November 17, 2011

'Let Me Think About That' - Guest Post

“A well-timed ‘let me think about that’ can make all the difference in work and in life.” As most of you guess, I’m a proud mother and grandmother. I’ve been criticized by many for being “too tough” on Katy for most of her life, so it’s a little comical to see the tough side of her come out when raising Tana.  One thing I tried to instill in Katy was to “think before you speak”.

My dad branded this on my sister and I everyday and frankly it is a trait that not many people can do. Words can do damage, they can kill hope, they can kill possibilities; they can kill relationships. They can, indeed, do mortal injury to the reputation of another. Misunderstandings, conflicts, fights, wars have started because of words. Words are like arrows, once shot they can’t be recalled. They are on their way to help or hurt. After we fire those word-arrows, we can regret them, we can apologize for them, we can try to make restitution. But we can’t finally do that which we wish most often we could-take them back.

Ask yourself what have I said today that mattered? What have I said that helped, encouraged, uplifted someone else. And what have I said, thoughtlessly or maliciously, that wounded another. Thanks Dad for teaching us this and many other things, but to think before you speak is one that should live within us all. -Lee Ann Scasta

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