The power of words

"There was once a man who loved to gossip. He loved the attention it brought him, and could not stop himself from speaking about others, sometimes sharing the good they did, but most often sharing the mistakes they made.

"In time, however, he realized the harm his speech was causing and he sought to make amends. He went to his rabbi and explained the situation, and asked how he could make amends.

"The rabbi thought for a moment and instructed the man to go to the marketplace and purchase two of the finest feather fillows he could find. He should then take the pillows to the top of the mountain overlooking the village, tear them open, and spill the feathers into the wind.

"The man was surprised and pleased at the rabbi's advice. He thought repentance would be much harder than this. So he ran to the marketplace, purchased his pillows, and within an hour had scattered their feathers to the wind.

"He returned to the rabbi all aglow. He was ready to be forgiven for his gossiping. Not just yet, the rabbi told him. There was one more thing to do. He had to return to the mountain and repack the pillows with the feathers that he had scattered.

"But that's impossible, the man said. Those feathers have gone everywhere, there is no way I can take them back now."

"The rabbi nodded solemnly and said, 'What is true of the feathers is true of the words. Once spoke they can never be retrieved. The harm caused by gossip cannot be undone."

~Rabbi Rami Shapiro

from The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness

I remember growing up and my parents expressing time and time again, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." This was typically directed towards the ugly words I reserved just for my sister. However, the way we speak of and to others, whether we build them up or tear them down, makes a lasting impact. As I raise my own children I am reminded that the words I speak  are equally powerful and I don't always get to choose the message they hold onto. More often than I care to admit, they are not the jewels of wisdom that I want to impart, but the sad words of frustration that escape my mouth. Imagine how much better our homes and our world would be when we commit ourselves to speaking only words that come from a place of love.

May you always remember the power behind your words and may they always reflect the best in you.