May this weekend fills you with loving thoughts from people around you and within yourself. May people around you speak to you with loving words and you reciprocate with words of love to them. May you also experience the loving deeds from people around you and you reciprocate with loving deeds to them. A fellow blogger, Megan, commented once, “I believe that in our lives, we are either vibrating with the energy of love, or we are not.”

Thus, I wish for all of us to be filled with loving thoughts, words, and actions for others and for ourselves.

I wish you bluebirds in the spring
To give your heart a song to sing
And then a kiss, but more than this
I wish you love

And in July a lemonade
To cool you in some leafy glade
I wish you health
And more than wealth
I wish you love

My breaking heart and I agree
That you and I could never be
So with my best
My very best
I set you free

I wish you shelter from the storm
A cozy fire to keep you warm
But most of all when snowflakes fall
I wish you love

My breaking heart and I agree
That you and I could never be
So with my best
My very best
I set you free

I wish you shelter from the storm
A cozy fire to keep you warm
But most of all when snowflakes fall
I wish you love

Words are very important. Words can heal and words can harm. Words can hurt grievously and for a long time. The tongue can bless and the tongue can curse. It is very important for us to control our words and tame our tongue when we are angry. Many times, when we are angry we say the most atrocious things. We forget ourselves and become indifferent to what we say. We blast the other person without mercy, although we may not mean those words. But words once spoken cannot be taken back and it takes a long time to forgive and forget.

We have to exercise self-control. Many couples are particularly prone to such outbursts when they get mad. But it is not an easy thing to control our tongue when we are provoked, boiled over with anger or have outburst of wrath. It is at such time that we have to learn to hold our tongue and to remain silent. If we can’t tame our tongue, we have to take a break or go for a walk to cool off. It is much easier to control the words before the blow-up than during the explosion.

Uncontrollable words spoken in anger can have devastating effect. Angry words, that are used unthinkingly, such as I don’t care, I can’t be bothered, I don’t need you, or you can go to hell cause pain and feelings of rejection. They give rise to insecurity. The unmeant and foolish words contain full of deadly poison and can play havoc in the mind. The unruly words get churned over for hours on end and create their worst mischief in a difficult relationship. It can take a very long time to forgive what was said. Let us learn to turn away from angry words before they leave our mouth and try to say healing words instead. It is so important to choose our words wisely.

When we are boiling with anger and eager to throw bitter words at our opponents, it is better to remain silent. Words spoken in rage will make reconciliation very hard. Choosing life and not death, blessings and not curses, often starts by choosing to remain silent or choosing carefully the words that open the way to healing.

We must also be very careful that in our anger we do not label our children with ugly names such as fat, stupid, snake, pig, moron, busy-body, useless, good for nothing. Such negative words can do harm to them for years to come! When we say to someone, “You are an ugly, useless, despicable person,” we might have ruined the possibility for a relationship with that person for life. Words can continue to do harm for many years.

Indeed, we do not want to spoil our relationship with our own precious children. We must always use words to build them up not words to knock them down. Be an encourager not a critic. They have enough people criticizing them but far too few approving and affirming them. So to help our children to fulfill their highest potential we should be their greatest ENCOURAGER. Encourage. Encourage. Encourage on every occasion.

Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. Also, don’t utter vulgar or obscene words, Nor is it fitting for you to use language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar. Avoid immoral talks, jokes or gossips. It is not right that any matters of sexual immorality or indecency or greed should even be mentioned among you.

Quarreling does no good, but only ruins the people who listen…Keep away from profane and foolish discussions. Such teaching is like an open sore that eats away the flesh. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as you correct your opponents.

It is vitally important that we exercise our choice to speak helpful words wherever we are, particularly at home. Words can bring consolation, comfort, encouragement, and hope. Words can take away fear, isolation, shame, and guilt. Words can reconcile, unite, forgive, and heal. Words can bring peace and joy, inner freedom and deep gratitude. Words, in short, can carry love on their wings. A word of love can be one of the greatest acts of love. When we choose to speak words of care, words of encouragement, words of praise, words of love, words of admiration, positive words—they uplift and give meaning to our lives.

Everyday we need to give and receive words of encouragement, hope and joy. We then create an environment that is pleasant to be in and that gives us the confidence and courage to cope with our stressful life here and now. When we say to our parents, children, or friends, “I love you very much or I care for you or I think of you often” or “You are my great gift,” we choose to give life.

It is not always easy to express our love directly in words. But whenever we do, we discover we have offered a blessing that will be long remembered. When a son can say to his father, Dad, I love you, and when a mother can say to her daughter, Child, I love you, a whole new blessed place can be opened up, a space where it is good to dwell. Indeed, words have the power to create life.

Often, we want to hear words such as, I’ve been thinking of you today, or I missed you, or I wish you were here, or I really love you. It is not always easy to say these words, but such words can deepen our bonds with one another.

“Telling someone I love you in whatever way is always delivering good news. Nobody will respond by saying, Well, I know that already, you don t have to say it again! Words of love and affirmation are like bread. We need them each day, over and over. They keep us alive inside. When we say, I love you, and say it from the heart, we can give another person new life, new hope, new courage. When we say, I hate you, we can destroy another person. Lets watch our words.”

At the same time, we must be careful that we are sincere in our words because if we say, I love you, without meaning it, then such words do more harm than good. But if these same words are spoken from the heart, they create new life. They give joy. They bring happiness. We have to make sure that our words are rooted from our heart.

Each bright face was illuminated by positive thoughts and feelings as he or she eagerly anticipated the morning’s songs, meditations and exploration into yet another metaphysical cranny of the mind.

One morning the headmistress made an announcement to all the children gathered. “Today we begin a great experiment of the mind, of your mind.” She held up two small ivy plants, each potted in an identical container. “Here we have two plants,” she continued. “Do they look the same?”

All the children nodded solemnly. So did I, for, in this way, I was also a child.

“We will give the plants the same amount of light, the same amount of water, but not the same amount of attention,” she said. “Together we are going to see what will happen when we put one plant out in the kitchen, on the counter, away from our attention, and the other plant right here in this room on the mantel.”

She placed one plant on the white wooden ledge, then led the children en masse to the kitchen where she sat the other plant on the white counter. Afterward she led the parade of wide-eyed youngsters back to their places in the Great Room.

“Each day for the next month, we shall sing to our plant on the mantel,” she said. “We will tell it with words how much we love it, how beautiful it is. We will use our good minds to think good thoughts about this plant.”

One of the smallest children jumped to her feet.

“But, Ma’am, what about the plant out there?” She pointed a stubby finger toward the kitchen. The headmistress smiled at all her charges. “We will use the kitchen plant as the ‘control’ in our great experiment. How do you think it will work?”

“We won’t speak to it?”

“Not even a whisper.”

“We won’t send it any good thoughts?”

“That’s right. And then we’ll see what happens.”

Four weeks later my novice eyes were as wide and disbelieving as the children’s. The kitchen plant was leggy and sick-looking, and it hadn’t grown at all. But the Great Room plant, which had been sung to and swaddled in positive thoughts and words, had increased threefold in size with dark succulent leaves that fairly vibrated with energy when addressed with song, word or thought.

In order to prove the experiment - and also dry the tears of the tender-hearted among us who feared for the life of the other plant - the kitchen ivy was rescued from its solitary confinement and brought to the Great Room to join the other ivy on the mantel, but at the opposite end.

Within three weeks, the second plant had caught up with the first ivy.

Within four weeks, they could not be recognized, one from the other.