words

I think we often underestimate the power of words. That old childhood saying”sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never harm me” could not be further from the truth!

This week I happened to end up on dish duty at a family gathering with a distant cousin of my husband’s that I really didn’t know that well. We covered a lot of topics, ones that were close to the heart. She’s a mom of all boys as well and we found we had so much in common! I admitted to her my struggles with Buster since he’s so much like me and the traits that discourage me the most are so prevalent in him… further on in our discussion she said, “You know, I really like you! I can’t imagine how you’d have any issues with accepting yourself!” If you’ve never had someone compliment you, then you maybe won’t understand what that did for my heart. I think I walked on a cloud the rest of the day…

People, words matter. You may think that little snarky comment wasn’t taking it too far. You may think that telling someone “You look great today” doesn’t do a whole lot. But I’m telling you, it can mean the world. You can make or break a relationship with one small comment. And if it was a negative comment you may spend years repairing the damage done.

If there is one thing I want to focus on this year, it is to watch my words. So quickly spoken. Such lasting effects.