I just turned the page on this stunning, sometimes heartbreaking, book. I was surprised at the sudden tears that filled my eyes. A mixture, I suppose, of not wanting the story to end and the emotions it evoked.
William Kent Krueger has woven words together in his novel, Ordinary Grace, that create a beautiful whole. For just a little while, the characters and their story came to life in a way I won't soon forget. Their stories touched my life, and I am the richer for it.
I marvel anew at the power of words - the spoken word, the written word. Long after the book is closed and the last line read, or the final word is spoken - they linger. We cannot calculate the good or the evil our words might do. So much depends on where they fall. They can crush a tender spirit or anger a bitter heart. They can encourage those who have lost hope or bring healing to a wounded soul.
We would be wise to guard our words carefully. Once given life, they can't easily be called back.
We seem to be living in a time when too often words are wielded as weapons. They are thrown out with abandon, with very little thought to the damage they will cause. They leave in their wake so many wounded souls whose only recourse is to fight back with words of their own - or succumb to the pain.
I once had a wise Pastor who said, "Only use words that are edifying and glorifying."Or as my friend Ann Voskamp wrote, "Only speak words that make souls stronger." Think how that would change the public discourse. I know, for me, it would mean a lot less talking and fewer regrets. And the people whose lives I touched would be enriched. I'm working on that.
Blessings,
Linda
