Monday, September 26, 2011

Say something….


Don’t lose your voice, your ability to speak. You carry a great responsibility to be a voice to the people around you.  You have it among your peers, at the office, with your friends, and family, but more importantly with your children.

How do we wield the power of our voices?  Through the spoken word.  Words can create or destroy.  They can heal or wound.  Words can hinder or set others free. 

As women and as a mother we have words that guide, words that build up and words that tear down.  There is power in our words.  Our words can either speak life or death; I say choose life.  The words we speak over our children will be a guiding force in their lives.

As I get on with life, I realize that my words have not always been seasoned as they should be. 

Surely, we have spoken words that we wanted to take back as though they were never spoken. The truth is, once spoken they are gone forever.  They seem to carry a life of their own.  Were you ever the recipient of harsh words?  They seem to take wings and carry a continual message in your mind; mulling it over and over.  Good or bad, words seem to have the same affect, it can produce good fruit or bad fruit in our lives. 

I have been very conscientious of words all my life.  I have heard the good, the bad, and the ugly.   I have been encouraged by words and discouraged by others.   I love to write words, I love to read words and I like to speak words.   I am still mastering the language of love, words that edify.  I don’t always get it right, but I’m in pursuit of it daily.  

I try to be an encourager to my family and friends.  My goal is to leave a lasting word that will take flight in the hearts and mind of my love ones so that when it is all said and done, my words would have lasting impact and I would have been an instrument of change to someone else. 

I had an older brother, who later in life would not say very much, but I knew his heart well and I loved him.   When he came to a place in his life where the conversations became limited, I decided to send him a note to tell him how much he meant to me. I thanked him for always being my big brother and for taking care of me.  I told him how much I loved him. He thanked me for that note and told me how much it meant to him.  He took such good care of me when I was growing up.  He taught me to drive.  He would protect me from anything.  He’s gone now, but that love note meant so much.  Those words linked our two hearts together, and still do.

Perhaps you struggle with saying what you mean,choose your words caustiously. Some of you may have to write down on paper. Don't let your emotions get in the way of speaking your truth.

There are people out there that need to hear your voice, that need to hear your words of hope, truth and courage.  Words are very important, say what you want, be your authentic self. You are the only one that can say it, say something!  .

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Staying Connected



I recently visited the home of one of my daughters’ friends and got to know the parents. We had wonderful adult conversations and great fellowship.  I was greeted with the opportunity to build new relationships and reminded of the importance in connecting face to face.  



Our technology advances have caused a decline in our face to face communications and in receiving and sending letters.  I have a few friends that still send me cards in the mail; it is a pleasure to receive.  Letter writing for the most part has been replaced with texting.  Most kids these days respond quicker to a text message than an actual phone call.  I for one had to get with the program.  My eldest said:  “mom you need to learn how to text”, so I learned.  I also learned that I needed to get an unlimited plan since that’s how she communicates with me most of the time. 



Technology is a wonderful thing.  However, I believe that we must maintain face to face contact as well.  There is nothing more inspiring than speaking to someone face to face.  Getting together allows us the opportunity to embrace one another.  It helps to build our vocabulary. It helps us to understand each other's differences, builds trust and brings the relationships to another level. 



I have a very dear friend who lives 3000 miles away, yet we are very close.  We have been friends for many years. She used to live close enough that we would get together often.  We build wonderful memories and she and her children have become part of our family.   We are on the phone practically every day; however lately she’s been asking me to get Skype, a telephone/video conferencing system so that she can look me in the face when we talk.  I’m thinking about it.



The point is we need to stay connected.  The human touch; an embrace from a friend or family member is so important.  I have decided to increase my time with friends and family this year.  I have decided to throw a party for the simple reason that we need to fellowship more.  How else can we teach our children the importance of communicating, much less the importance of friendship? 



Fellowship with one another is a key in helping to build family unity, in building relationships and times of remembrance.  Throw a party, invite some friends and build some memories.


Photo:  http://www.free-extras.com