The Power of Words

As I scrolled through Facebook today looking at all the pictures of the mothers and all the praises for said mothers, it made me a little sad. It seems that so many people have or had an idyllic relationship with their mamas. 

I loved my mama. She will be gone 28 years this Christmas night and I still miss her terribly. But, our relationship was not always peaches and cream. We were alike in a lot of ways and we could clash...big time. 

Even after all this time, the things that still cause pain are the words that we said to each other in anger, especially when I was a teenager. There are so many things I wish I could "take back" and I have a feeling that there are things she might have wanted to take back as well.

After my mama got seriously ill, I never knew from one day to the next whether or not she would still be with me the next morning. I also knew that I did not want any last words to her to be angry ones. When she was in pain and sometimes got ugly with me, I would bite my tongue and leave rather than reply with nasty words of my own. Inevitably, the phone would be ringing when I got home and mama would be on the other end with an apology. 

Unkind words hurt. They hurt more than any physical blow. And they cause damage that lasts a lifetime. Think before you speak.

Especially to your mama.