Words

Today I was researching quotes for a sermon at the UU about language. In the process I came across the gems below. Each one, nudging me like a little finger, touched a spot of my soul that needed attention. Like pithy and wise little fortune cookies from Confucius, they each thoughtfully summarized feelings I had been struggling to birth. Like a spritz of Windex on dusty, grimy old windows they allowed me to see through clear  panes of glass.

These quotes, when placed side by side like eggs in a carton, also helped me to see a paradox: Words are useless because they are easy to say, and also because they often cannot easily express how we feel... but they are still powerful beyond measure when wielded by someone we care about.

I think these quotes tell a story of the past few months of my life:

“I don’t want just words. If that’s all you have for me, you’d better go”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned

“Do actions agree with words? There's your measure of reliability. Never confine yourself to the words.”
― Frank Herbert, Chapterhouse: Dune

“Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall.”
- Jodi Picoult

“That's what careless words do. They make people love you a little less.”
― Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things

“Be silent or let thy words be worth more than silence.”
― Pythagoras

“I read her eyes like
paragraphs and her tears
like chapters
for she didn't have much
to say with words, but rather,
silence.

And never let them tell you
that silence, isn't beautiful.
For silence is what happens
when words fall asleep
and you must carry the belief
that one day they will
wake up inside of you.”
― Testy McTesterson

“A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.”
― Ingrid Bergman

“In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. ”
― John Bunyan

“Lying is done with words, and also with silence.”
― Adrienne Rich, Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying

“It happens like this. One day you meet someone and for some inexplicable reason, you feel more connected to this stranger than anyone else--closer to them than your closest family. Perhaps this person carries within them an angel--one sent to you for some higher purpose; to teach you an important lesson or to keep you safe during a perilous time. What you must do is trust in them--even if they come hand in hand with pain or suffering--the reason for their presence will become clear in due time.

Though here is a word of warning--you may grow to love this person but remember they are not yours to keep. Their purpose isn't to save you but to show you how to save yourself. And once this is fulfilled; the halo lifts and the angel leaves their body as the person exits your life. They will be a stranger to you once more."
 ― Lang Leav, Love & Misadventure