Words

     Fatso, dumb, stupid, ugly, idiot . . ." Those words are extremely destructive. They destroy ones self image, shatters dreams and creates an atmosphere of hopelessness

     We tell parents to be careful about what they say to their children, knowing that words can be as devastating as a bullet fired from a gun When I was growing up, we used to say zSticks and stones may hurt my bones but words can never hurt me." It wasn't true. Words and names we threw at one mother were painfill.

     It is tragic that kids go to school and are made the recipient of their peers treatment. We have kids who do not fit in because of their economic status, their lack of athleticism and because they fail to meet someone's standard for beauty. It is reported that some kids in Tennessee came up with a pledge not to be hurtfill to others who are different from them I applaud them.

     God, through the pen of an ancient writer had this to say "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listem" I think that would be a good pledge for all of us to keep, don't you?

Norman Russell