I love words. I am drawn to the sound of words. One of my favorite words is evanescence. I usually forget what it means and have to double check in the dictionary. It’s not really the meaning I love, it’s merely the sound of it. I first heard this word in high school English and I’ve never found another word quite like it. I love the way it sort of rolls out of my mouth when I say it, but I don’t actually say it all that often, given that I don’t have much opportunity to use it. Perhaps that’s another reason it’s special. I reserve it for special occasions.
I would like to tell you my feeling about how special words were began when I taught first grade. Back in time, when phonics was the main stay of beginning readers way to go, my first grade class made the individual sounds of letters, graduating to several letters, blending into rhyming combinations and off to the races from there. The gift of learning to read is something worth treasuring. My interest in reading and the power of words was embedded in me long before I began to teach.
As a girl, my mother read to me, my grandmother read to me, my teachers read to me, and eventually I read to myself. From those key players, I realized words have power. The power to heal, power to hurt, power to uplift and the power to desecrate. Words can inform, entertain, inspire, influence; the list goes on.
Today one of my favorite words is blessed; not just for the sound, but for the meaning. My sense of being blessed expanded over the years and matured over time. The longer I live, the more blessed I feel. Today I am particularly aware of how blessed I am to be sandwiched between two amazing women. My mother and my daughter have blessed my life more than any two human beings on the planet. The love we share holds great depth and substance, tenderness and history. My mother is no longer here in physical form, but her presence and guidance live within me each and every day.
When I tell you they are my crutches when I need support, they are my cheerleaders when courage is required, know that it’s true. Two strong women, full of wisdom and intuition, examples of being themselves and cherishing life. This morning my appreciation for them needs to be expressed, yet still I am hindered by the English language. Words, as full and sufficient as they are, occasionally only scratch the surface of experience.
Still I carry on. Mining for the gems of expression in the spoken and written word. At the end of the day, it’s all we have to connect with each other and bloom into our greatness.
I hope some of my words touch your heart and speak to you in the spirit of simplicity and depth I intended.
