I love words.
I love the way they feel in my mouth, on my tongue, the weight they carry. The way they can be sweet, or heavy or sometimes just a gossamer whisper slipping over my lips.
Words can heal, but also hurt. Words can bring despair or inspire people. Every word we utter has a consequence. They have wings. Once they leave your mouth, they fly away, never to return unspent. We can easily mop up spilled milk and we can replace a shattered window. We can glue a broken vase and we can reset a fractured arm, but we can never catch a word once it is set free. It gets carried from my mouth directly to the listener's ear. It cannot be unsaid or unheard.
Our constitution protects our right to freedom of speech, but with this freedom comes the responsibility to use it wisely. Words have to be used carefully. God created by means of a word. He IS a word. Words are to be treasured.As a child my father taught me that cussing or swearing was proof of a poor and inadequate vocabulary, and my sister told me to always choose my words the same way that I would pick flowers for a friend, just the most beautiful. I have passed these truths on to my children.
A single word can be a poem by itself, it is loaded with suggestion and meaning. It can calm the storm or ignite a fire. It is reckless to speak before giving a thought to our words. To say the first thing which comes to our mind often leads to disaster and hurt feelings, therefore we must consider our words wisely. Words may be audible for only a split second, but their echoes can last a lifetime.
This year I want to be aware of the words I speak, I want them to be words of affirmation and hope. Words that reverberate with enthusiasm and encouragement. Words of kindness and empathy. Words that spread life and beauty.
Please note: The image I used for this post is from the BraveGirlsClub. It is an awesome, inspiring blog well worth a visit. Here is the link
http://bravegirlsclub.com/
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