There’s a conversation that happens a lot in my household. I say to my husband, I love the song such and such because of the line in it that goes blah blah blah (if you are curious, the most recent time we had this discussion was about U2’s new song “Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own” featuring the line “you’re the reason I sing” ).
He always looks at me with a puzzled look and says “I haven’t noticed that line.”

Part of this, I think is that I learn best through words – reading, listening, talking. So much of my life is enveloped in words and I find I make words out of random letters because I’m such a reader.

However, I think another part of it is my Orthodoxy. As those who have been in an Orthodox Church know, the hymnography of the church teaches us about the feast, the saints, the faith, and our belief. Time and time again on the Orthodox Convert list, people are told to “go to a Liturgy” and learn and listen. I think I’ve honed my word sense to pay attention to these poetic lessons. For example, the Matins (morning service, served on Sunday before Liturgy) of this coming Sunday, the Sunday of the Blind Man.

An excerpt:

Of the Blind Man. The Irmos.
[O Lord, make firm my heart shaken by the waves of life, as God guiding it to a fair haven.]
Troparia.
Long-suffering Lord, you made firm the hearts of those who are shaken when you shook the earth, by your hallowed Crucifixion, which you underwent in the flesh.
The noble Joseph laid you in a new tomb, O merciful; but you arose from the dead on the third day, renewing us all.
Why do you seek the Lord as a corpse? He has risen as he said, cried the Angel to the women, dazzling with his godlike form.
You once cured a man blind from birth who came to you, All-merciful, glorifying your dispensation and your wonders.

And it continues:

Kathisma. Tone 8.
The Master and maker of all things, as he passed along found a Blind Man sitting by the way, lamenting and saying: ‘Never in my life have I seen the sun shining or the moon shedding its light; therefore I cry out to you, born of a Virgin to enlighten the universe: Enlighten me, as you are compassionate, that falling down I may cry to you: Master Christ God, grant me forgiveness of my offences through the multitude of your mercy, only lover of mankind’. (Twice).
Ode 4. Irmos.
Let the Prophet Avvakum, inspired by God, keep the divine watch with us, and show forth the radiant Angel, who with resounding voice declares: To-day brings salvation to the world, for Christ has risen as omnipotent.
Troparia.
Christ appeared as a male who opened a virgin womb: but as our food he is called ‘lamb’: ‘unblemished’, as our Passover without stain: and ‘perfect’ for he is true God.
As a yearling lamb, for us the blessed crown, Christ was willingly sacrificed for all, a cleansing Passover: and from the tomb the fair sun of justice has shone for us again.
God’s forebear David dancing leaped before the Ark, mere shadow: but seeing the fulfilment of the types, let us, God’s holy people, inspired, rejoice, for Christ has risen as omnipotent.

Before I became Orthodox, I remember my Russian teacher (and ultimately my Godmother) making this point when discussing the poems of Boris Pasternak at the end of Doctor Zhivago. When you have been immersed in the poetry of the church, it becomes a part of you and your art and your self are infused by it.
I pray that this is indeed where I’m going in my Orthodox journey – to a place where I realize how important words are and remember to LISTEN to the words around me.