlist on repeat but Part 2 is actually my favourite part of the Song. The mix of the synth with the ocean sounds at the end is the perfect music to listen to at sunset while thinking about life.

Changes by Empire Of The Sun - this song makes me feel like I’m soaring through the sky and on a deeper level makes me think about how it’s never too late and that there are second, third, fourth, how ever many chances to make positive changes in your life. Also in the MV there are these cute alien creatures, love the little guys!

Also throwing in a bonus because I love talking about music:

Ocean Man by Ween - Not only part of the soundtrack of the best movie ever made which, of course, is "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" but also just a feel good song that makes me want to dance!

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Due to my last post being a platonic yandere playlist featuring a few characters I like, I've decided to compile a small list of songs here for each character I mentioned! Now, some may feature songs that can be anything from wild to dark to fluffy. But all of it is about that character in particular, or their (platonic) relationship to their bby (a.k.a. the reader, you!). And this is just my opinion. So, if you headcanon different songs for them, that is a-okay👍 We are here to have fun and enjoy platonic yanderes; no need for any arguments. Let's begin (p.s. everyone gets a Christmas song. You can imagine it either fitting them, being sung by them, or you and them singing/listening to it together):

• 🧡Wolverine/Logan Howlett🦡: Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, Hallelujah by Panic! At The Disco, Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen, I Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley (you can do a sweet cover or a dark cover if you want), Demons by Imagine Dragons, Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce, Bring Me to Life by Evanescence, Take Me To Church by Hozier, I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons... 🌨Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Frank Sinatra🌨

• 🦁Sabretooth/Victor Creed🦷: Meet Me in the Woods by Lord Huron, Hidden in the Sand by Tally Hall, Animals by Maroon 5, All of Me by John Legend, Emperor's New Clothes by Panic! At The Disco, Trust Me (The Scorpion And The Frog) by Terrance Zdunich;Saar Hendelman;Marc Senter; and Paul Sorvino, Natural by Imagine Dragons, Duality by Set It Off, Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran, Twilight Zone by Golden Earring... 🤴Good King Wenceslas sung by Bing Crosby🤴

• 🦡Wolverine 2.0/Laura Kinney💛: Heart Attack by Demi Lovato, I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry, Give Your Heart a Break by Demi Lovato, Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears, This Is Gospel by Panic! At The Disco, Cake by Melanie Martinez, It's Time by Imagine Dragons, Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) by Eurythmics, Immortals by Fall Out Boy... ❄Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! by Dean Martin (or Frank Sinatra)❄

• 🐺Daken/Akihiro🌀: Some Nights by Fun., You're My Best Friend by Queen, Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day, The Ballad of Mona Lisa by Panic! At The Disco, Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5, Unholy by Kim Petras and Sam Smith, I Bet My Life by Imagine Dragons, Royals by Lorde, Partners in Crime by Set It Off... 🌌 Silent Night by (anyone, really)🌌

• 🔥Marvel Girl/The Phoenix/Jean Grey🦚: Ain't No Moutain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel, Just Like Fire by P!ink, Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys, Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) by Train, Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At The Disco, Diamonds by Rihanna, Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons, Control by Halsey, Bad Romance by Lady Gaga... ☃️ It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams (or Amy Grant's cover)☃️

• 😎Cyclops/Scott Summers🚨: Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, Yellow by Coldplay, I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At The Disco, Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons, Heat Waves by Glass Animals, Bad Guy by Set It Off, Lean On by Major Lazer and DJ Snake (or the Pentatonix cover, either works), Unconditionally by Katy Perry, Little Talks by Of Monsters And Men... 🎁It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas by Bing Crosby (or sung by Micheal Buble)🎁

• 🥈Cable/Nathan Summers🤖: Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, Radioactive by Imagine Dragons, Roaring 20s by Panic! At The Disco, I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner, Hey Soul Sister by Train, Just the Two of Us by Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr., You Are My Sunshine by Jimmie Davis (or any cover version you prefer), You Are So Beautiful by Joe Crocker, A Thousand Years by David Hodges and Christina Perri... 🕊Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon and Yoko Ono🕊

• 🎭Mystique/Raven Darkholme💙: Karma Chameleon by the Culture Club, What's Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner, Cool for the Summer by Demi Lovato, Love Like You by Rebecca Sugar, Victorious by Panic! At The Disco, Birds by Imagine Dragons, Killer Queen by Queen, Applause by Lady Gaga, Sugar We're Goin Down by Fall Out Boy... 🎅Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt🎅

• 🎱Rogue/Anne-Marie🥀: Darkside by Alan Walker, Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, Good as Hell by Lizzo, House of Memories by Panic! At The Disco, It's Time by Imagine Dragons, River by Bishop Briggs, Just Dance by Lady Gaga, Like I'm Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainor, Stand By You by Rachel Platten... 🎄Rockin Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee🎄

• ♠️Gambit/Remy LeBeau♥️:Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds, Raise Your Glass by P!nk, Call Me by Blondie, Somewhere Only We Know by Keane, Miss Jackson by Panic! At The Disco, Bones by Imagine Dragons, Team by Lorde, Umbrella by Rihanna, Poker Face by Lady Gaga... 🥶 Baby It's Cold Outside by Dean Martin (or any cover you like)🥶

• 🌌Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner😇: Count On Me by Bruno Mars, Born This Way by Lady Gaga, Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars, Halo by Beyonce, High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco, Mouth of the River by Imagine Dragons, You're Beautiful by James Blunt, Church by Fall Out Boy, Hallelujah cover by Pentatonix... 🌟 Joy To The World cover by (anyone of your choice as long as it is the Christmas song)🌟

And I have a surprise playlist to add: the reader!

•🌈 You/The Protagonist (Darling)💖: I'll Be There For You by The Rembrandts (a.k.a. the themesong from Friends), True Colors by Cyndi Lauper, Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time by Panic! At The Disco, Amsterdam by Imagine Dragons, On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons, Try by P!nk, Panic Room by Au/Ra, BANG! by AJR, I'm Still Standing by Elton John... 🐑Do You Hear What I Hear? sung by (anyone you prefer, guy or gal or nonbinary pal)🐑

And that is all for now! I spent about 10-11 hours on this. All of these songs I have listened to/heard before. The pairings are just my opinion. If you disagree, that is okay. Just don't bring any arguments here. These playlists are all PLATONIC yandere ONLY. No romance, no sex! Now, yes, some songs are sexual, or intimate. But they are meant by me to be platonic in this playlist, or to show a part of the character who they are paired with. The playlist can describe the platonic yan's relationship to their bby, the yandere themself, or even just songs that fit their personality/theme/tone! If you want to make a playlist on a music app or whatever there is, you can do so, just give credit to me for putting the songs together. The rest of your video/playlist/creation is yours. Here is a very thoroughly thought out honeycomb thought!

[watchmegetobsessed]

Just because I need to share this with someone: I was talking to my mom about Harry’s love life and she eventually said “he’s ugly”. Seriously, what?

Please know that this is the same woman who has been obsessed with Rick Astley (Yes, the Rick roll never gonna give you up guy) consistently since the 80s, which isn’t really relevant but still feels like it is, you know?

-E

not everyone can appreciate the beauty of harry, especially our parents’ generation lol

[crusheswhimsandfancies]

Obsessed with this album this week.

I was all about ‘Are We There Yet?’ thinking that was my fave. Then I got really into 50, and now it’s Beautiful Life.

Definitely his best album cover though🤤🤤🤤

[eventemperament]

love, love, love, why do i worship it

is love different than company

is love not being alone? is it different?

my heart crawls on the ground

and it looks for packets of love

what is it? what is love (rick astley voice)?

why do i want it? why do i need it? why is it god? why is it christian? why is it perfect and beautiful? why does it kill? why is it sex? holy matrimony, love, religion, god. what is love? how do i escape it? religion, sex, god, utility. husband, money, car, house. kids. sex. love. why? how do i escape?

religion kills. sex ate my heart. god is not real outside of religion. utility. i am not a sink. husband is nothing but a name, and i like women, too. money. i need money or they dont let me get at the food. i need a car or i can't make money, or lose even more money, i think. and it's so hot, and i barely have time for my life at all, let alone the commute, and im afraid to ride the bus alone at night, im afraid. house. the earth is concrete and street and it's hot outside because i live in the actual fucking desert which is probably what hell is based on, and it's illegal to be homeless. kids. disgusting. i dont want to hollow myself out to raise a kid. i dont want to give birth. i dont want to grow something inside me. I dont want to be used. i dont want to be knocked up. i dont want to be raped. i dont want medical debt and i dont want scars and i dont want to die and kids... i dont want kids. i dont need kids. a legacy? i have that anyway. other people can and will have kids, i dont want it. sex. i dont need love for sex. thats just an action? love, love, love. to not feel alone. its important to not be all alone. and if you arent in love, you have to be alone, apparently. you have to get married or you have to be alone because, well, everyone else is getting married! haha. -_-... shjsjsjsksksksm

[leonbloder]

Listening To The Voice of God

There's a lot of noise in our culture.  It's hard to find a quiet space to think and to pray.  The quiet spaces in our lives are few and far between. 

In fact, even the quiet spaces we find are frequently made noisy by the cacophony of thoughts in our heads, as we are often spinning with all the things that need doing from the time we awaken until we fall exhausted into bed. 

Many of us have become programmed by the programming on our phones.  

We'll be sitting at lunch with friends, and a familiar "ping" will sound like a notification on a smartphone, and everyone at the table will reflexively pick theirs up to check if it is theirs. 

And then once we've picked our phones up, we'll all give them the once-over while the friend who got a message responds.  

We live in a noisy world, and our need to quiet our spirits increases daily.  

I recently read a wonderful bit of writing from Joan Chittister (look her up, you'll thank me), and she spoke directly to this very issue that we all are facing.  

She acknowledged the noisiness in the world and decried how much it affects our peace, but then she went on to write this: 

But it is the voice of God within that brings calm and direction. It drains the negative energy out of the present so that we can go on, calmly aware that there is nowhere where we are alone.

Chittister asserts that when we begin to listen to the voice of God within us, we learn how to pray differently.  We pray as people who feel the presence of God all around us: 

This kind of prayer prepares us to feel the presence of God everywhere because we have discovered that the presence of God is within. It enables us to respond to it in waves of trust that carry us far beyond the storms of the present to the fullness of the future. 

So, how do we learn to hear the voice of God within us?  

I'm learning something I never really understood in my younger years, although God's voice spoke to me then, even when I was too busy or noisy to listen. 

I'm learning that the voice of God within us is a voice that speaks below the noise; it's a hum, a reverberation that is constantly there, like the bassline to your favorite song or a familiar melody that you can't get out of your head. 

You find yourself singing it, and you don't know where it came from.  It's like the most amazing and beautiful earworm you've ever heard.  It's better than Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" or Creed's "Higher," which has been on my mind lately. 

And this voice is speaking/singing truth and beauty into your life because that's what God's voice does.  

It counters all of the naysayers you've heard tell you that you aren't enough.  It thrums below the songs of negativity, depression, self-loathing, and fear that seem to be on repeat in our souls. 

The voice of God within us is the one we know to be true when we hear it.  We know that it is a voice for us and not against us.  We know this voice because it is the voice of the truest version of ourselves.  

And when we know this voice, we pray as those who have experienced love and goodness.  We pray with hope, even amid our desperation.  We pray like we are the answer to our prayers because we are. 

So today, let yourself be as quiet as you can and listen through the noise to God's voice underneath all you hear.  

You will soon discover that no matter what is happening around you, you'll be able to hear it, and once heard, the voice of God will never be too soft for you to listen.  

It is "the still, small voice" that spoke to the prophet Elijah in the Hebrew Scriptures and asked, "What are you doing here?" Then, through the thunder, lightning, and earthquakes of his life, Elijah heard and came out of the cave where he was hiding and listened.  

May you hear that voice, discover what you are doing here during your time on earth, and then do it with everything you've got. 

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.