The power of words...

We live in a world that bombards us with words. Words from the media, words from our jobs, words from our loved ones.

Whether they are written or spoken, words can carry a great power over our lives. Just think, with one phrase “I now pronounce you man and wife,” people can be married. With the words “The Oscar goes to…,” an actors professional life can be altered forever. And then there is the infamous Donald Trump phrase, “You’re fired!”

We must also consider the words that go unspoken. Sometimes the implied, the assumed, the subtext, can carry even more weight than the words we actually dare to utter.

I think of a time (many years ago now) when I sat drinking coffee with a friend. We had spent most of that Sunday afternoon together and I knew that there was something she wanted to say but was, for some reason, holding back.

Finally I asked, “How are you REALLY doing?” She looked at me and there was only silence, but in that silence I knew she was hurting. No words NEEDED to be spoken in that moment. Nothing HAD to be said. The very silence made evident that my friend just needed my presence at that moment and that was all.

As you can imagine, I take great stock in words. I measure the things I write carefully, and I store the things that are said to me even more carefully. For me, the things I see leave an impression in my heart, but the things that I hear (good or bad) will last with me forever…

Read Jennie’s complete “The right words” post here

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