Words That Matter...

I collect words. I read and write them and I accumulate sentences that find their way into my mind and emotions. I think all of us do. Some of us notice the effects and recall the moments when they mattered most and others wonder, ‘where did that came from?’
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Here are a few of my favorite words, that I currently think matter. Two weeks ago in March, I visited my children in San Diego. My 3-year-old grandson Finn, is speaking in sentences. His sister Willa, is saying words, mostly sounds and she is sure she is speaking in sentences. As a grandparent, nothing sounds more beautiful to us than the words our grandchildren name us. To my grandchildren, my name is Hana. Mostly, it matters to me most when I hear their words, ‘I love you Hana.’ Words Matter. 

As I witness my son and his wife communicate with their children, I appreciate the consistency of their teaching towards words that matter at their age; please and thank you are at the top. As my daughter-in-law, calmly asks a crying child, what she wants to say, and listens patiently for an answer, in-between sensitive sobs, I see how important listening is for the words that matter. 

In the past couple years, I’ve noticed the phrase ‘Love you’ has become widely and naturally used by many.  Family, friends and even clients, that in the past may have said, ‘see you soon’ or ‘thank you for everything’, or see you next month, have now replaced the phrase with ‘love you’. It’s easy to answer back, ‘love you too.’ Uncertainly and fear, in the past two years have perhaps reminded us of the delicateness of our lives and connections. Words matter. 

Downton Abby, a favorite television series presented me with these sentences; ‘The more adaptable we are the more a chance we have of getting through.’ And my all-time favorite line; ‘Being hurt is part of being alive.’  The Downton series, set in a fictional Yorkshire country estate between 1912 and 1926, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post -Edwardian era. The use of their very proper English and manners, makes for an educational production of strong, malicious, kind, wise and witty characters and a setting for a blast to the past and of course, words that matter. 

Listening to a Sunday message by CCV Paster, Dave Stone, on giving now for others to enjoy later, presented me with this passage to ponder; ‘We are sitting in the shade of a tree that someone planted ahead of us.’ Perhaps gratitude is the bloom of these words that matter. 

Lastly, while watching a recent Tony Robbins interview on his new book, LifeForce, when asked if he has hope for our world, Tony suggested we look to our history and the patterns of people. ‘Good times create weak people. Weak people create bad times. Bad times create strong people. Strong people create strong times.
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He went on to elucidate and explain the time we are in currently; he stated that as a nation, we are in the Winter of our lives. Bad times. Spring is to follow….it is on its way. Strong people will create strong times and we will once again bloom. It is the pattern of our lives and the world. We are not done for; we are about to have strong times. 

These are words that matter.

With love,
Hilda