It was Christmas morning and our whole family had just finished opening their presents. Ever since our kids were little, I had bought them each an ornament. One by one, I would pull the ornament for that year out of the bag and gave it to my daughter or son with some thoughts on what I had seen in her or him that year and why I had picked that particular ornament.
This particular year, my kids were all grown up, my son and daughter-in-law were there with my two granddaughters. Although I had exteded my ornament giving to my daughter-in-law, I had not thought of giving my granddaughters an ornament. Well, I went through all the ornaments for my kids and my daughter-in-law, telling each one why I picked that ornament for them. Then it happened. My five year old granddaughter walked over, looked up at me and said, ¨I know you don´t have an ornament for me, but do you have some words for me?” I don´t think I´ll ever forget that moment.
In that moment I was reminded of the power of words. While we all know that hurtful words can do some real damage, I sometimes forget how important it is to give words of encouragement. Words of love. Words of life. People don´t always see their own best qualities. Others have to call them out in them. Affirm what they see in them. See the qualities they posses and tell them. Whether itś a spouse, a sibling, a parent, a child or ourselves, words have the power to make a difference in the way people see themselves.
Thankfully, that Christmas morning I had given my granddaughters ornaments among their presents. I was able to quickly put together some words for my granddaughter and she just smiled up at me. Then I did the same for her younger sister, who was not as interested. That was six years ago. Believe me, they get ornaments along with everyone else ever since. My granddaughter calls it ¨the speech.¨ She says, ¨Abuela, are you going to do the speech on Christmas?¨I will, as long as I can. I want every member of my family to know how special they are. And I want to give them words of life. One of my favorite quotes says the following:
When the right and opportune moment comes for speaking, say something that will edify.Thomas a Kempis
We have the power to make the difference in someone´s life with the words we say. Recognize the power of your words and be intentional about the ones you choose to communicate.