Wordlayer

(The Story Behind the Song)

My son, Ryan, the inspiration behind “Wordlayer,” is one of the greatest gifts of my life. The song was born out of my experience…when my world stopped as I knew it on June 19, 2001, and a new world began with my son, now a traumatic brain injury survivor. Our family was thrown into the world of TBI, and our lives were forever divided into two halves – before and after.

“Wordlayer” was my Twitter username made up when I began sharing about Ryan’s accident. For Mother’s Day 2020, my daughter, Jessi, gifted me an Airbnb songwriting experience with Nashville-based songwriter, Anne Buckle. Little did I know that this would blossom into something so special, and a beautiful song would come out of it.

And that’s the point, after loss there is rebirth, reinvention, new life, new beauty. Whatever you struggle with, I hope you hear the message that our words are creative, you are a creator, too, and we aren’t powerless.  

It seemed only fitting to release “Wordlayer” during March, Brain Injury Awareness Month.

– Lindy (Boone) Michaelis