Words

 

My nephew Ryen is going into third grade.  

On his first day his new teacher, Ms Harrold, handed all of the students a small tube of toothpaste a ziploc bag and paper clips.  

In his words, "First we squeezed out all that toothpaste in the bag and then we had to use the paper clip and try and put it back in the tube.  It didn't work so well and that's the lesson for our words.  If we use unkind or ugly talk to people you can't take those back.  You can say sorry, but the words are already out there."

Elder Thomas E McKay shared a similar sentiment in an address given nearly 100 years ago.  

"Boys flying kites haul in their white winged birds,

But you can't do that when you're flying words . . .

Thoughts, unexpressed, may sometimes fall back dead,

But God Himself can't kill them when they're said.

May the Lord help us, brethren (and sisters) to carry out in our lives the thoughts expressed in those words, and follow the admonition of our Savior to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself"  Matt. 22:37-39.

Thanks Ryen and Ms Harrold, for that great reminder!