"words"

words.

the right ones,

spoken in kindness,

can make someone's day.

jan's husband got me to the

amtrak station at 5:45 this

morning.  because taylor is

doing this photo shoot for

national distribution  of

"seduced by success", i

had to bring various outfits.

i had my purse and a puma bag

over one shoulder..and a giant,

$1 marshall's bag stuffed with

special camera and tripod and

mucho clothes...in my right

hand.  waiting for a cart to take

me a mile away to my train,

a beautiful, black woman came

and waited next to me.

"oh, i love your top!" she said.

my eyes widened.  sparkling.

"thank you!" i replied.

"oh, and i love that braid

in your hair.  i'm a beautitcian, 

so i notice things like that!"

i'm not an early morning

person, and my bad foot

makes standing so painful.

but my heart nearly stopped.

one of my favorite missions

is to speak beauty to others,

and God had actually sent

a stranger to do that for me!

"my name is ann.  you know,

words are so  powerful.  they

can instantly change someone's

day...for good or for bad.  thank

you for such kind words.  i

didn't feel very special until

you spoke to me."

my eyes became liquid pools

of gratitude and joy.

"i'm on my way to my brother's

funeral in los angeles..."

"oh, that makes me sad.

was his death sudden?"

"he died of liver cancer."

her beautiful grandbaby was 

in her arms.  assuring her that

i would be praying...that i was

so thankful we had Jesus in

these moments of our lives...

i got on the cart, and was

whisked away.

the Bible says so much about

words.  one of my favorites is:

"a gentle word turns away wrath."

no matter what lovely things

we think about someone, they are

worthless unless we speak

them.  it is a free gift we can

give every day.  above all

others, speak beauty to your

children.

beautiful words.

wrap your children in them.

paint them across the sky.

speak them in the grocery store.

at the dry cleaners. to the

cashier at the bank.

all day,

i thought of those lovely

words spoken to me. i chewed

on them. rolled them around

in my brain.  snuggled into

the warmth they brought me.

and every single comment

you post to me is like glistening,

fresh rain on a brutally-hot day.

thank you so much for taking

time to speak love to me.