WHEREIN LIES THY STRENGTH?
Soft-nosed ivy can pry shingles apart;
A tree root plugs a pipeline.
Willow shoots, well watered, can split a stone in two.
Then . . . there are words.
Lois Wilson in the Christian Science Monitor
For many years, since I was quite young, I have been a collector of quotations. Magazines used to be a wonderful source: The Ladies' Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, etc., and it was fun, to me, to prowl through library collections of old issues and find words of wisdom. The particular quotation above I have cherished for years and even have it in a small frame on one of our book cases, as a constant reminder to me to at least try to be careful of what I say. It so very true how divisive words can be.
And I have learned over the years that it is not only words but the way we say them, our tones of voice, that can have an effect on others. Being human, if I am enduring significant discomfort or exhaustion or stress or whatever, I find myself using sharp tones to those I love, and the key word there is 'sharp', for 'sharp' can cut.
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