comforting words
Words Matter
Words hold so much power: power to harm and power to heal. This post is about words that have the power to heal.
I am a writer with two published novels and close to 1200 blog posts and I still have to carefully choose my words in any given situation. I don’t always get it right, but the healing goal is always the same.
The other day I found myself at a local Urgent Care clinic; the non-urgent reason for being there is immaterial to what transpired there. My appointment completed, I walked from the treatment area of the clinic through the front office area where three delightful women held court to greet – and say goodbye – to each person who found themselves in need of medical treatment when primary care offices had no available appointments.
One of the women said, “Before you go, can I just tell you something? When you walked in here, I couldn’t help but notice how much you look like the actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Wait, let me find a photo of her for you.” The photo she found on her cell phone was this one:
She also held up the photo to her fellow front desk peeps and they all agreed and said, “You really do look like her! Wow!”
Now I know the resemblance, if there is one, is quite a stretch, but it didn’t matter. In that moment, I felt far better than my body was allowing me to feel at that moment.
Later that evening I relayed my experience to one of my sisters-in-law and she said, “I’ve always thought there was a resemblance but I didn’t know if you’d be flattered or not!”
Double whammy of healing statements, all in one day!
Our words have the power to heal and the power to harm; the other day I was on the receiving end of healing words. It’s sobering to realize that all words are just a different combination of the same 26 letters of the alphabet. I am now even more committed to putting those 26 letters together to form words that uplift, encourage, and yes, heal. I guess the bottom line is:
We can all be healers.
May Comfort and Joy be Your Portion
Thank you to all who have chosen to keep in touch over the many years I have hosted this blog.
Please stay safe during the Holidays and take some time for yourself as we plod toward a New Year!
What we say without words
How many of you have been hurt by something someone said to you without words?
To get you started, I’ll provide a couple personal examples:
Growing up, I was always taller than most kids my age; with my height, came big feet. Although I’m now in my early 60s, I still remember how it felt at approximately thirteen years of age when, while standing in line at a movie theater, an adult looked me up and down and then focused on my feet. She turned to her companion, nudged her, laughed, and held her hands apart, as though measuring the size of my feet. How do you think a gangly self-conscious young teenager felt about that situation?
As a manager for an assisted living/dementia care facility, I wore many hats – especially since the executive director of the facility was extremely ineffective as that building’s director. One day I found myself rushed beyond all measure and needed to get in touch with the Health & Wellness Nurse whom I knew was in the secured dementia wing of the building. I entered that wing at full-bore, with single-purposed intent, ignoring the dazed residents I passed in the hall, leaving a wake of distressed residents behind me. One of those residents somehow caught up with me and grabbed my arm, “What’s going on? Is there an emergency? Do we need to evacuate? Will you help us?” Shame on me. Without a word, I caused aggravation in someone who was the unfortunate recipient of my careless behavior.
How many of you have spoken volumes to someone without saying a word? Did you speak love, patience and comfort, or intolerance, annoyance, and anxiety?
Which would you prefer to receive?
Which would you prefer to offer?
Living: the ultimate team sport 