The Miracle of Language

English and intermediate Spanish, with some basic Koine Greek and basic Hebrew: that's the extent of my language knowledge. More importantly, language is the way to understand another person and without coherent communication, the world is bland and people are just names. With language I get to hear the story of another. WIthout language, maybe taken by disease or by stroke or an unfortunate accident, a person faces possible alienation and loneliness that is hard to overcome. 

I recently stopped in my tracks and contemplated the miracle of words and the importance of hearing another person's story as they were forced to overcome an acute event that was impeding their ability to communicate. I marveled, once at again at God's work and human evolution in the power of human connection via the spoken word. Sometimes the meaning of communication is not the exact words but the message between the words. The whole is greater than sum of the parts. Just listen: the cooing of the morning dove, Lucy gently barking in a sweet upward pitch saying hello to a bystander, the radio show host with the perfect voice, Crosby/Stills/Nash/Young harmonies on their epic album Deja' Vu, hearing the spoken words of grown children and eagerly waiting to hear how the granddaughter's voice will sound as she ages, and the list goes on. Finally, and most mysteriously, hearing the voice of God and the Spirit, via scripture, personal encounter, and the experiences of others. Today I am grateful for the miracle of "language" as its value never loses its currency in my world.