When I was a guest at Hotel Hope, I met another inmate. . . er, guest. . . who was about to undergo an auto stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma. She was desperate for conversation and often came to my room for a chat.
One of the things she said on her first visit has really stuck with me. "We all have so many words per day that we need to get out." I was happy that I could be there as a listening board for her many words that were waiting to spill.
I think the number of words per day varies from person to person. George's mom was a delightful non-stop talker up until her last day. I don't think she ever managed to meet her daily quota of words.
My dad, on the other hand, has little to say; he's quiet to the point of being taciturn. Every once in a while on one of my visits to West Virginia, he talks non-stop for long stretches of time. During these talking jags, I think, "So many stories, so many thoughts needed to be shared." I've always been grateful that I've been in West Virginia to hear them. (Susan K. would no doubt advise me to have a tape recorder ready next time.)
When I think of my new CoH friend and my dad, I'm reminded that it's not enough to simply get the words out, whether it's on the phone, in person, on paper or electronically. What's important is to know that the words are being heard.
I've had a lot to say over the course of the last year. Paula once said to me, "Writers write for one reason and one reason only: they need to. They need to do it for money or they need to do it as a way of expression." I have been an example of someone with a serious NEED to write. I'm just now realizing that one of those reasons was the need to be heard.
And, in spite of my recent post about transitioning to the food blog, I still have a need to get out a lot more words per day. I'm crying right now as I'm typing this because I'm so grateful to all of you for giving me this powerful and healing gift of reading and hearing my words.
Thank you.
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