COMMENTARY: Healing power of the right word

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Christian Examiner) — I suffered a pretty awful bike accident May 14 while following my grandson on a mountain bike down an open, sloping field on his parents' property.

We'd been tooling around for an hour, just enjoying a simple ride on a perfect spring day. Who needs a helmet for that? Well, Grayson wore his because he told me, "Safety first." I should have listened.

He led me to the top of the hill, launching from his uncle's driveway down through the field. I took a moment to soak in the sight and relish the feeling. His joy was palpable.

He was out riding with his papa, atop the freedom of his wheels and the thrill of a downhill slope. Giving myself just a moment to appreciate the scene, I took off after him, cutting a new path to the left of his line.

A lip at the edge of the field dropped several of feet. I intended just to it ride down, hanging on tightly to reach the broader, softer slope. I didn't see the hole at the bottom until it was too late. In an instant of clarity my brain registered, "This is not going to be good."

My front wheel hit the hole and the bike stopped dead. I kept flying and landed on my head.

Grayson ran back up the hill to see if I was all right. "No, Grayson, I'm not all right. Go get Nana." I felt like someone had hit me in the head with a 2 x 4 and that I'd lost six inches of height from having my spine compressed.

Within moments Nana pulled the Subaru into the field beside me. She sent Grayson to his uncle Bubba's house at the top of the hill for a towel to stop the bleeding and for an additional hand to get me into the car. By this time I'd surveyed my extremities, all of which functioned, so I knew long term I would be fine. But, oh, I hurt.

Later tests would reveal fractured skull, cracked vertebrae, bruised spleen, lots of abrasions and cuts that required 10 staples to close. But for now there was just lots of activity with the other grandkids and Bubba and his wife, Sonya while we debated calling an ambulance.

In the midst of that hubbub I heard the sweet voice of 7-year-old Grayson saying, "It's my fault. I should have told Papa about that hole." I reached for Grayson's leg and told him never to think that. He bears no blame.

But during the next 15 hours in two emergency rooms and calls back and forth among family, I kept hearing that Grayson was feeling responsible. That is a heavy burden for a bright, sensitive seven-year-old. It saddened me that he felt that way.

I was released early the next morning and went home with a neck brace to rest and heal. Grayson's mom and dad, who had been out of town celebrating their 12thwedding anniversary during all the excitement, brought the kids by the house to see that Papa was OK. I knew I needed to find the right words to relieve Grayson of his self-imposed burden of blame.

His face was so tentative and pained when he saw my brace and he was wondering how I would react now that I was upright. In an instant I smiled big, held out my arms and loudly said, "Grayson, my rescuer! You're the one who rescued me when you went for help! Thank you, buddy."

In that instant his face transformed from hesitant to happy, from reluctant to rejoicing, from tentative to triumphant. He went from self-blaming to knowing he contributed to my being OK after a bad spill.

Choose your words carefully. A well-chosen word has the power to heal. A quick, harsh word has the power to destroy, to tear a hole in the cloth of confidence.

I know people who still labor under the self-image an angry parent gave them 50 years ago, rather than with the reality of the bright and beautiful people they are today. Grayson is young and aggravating sometimes because he is so intelligent and curious and he insists there is nothing he cannot do.

But from this day forth, no matter how many times I huff and puff and say, "No, Grayson, you cannot use the chainsaw," he will know that on May 14, he was my rescuer.

Norman Jameson blogs at Words And Deeds where more commentaries like this appear. This article used with permission.