Friday, January 15, 2021

Storyteller's Journey

Words Matter; Words are Seeds

In the last four years we've all heard the phrase, "words matter," from news anchors, political leaders, and others, many times. Another related phrase is, "you reap what you sow."

Since the tragic events on January 6th, I've pondered the power our President's words have had on the minds of many of our fellow citizens. It's sad; it's frightening, it's dangerous; and it should be a wake-up call to everyone on how and why the words we utter matter.

As a gardener, when I plant a tomato seed, I'm hoping to have a tomato plant grow from that seed. I don't expect a pumpkin to grow from a tomato seed, or a sunflower to grow from a tomato seed. 

The fir tree pictured at the center of this photo, is a volunteer. (If you're not familiar with what a volunteer tree is, it's a tree that grew from a seed that took root on its own.) As you see, the tree is now quite large. Since we built the fence to accommodate it twenty-four years ago, we've enjoyed it.

My point is, even though we didn't know the sapling had taken root, it had. Seeds have a life of their own, just like words have a life of their own. Words can take root in a heart, even without our knowledge. Understand that the words that you speak have power - for good or for evil.

Finally, I would say that as children's book authors we have a particular responsibility to not only be honest, inspirational, and entertaining, but most of all (in my opinion), to provide some hope to our young readers. Choosing our words thoughtfully, and wisely, is always essential.