Words That Soothe
"It's going to be okay." How many of us have said this to our little children? But, are little children the only ones who need to hear it?
At 50, I had my first (and only, so far) colonoscopy. My daughter, Rachel, took me for the procedure. I was nervous. She was 17. But, when she told me it was going to be okay, it helped me to relax. I have no idea why. Obviously, I knew she had no more of an idea of how things were going to go than I did. She had no special insight. I wonder, if perhaps, it is a carryover from childhood. I even sort of wonder what made her say it. No doubt, she had said it to younger siblings at some point.
An experience that will never be forgotten by our family, is one in which my little grandson "disappeared" at a large mall. There was some miscommunication between family members, and, being the social butterfly that he was, and oblivious to the danger, he just went off on his own.
When my daughter, despairingly, told me, I immediately said, "It's going to be okay." I think I believed that at the time, I'm not sure. Or maybe, it was automatic. All I know is, it was okay. He was found, safe and sound. We never discussed the impact I had on her. I would think, coming from her mother, it would have more power than the scenario I described with my other daughter, but from all appearances, I can't really say there was evidence of that.
My father fought a long battle with COPD. I remember one of the first "emergencies". I had been there for Mother's Day/his birthday. I was shocked by how white he was. So, it was not much of a surprise when my mother called the following day from the hospital. I went. I had no sooner gotten there when my dad threw up blood. My mom just lost it! And I said, "It's going to be all right." I could see that it helped her.
It's ok (or all right) across three generations. Interesting. Wonder what they say in other cultures.
At 50, I had my first (and only, so far) colonoscopy. My daughter, Rachel, took me for the procedure. I was nervous. She was 17. But, when she told me it was going to be okay, it helped me to relax. I have no idea why. Obviously, I knew she had no more of an idea of how things were going to go than I did. She had no special insight. I wonder, if perhaps, it is a carryover from childhood. I even sort of wonder what made her say it. No doubt, she had said it to younger siblings at some point.
An experience that will never be forgotten by our family, is one in which my little grandson "disappeared" at a large mall. There was some miscommunication between family members, and, being the social butterfly that he was, and oblivious to the danger, he just went off on his own.
When my daughter, despairingly, told me, I immediately said, "It's going to be okay." I think I believed that at the time, I'm not sure. Or maybe, it was automatic. All I know is, it was okay. He was found, safe and sound. We never discussed the impact I had on her. I would think, coming from her mother, it would have more power than the scenario I described with my other daughter, but from all appearances, I can't really say there was evidence of that.
My father fought a long battle with COPD. I remember one of the first "emergencies". I had been there for Mother's Day/his birthday. I was shocked by how white he was. So, it was not much of a surprise when my mother called the following day from the hospital. I went. I had no sooner gotten there when my dad threw up blood. My mom just lost it! And I said, "It's going to be all right." I could see that it helped her.
It's ok (or all right) across three generations. Interesting. Wonder what they say in other cultures.
When you are a Christian talking to another Christian, saying "it's going to be okay" is very appropriate because of all the promises God has given us in the Bible especially Romans 8:28. Ultimately, everything is going to be okay because of John 3:16.
ReplyDeleteRight, Sandy.There's no way that it can't be okay from that viewpoint. Good conclusion.
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