The old saying is; “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never can hurt me.” I am not so sure about that. Over the years I have had words hurt me a lot more than any of the bones I ever broke. Bones heal words may never, so we need to be careful what we say. More importantly we need to have peace before we say anything.

One day after the Bible study at the assisted living facility one of the ladies told me how her friend had said some things behind her back that cut her like a knife. Because of the tears in her eyes the wound seemed fresh but when I asked when this happened she said, “When I was 13.” The lady is 88 years old. It is true that sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can do more damage.

• sticks and stones