Like a helium balloon on the verge of explosion, sudden silence fills every nook of the vehicle. Surreal momentary silence fills the enclosed space. The voice of one that loves this eight year old pierces the silence and delivers a sentence that will alter her life for years, "Why are you so ugly when you cry?"
Words! Ugly Words! Destructive Words! Words
that will be forever etched deeply in the mind, heart, and soul, like shards of glass. These eight words will be her invisible muzzle for the next 35 years. These poisonous words instantly mix with a fragile, innocent heart and create a compound for the quiet construction of a protective mask. Silently, she places Superglue inside the mask and raises it up to her face. Days, weeks, months, and years pass.
At 2:05 each night while the house is silent and those she loves are sleeping, she gingerly allows her hand to slide up to her face and release the corners of the mask. She is married; Children are born; People she loves die, but the mask relentlessly holds for those 23 hours.
In the 60 minutes each night without the mask, she breathes deeply. As she exhales, hot clear liquid forms a stream down her cheek and pools in the creases of her pillow. Sweet release. Like a dam that is open in order to release the pressure and prevent permanent cracks, her sorrow spills safely out and into the darkness. 3:05 am she silently applies another layer of Superglue and reattaches the mask for another 23 hours all because of those words that were hurled at her on that dark, damp night so long ago.
Words carry power. They can destroy or they can create. They can hurt or they can heal. They can blame or they can forgive. My words and yours are more powerful than nuclear missiles, muzzles, or masks. Luckily for this Plank-Eyed Girl, my God has used His words to forgive me; heal me; and create a wholehearted being that believes in the power of words.
May you be overwhelmed with the words He has for you. May you in turn use the secret power of your words to bring life and hope to those whose lives intersect with yours. Truly, your words bring life or death. Choose wisely.
Until We Chat Again,
The Plank-Eyed Girl
At 2:05 each night while the house is silent and those she loves are sleeping, she gingerly allows her hand to slide up to her face and release the corners of the mask. She is married; Children are born; People she loves die, but the mask relentlessly holds for those 23 hours.
In the 60 minutes each night without the mask, she breathes deeply. As she exhales, hot clear liquid forms a stream down her cheek and pools in the creases of her pillow. Sweet release. Like a dam that is open in order to release the pressure and prevent permanent cracks, her sorrow spills safely out and into the darkness. 3:05 am she silently applies another layer of Superglue and reattaches the mask for another 23 hours all because of those words that were hurled at her on that dark, damp night so long ago.
Words carry power. They can destroy or they can create. They can hurt or they can heal. They can blame or they can forgive. My words and yours are more powerful than nuclear missiles, muzzles, or masks. Luckily for this Plank-Eyed Girl, my God has used His words to forgive me; heal me; and create a wholehearted being that believes in the power of words.
May you be overwhelmed with the words He has for you. May you in turn use the secret power of your words to bring life and hope to those whose lives intersect with yours. Truly, your words bring life or death. Choose wisely.
Until We Chat Again,
The Plank-Eyed Girl
No comments:
Post a Comment