The Voice – Mine and Cee Lo’s

By Troy Foster

Obviously, there is absolutely no comparison.  Though I try my hardest belting out Cee Lo Green’s hit, Forget You, I’m really only making a fool of myself.  He is the man.

But for Henry, both of our voices are important to him.  As for Cee Lo, it’s pretty obvious why, but you wouldn’t expect it from a 4-year old.  Cee Lo sings Henry’s long-time favorite.  We even have a cute video of Henry at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital – singing Forget You and dancing up a storm.  Yep, that’s him tossing around a blue tourniquet from a blood draw as a prop.  He sings it in the car all of the time.  He is lost in it, really focused, and passionate about his singing.  It is an awesome sight.  Cee Lo’s voice inspires him.  Gives him energy, which is exactly what he needs with this disease.

My voice, I just found out recently, serves a different purpose.  On one of our adventure days, we were headed home after some fun.  Henry was tired.  So, he quietly asked, “Daddy, will you please sing Forget You?”  I obliged, and he quickly fell asleep. 

For a few days, I felt pretty hot to trot.  I was no Cee Lo Green, but my son liked my voice.  I felt all warm and fuzzy inside.  Then, we were laying in bed on a night that Kristen was working late.  We had a long day.  Henry put his back up against mine, and asked “Daddy, will you please talk.  Even count.  I like to hear your voice.”  So, I talked about the secret dinosaurs in our house (friendly, of course).  In less than a minute, Henry was asleep.

My voice was comforting to him.  Made him feel safe and happy.  It helped reassure him that everything was just fine.  Talk about the warm and fuzzies.  Though I’d like to be able to sing like Cee Lo, the strength, comfort, and power that my voice has for little Henry means so much more.

For more heartwarming and inspirational stories about Henry and his perspective, check out Three Candles at www.threecandlesbook.com.  It’s also available on Amazon.