"Thirstday"

I have words. OK, I said it and now it's out there. It's true. I have words and lots of them. The problem, however, is that they don't always find their freedom. They usually stay locked up in a prison, longing to be released--in a smooth, unending flow.

Since desperate times call for desperate measures, I've come up with a plan--a way to liberate said words. I must, I've decided, emancipate these precious words before they die alone in their cages.

"The freedom plan," though quite simple, is one that will (if carefully and strategically executed) unshackle my pent-up words and allow them to leap forth with vigor and potency, engage in meaningful conversations, and finally find full expression. Oh, joy!

So, the plan is this: I will take my words, once bound, out on a weekly excursion to mingle with another freedom-seeking-word-carrier. I will strategically and purposefully choose a time and a place where we can sit and drink freely of each other's words. We will take turns pouring and drinking, pouring and drinking, pouring and drinking...until our thirsty souls have been satisfied and our words have begun to wane. I will call this day "Thirstday".

I am very eager to put my plan into action. My words are stirring inside me at the thought! They've already begun to ask, "Will two hours a week be enough?"

"Probably not, but it's a start," I reassure them.

Relationships take time and effort to build, and my lonely words and I are ready to take our first Thirstday trip. The exact date and time for the rendezvous has not yet been set, but I'm working on it; for in the background I can hear my desperate words dragging their cups along the bars of their cells as they cry out, "Free us! Free us!"

And I reply, "Hang on, my words, Thirstday is almost here!"

You Inspire Me

Long time no write. Hummm... Guess I need to give myself a little pep talk and get back at it while the gettin's good, as they say. Actually, I've been so inspired by some of my blogging friends out there in cyber world (you go, girls!) that I'm shamed..uh..inspired to add a new post.

So... what will it be today? Well, I was thinking about how much we actually do influence one another...to do things, to say things, to believe things...by something very simple: our words. It's true! Words have much more influence than one would suppose. For example, I recently posted on facebook that I had baked some homemade banana nut bread and wa-la! Not only did I have several requests for the recipe, but two people actually wrote back and said they'd tried the recipe!

Wow...the power of words. They're pretty amazing, don't you think? Words have the power to inspire, influence, encourage or, sadly, to tear apart, demean and devalue. The Book of Psalms says that the power of life and death is in the our tongues (pretty potent, eh?) So, I am planning on creating something wonderful with this little muscle in between my teeth today. I want to offer words that will challenge, motivate, encourage, inspire and influence. I want to speak life to the lifeless, hope to the hopeless, peace to the restless, and joy to the sadness. And...I invite you to do the same.

Let my words stir in you this challenge: taste carefully your words before you share them with others. After all, you would never share a recipe for banana nut bread that you hadn't tried yourself, right?