Word Choice

This is a category in which I grade my students' essays - meaning are they using a variety of words to convey their meaning, tone, and perspective? This is supposed to be an area in which I objectively grade their essays.

Word choice is far more than that, though. A sentence can be written in countless ways to convey the same literal meaning, but the words chosen by the author add power and slant to the sentence.

Words carry a heavy burden - a burden that is not the same to each individual reader. Words can sting, degrade, and destroy; however, they can also make us feel such joy and love.

After reading a post on someone's blog that I have come to respect immensely, I am faced with the idea of examining my own word choice. At first her words stung - with feelings of guilt - for I became aware of her feelings and thoughts when she heard or read that word.

I have become very aware that I use the word "blessed" quite often. Overused and misused? I don't know; I had never thought about it before.

It started when Jana was born. After being so heartbroken when I lost the first baby and unable to understand God's role in my life, I struggled to find the words to express my gratitude to God for Jana's health and good nature despite her early birth. Lucky was certainly not the right word and so I settled on "blessed" because, in my mind, it wasn't dumb luck, but God's amazing gift.

I had never thought about it sounding arrogant - that I am blessed because I was able to reproduce successfully, implying others are not blessed if they cannot. No offense was ever intended.

I do adamantly believe that the easy and hard aspects in our lives are there for reasons.

Here is one of the reasons I believe this. My parents struggled with infertility for 5 years before deciding to adopt. As I have lately discovered, my parents sought many procedures for help in conceiving; all of which ended in early failure or miscarriage. So my parents decided to pursue adoption. They adopted my brother and 14 months later adopted my sister. Four years later, my mom seemed to have the flu that wouldn't go away and I am now blessed with my family and siblings. Are Ryan and Kaley my brother and sister? Absolutely- 100%. Would I be the person I am today without their influence in my life? No way! Do I believe that my parents were blessed with the adoption of my siblings? Absolutely!

So, do my blessings of pregnancy and Jana make me any more blessed or special than a person who is unable to get pregnant? Heck no!

I never thought of my saying the phrase - "I'm so blessed," as being or sounding arrogant. In my journey to rediscover my faith and celebrate God in my life, I find myself falling desperately short when it comes to the word choice to acknowledge the amazing gifts in my life. I feel so overwhelmed with emotion when I stop to think about how much I appreciate what I have in my life. It's not just the material items, but the people that love and support me, my talents, who I am, etc.

So, what does the word "blessed" mean when I say it? It means that there is something in my life that God has provided that is so wonderful and amazing that I can't help but think that God has given me a gift I don't deserve. "Blessed," in my mind, is the word I use to describe these wonderful things that I have in my life through God's grace. "Blessed" is my lame attempt to give praise and thanks to God.