Tonight, I ran across one of the many photos that I have received via e-mail, over the years, and thought worthy enough to print and save. The image, which I am sure is copyrighted to whomever took the picture, and therefore is not mine to share, shows a little boy who is kneeling by his bed, his hands closed in prayer, along with his eyes. As if that image were not cute enough, his dog is beside him, “kneeling,” too, chin resting on the edge of the bed, and paws flat on the surface of a quilt. He, too, has his eyes closed (in prayer?).

When I was a child, my big brother delighted in telling me that the boogey-man was going to get me. My mother, on the other hand, taught me a scary prayer that concludes with, “and if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Of course, the prayer is anxiety-producing for a little kid and tends to get one’s mind centered on the possibility of going to sleep and never waking up. After a while, folks realized that fact and changed the words to the prayer, verses of which appear on some kit quilts.

With all the things that xenical online pharmacy get someone, under the cover of darkness, one has to consider the odds. For example, if one has been safe for almost 60 years, what are the odds of trouble coming in the night? Of course, the not knowing is our internal mechanism of scaring ourselves to death, in the meantime.

Words are powerful and can sometimes have an immediate effect. Yesterday, I caught only a small part of a PBS show in which an inspirational/ motivational speaker was giving a presentation. She suggests that people keep a stuffed heart on a stick, and a snake, by their bedside. When they wake up, they’ll have visual reminders that can help them to decide if they are going to be loving that day, or continually have a hissy fit. I had to laugh, as did the audience. It is easy to wake up on the “wrong side of the bed,” as they say. It also takes determination to maintain a positive viewpoint throughout the day, especially when aggravated by irritating people!

Words can be soothing, hopeful, and instructional. Words can provide insight, the truth, and the facts of the matter. Words can be combative, aggrieved, and remorseful. Words can be a call to action. They can elicit the best and the worst in others. Words can be jealous, petty, and small-minded. They can be short of understanding, and long on judgment.

Words, in and of themselves, are neither bad or good, but the human emotions that accompany them can cause pain, aggravation, or joy. Choose your words carefully, and keep in mind to whom you are speaking.

Being a true Yankee, I enjoy short phrases that are descriptive, yet poignant, in a brief sort of way. One phrase on a tombstone is my favorite of all time. The epitaph says simply, “I told you I was sick.”

Have a good week and please remember to make some of your words prayerful ones. We need all the help we can get, and even if I’ve guessed wrong about there being a God, I’m hedging my bets in that direction.

Words count.

Patricia Cummings

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