Words, words, and more words

I have been thinking ALL day. Literally. Today was just one of those days where I contemplated a lot of things in my mind and questioned myself while trying to come up with the answers. This is tiring I tell ya though I came a little bit closer to some answers. One thing that has come back into my mind often is the way we act and what we say to those around us especially our family and friends. I will be the first to admit, sometimes I say what's on my mind when not thinking about what is coming out of my mouth. Most of the time it is meant to be funny, but sometimes does not come across as such and for that I am truly sorry. Words are powerful. They have the ability to draw people closer together with a simple compliment or to bring us down with degrading and hurtful comments whether they are intentional or not. My family and friends are counting me to treat them with the upmost respect and what I say to them or how I act defines our relationship. I know I should have realized this a long time ago, but it dawned on me today that the snarky comments made about anyone whether they are behind their back or not are not Christ-like, for a true friend would never do this. Everyone needs to be loved and nurtured. We all have our little quirks, but hey life isn't perfect and either are we. That's the beauty of the atonement. The way I act shows a lot about my character and who I am. I want my family and friends to know that I care about them. They mean a lot to me and are great people who deserve to be treated like princes and princesses because we are all children of our Heavenly Father.

The answer to this thought that contemplated my mind today is that I need to make a conscious effort to think before I speak. So simple, yet so profound. It reminds me of the golden rule- Do unto others are you would have them do unto you. If I want to be treated kindly, I must treat others the same and that is through my actions and words. They don't always have to be eloquent or well thought out, just saying and showing that I care goes far. I am done gossiping about others or basing my impressions on others based on what I have heard. My friends and family mean the most to me in this world, and I don't ever want words or poor actions to come between us because Eternity is a long time and I want to be together forever :)

As I thought about this, I quote I had heard awhile ago came to my mind by my favorite poet of all time. It pretty much sums up what I want to accomplish through better actions and kinder words. "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of little children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." Ralph Waldo Emerson