{"id":31544,"date":"2023-03-21T10:32:21","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T14:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=31544"},"modified":"2023-03-21T14:45:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T18:45:05","slug":"monday-morning-moment-what-if-every-word-we-say-never-ends-or-fades-away-malcolm-guite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=31544","title":{"rendered":"Monday Morning Moment &#8211; What If Every Word We Say Never Ends or Fades Away &#8211; Malcolm Guite"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-8.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-8.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-8.png 800w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-8-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-8-768x403.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Credit: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/developing-pupils-vocabulary-is-about-more-than-words\/\" target=\"_blank\">Schools Week<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>What if?! English poet and Anglican priest <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.malcolmguite.com\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"http:\/\/www.malcolmguite.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Malcolm Guite<\/a> wrote a grand poem with this question posed (poem posted below). &#8220;What if every word we say never ends or fades away?&#8221; We have all heard and probably rejected the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sticks_and_Stones\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sticks_and_Stones\" target=\"_blank\">singsong<\/a> &#8220;Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words shall never hurt us.&#8221; Forgiving the words (or asking forgiveness for hurtful words spoken) may right some of the wrong, but the forgetting is the challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I started thinking about this topic when scrolling through Instagram and seeing the post below by  <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/momsofbigs\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/momsofbigs\/\" target=\"_blank\">@MomsofBigs<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Moms-of-Bigs-Instagram-The-things-a-mom-says.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"670\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Moms-of-Bigs-Instagram-The-things-a-mom-says-670x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Moms-of-Bigs-Instagram-The-things-a-mom-says-670x1024.jpg 670w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Moms-of-Bigs-Instagram-The-things-a-mom-says-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Moms-of-Bigs-Instagram-The-things-a-mom-says-768x1174.jpg 768w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Moms-of-Bigs-Instagram-The-things-a-mom-says-1005x1536.jpg 1005w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Moms-of-Bigs-Instagram-The-things-a-mom-says.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/momsofbigs\/related_profiles\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/momsofbigs\/related_profiles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram, Moms of Bigs\/Teens and 20s<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>What would a hashtag be for things I regularly said (and still say) to my children?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>#IllLoveYouForever<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#GodLovesYouMore<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#AudienceofOne<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#BeCareful<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#KeepShortAccounts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#TextMeWhenYouGetHome<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So regular affirming things are cool to remember, but we also have to contend with those things we have said in anger or disappointment. Worth mulling over in hopes that we can remove some of that injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Words form the thread on which we string our experiences \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.janterkelsen.com\/power-of-words\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.janterkelsen.com\/power-of-words\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aldous Huxley<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Words-you-spoke-on-your-skin-pinterest-source-unknown-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Words-you-spoke-on-your-skin-pinterest-source-unknown-1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Words-you-spoke-on-your-skin-pinterest-source-unknown-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Words-you-spoke-on-your-skin-pinterest-source-unknown-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Words-you-spoke-on-your-skin-pinterest-source-unknown-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Words-you-spoke-on-your-skin-pinterest-source-unknown-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Blog-Words-you-spoke-on-your-skin-pinterest-source-unknown-1.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Credit: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/498140408782237224\/\" target=\"_blank\">Pinterest<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately the things we speak to those we love, those we work with, or strangers we meet (or even in processing our experience of these with someone else) &#8211; these things we speak aren&#8217;t inscribed on our skin. What if the experience of those words though never fade away?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-9.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"816\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-9.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-31553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-9.png 816w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-9-300x151.png 300w, https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-9-768x388.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fatherspledge.com\/the-power-of-words.php\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.fatherspledge.com\/the-power-of-words.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Power of Words<\/em>, Stephen Gallup<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.janterkelsen.com\/power-of-words\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.janterkelsen.com\/power-of-words\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Power of Words <\/em>&#8211; Jan Terkelsen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have an endless supply of words and how we choose to use them. I say we choose wisely the words we use &#8211; in our thoughts as well as in our speech &#8211; choosing life-affirming words vs. person-diminishing words. Using words we would have no problem having tattooed on our skin forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Closing with this gorgeous poem of Guite&#8217;s. Read it aloud. Add a beat. Definitely a spoken word piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/what-if-a-poem-by-malcolm-guite\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>What If<\/strong><\/a>\u2013 A poem by <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.malcolmguite.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Malcolm Guite<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What if every word we say<br>Never ends or fades away,<br>Gathers volume gathers weigh,<br>Drums and dins us with dismay<br>Surges on some dreadful day<br>When we cannot get away<br>Whelms us till we drown?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What if not a word is lost,<br>What if every word we cast<br>Cruel, cunning, cold, accurst,<br>Every word we cut and paste<br>Echoes to us from the past<br>Fares and finds us first and last<br>Haunts and hunts us down?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What if every murmuration,<br>Every otiose oration<br>Every oath and imprecation,<br>Insidious insinuation,<br>Every blogger\u2019s aberration,<br>Every facebook fabrication<br>Every twittered titivation,<br>Unexamined asservation<br>Idiotic iteration,<br>Every facile explanation,<br>Drags us to the ground?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What if each polite evasion<br>Every word of defamation,<br>Insults made by implication,<br>Querulous prevarication,<br>Compromise in convocation,<br>Propaganda for the nation<br>False or flattering peruasion,<br>Blackmail and manipulation<br>Simulated desparation<br>Grows to such reverberation<br>That it shakes our own foundation,<br>Shakes and brings us down?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Better that some words be lost,<br>Better that they should not last,<br>Tongues of fire and violence.<br>O Word through whom the world is blessed,<br>Word in whom all words are graced,<br>Do not bring us to the test,<br>Give our clamant voices rest,<br>And the rest is silence. &#8211; <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/what-if-a-poem-by-malcolm-guite\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>What If<\/strong><\/a>\u2013 by <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.malcolmguite.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Malcolm Guite<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can use our words wisely. Right? What if&#8230;we did?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Malcom Guite- What If\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wZdHij8aAe4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>[I have often written about words. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?s=Words\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?s=Words\" target=\"_blank\">Here.<\/a> They matter and don&#8217;t really go away.] <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.challies.com\/articles\/the-eternal-significance-of-a-single-little-word\/?fbclid=IwAR0n7E17GYxEjbhOKpSlpIKOV1cmZZo5EcJpiN7abeZCN5JO9HRRU1nsuoU\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Eternal Significance of a Single Little Word<\/em> \u2013 Tim Challies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=4024\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=4024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>A Family Lexicon &#8211; Words that Grow Up with Us<\/em> &#8211; Deb Mills<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ERFGdmxPAYI\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ERFGdmxPAYI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YouTube Video &#8211; <em>10 Things All Moms Say<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What if?! English poet and Anglican priest Malcolm Guite wrote a grand poem with this question posed (poem posted below). &#8220;What if every word we say never ends or fades away?&#8221; We have all heard and probably rejected the singsong &#8220;Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words shall never hurt us.&#8221; Forgiving the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=31544\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Monday Morning Moment &#8211; What If Every Word We Say Never Ends or Fades Away &#8211; Malcolm Guite<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1450,353,31,761,789,1602,735],"tags":[10451,9875,1459,1458,594,10452,1015,10453,10454],"class_list":["post-31544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-monday-morning","category-monday-morning-moment","category-parenting","category-redeeming-restoring","category-relationships","category-skills","category-words","tag-aldous-huxley","tag-malcolm-guite","tag-monday-morning","tag-monday-morning-moment","tag-parenting-2","tag-sticks-and-stones","tag-words","tag-words-matter","tag-words-mean-things"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pauPAB-8cM","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31544"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31557,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31544\/revisions\/31557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}