"You are master of what you say until after you utter it, once you deliver it, you are its captive."
~ Ali Ibn Abi Talib ~
Many years ago, in his kitchen in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, my father was visibly distressed with me.
"You seem so angry, Dad!" I said. His face was red and twisted.
"Well of course I'm angry," he bellowed. "You are a disappointment as a daughter!"
"You don't mean that." I said, and in that moment, I felt calm and sure.
The next day, however, driving home to Virginia, I cried and cried.
And my father didn't speak to me for 4 years after that, so I guess on some level at least,
he did mean it.
And I have had to live with that.
he did mean it.
And I have had to live with that.
Words have power, and their power carries across time.
Let's be precise when we use them, and thoughtful, and kind.
I speak with precision and care.
