Words of Worth

Allergy Medication

If you find yourself reaching for a tissue while you read this post, it’s probably not because it’s a tear jerker, most likely you have some sort of allergy. You and at least 54% of Americans according to the National Institute of Health are allergic to something. Allergies of all kinds are on the rise in America and other developed countries and no one seems to know the reason why. In addition to peanuts, tree nuts, cat dander, and ragweed, many of us have also developed…

See and Taste

If you had to give up one of your five senses do you know which one you wouldn’t mind forfeiting? Since I am such a visual learner, I wouldn’t be quick to offer up my sight and since I enjoy the taste of food, which is enhanced by the sense of smell, I wouldn’t want to have to do without those senses. Hmmm…that leaves touching and hearing…not an easy decision at all! I would prefer to just hang on to all five.

However, many people live this…

Elohim – Creator God

I love to read. It’s just that simple. I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t read although I am sure I wasn’t born with the ability to sort out letters into words and then sentences. When I was in elementary school, my first grade teacher, Mrs. Northcutt, sent me to the second grade class to help them with their reading skills. During summer vacations, I wiped out entire sections of the local library and right now, I have at least a half a dozen…

Living up to a Name

People don’t always live up to their names. Neither do hurricanes. Take Irene. Irene means “peaceful” and hurricane Irene was anything but peaceful. Clearly she did not live up to her name. But it is no surprise that hurricanes sometimes don’t live up to their names considering how they are named.

Before the 1940s, only the worst storms were given names and usually based on the place or time of year they made landfall such as the Miami Hurricane of 1926 and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935….

How Much is Enough?

(Note: this entry is the fourth and last in a series about our speech and how we should guard our words. To catch up, just scroll down to read the previous blogs.)

Located near to where we live in Bucks County, is an old restored movie theater that specializes in showing independently made movies or foreign language films. It’s not the place to see the latest blockbuster but every now and then we go see a show that we might not otherwise have a chance to enjoy.
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Take a Lesson from Thumper

(Today’s blog is the second installment of the three questions posed by the gatekeepers we should have at the “door of our lips”. If you missed the first two, just scroll down and read the previous posts!)

In the Disney movie classic, Bambi, there’s a winsome little rabbit named Thumper who could have benefitted from having the second gatekeeper watching over his bunny lips. With all the forest animals gathered around observing the Prince of the Forest (baby Bambi) awkwardly attempt his first steps, Thumper childishly blurts…

Just the Facts, Ma’am

American author and humorist, Mark Twain, is well known for his pithy sayings that still capture the heart of American culture even by today’s standards. Consider this quote: “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Let that sink in for a minute. What are the implications of that statement? Telling the truth guarantees no need to remember what you might have said because you only utter the facts of the situation.

Fast forward from the 1800’s…

Last October, we posted a blog that told the tale of the three gatekeepers. We often share this story when we are speaking and it is also included in our book, Word Wise. That particular illustration seems to impact people in a powerful way. Just last Sunday while visiting with a group of ladies we haven’t seen in almost a year, one of them remarked, “I think about the gatekeepers every day. That story changed the way I speak to others.” Since that first…

How Many Friends Can A Person Have?

Is less more or is more, more or less better? Recently I read several articles on friendship—what makes a good friend, how beneficial friends are, the kinds of friends everyone should have, the optimum number of friends—and I was surprised by my findings.

One study suggested that the more friends you have, the more money you earn. While most would not argue that friendships are invaluable, do we really think they can add value to our bank accounts? Apparently, the people with the most friends…

“Hey – I left you something!”

Since my husband, two kids and I moved to Pennsylvania in the summer of 2006, we have learned to live “long distance”. Our family and friends remain in Mississippi where we had been our entire lives. We have discovered how to stay connected through texts, email, face book, phone calls, etc – any way we can “see” or “hear” our loved ones is worth the effort involved. But nothing takes the place of a visit in person and we have kept the airlines in business…