This is inspired by a part of my life that I really do not remember but my loved ones have shared it. It made me think. Do we really show our love or do we offtimes simply fail.

When I was a kid I would be upset by many of the things my brothers or my sister… even my school mates would say. My mother didn’t seem to understand my sting. Her favorite saying was, “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”

However, though she would recite this she was a perfect example of someone who could be hurt by words. My Dad could hurt her with a remark that was maybe not all that much understanding of what she was going through. Don’t get me wrong… Dad was not one to try to hurt anyone but he was extremely plain spoken.

When I was born my Mom had a really hard labor. I was not born in a hospital. Not many were in 1945. I was born at home. Dad was there with her and he stayed with her the whole time.

At one point, though he made a slip. The Doctor looked at him and said, “Well Luke… I bet you would rather be anywhere in the world than here to see this.”

Dad shrugged and answered the doctor. “Well it’s no worse than pullin’ the hook outta the fish’s mouth.”

My Mom told this to everyone every time she could. As she put it, “I was mad enough to kill that man.”

Dad once said he thought the doctor thought the blood and leftovers from my birth were enough to make his stomach queasy. He was simply saying he had seen worse.

Mom had been through an awful lot at that point and Dad’s remark would have been better not said.

It is true that sticks and stones can break your bones. However, it is also true that words can leave emotional scars. They can cause anger and this causes rebuttals. One word leads to another and the next thing you know you are in a full scale argument. Two men may even become extremely physical.

Come to think of it… I think I have seen wives throw things at their husbands and it was all because he simply did not use discretion in his choice of words. It may also be that he simply wasn’t paying enough attention to what she was saying or her particular frame of mind… or her needs.

You may have seen the commercial where the man is doing something when his wife asks, “Honey, does this dress make me look fat?” He is busy so he simply answers something to the affect of, “yes Dear.” The next scene is one husband trying to find a place to spend the night.

Yes, words can hurt. They don’t leave scars on your physical body but they can leave scars in your soul.

By the same token, words can be a source healing. That husband in the commercial should have said, “You look beautiful.” How many times have any one of us missed the chance to share a healing word with a loved one or a stranger for that matter?

A kind word provokes kindness. Let us all remember that one secret to knowing when that kind word is called for is the ability to communicate with others. Communicate is a two way street. You don’t simply talk. You also listen.