THE POWER OF WORDS

As readers and/or writers, words fascinate us. They carry the power to mesmerize or anger us. Phrases, descriptions, active verbs, words that paint pictures in our minds. As long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with words and phrases. 


The first book I remember is a LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK OF PRAYERS. In fact, I think it’s still packed away in a trunk in the basement. I just can’t let go of books, more’s the pity. I notice it's still for sale with the same cover. Amazing!


The second book I remember is a book of verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. At the time, I had no idea who he was. but I loved that book. Somewhere along the way, it was lost or loved to death. It wasn’t until I purchased A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES for my own children that I realized the title and author of the book. My daughters also loved the book’s poems. 


Robert Louis Stevenson said, "All speech, written or spoken, is a dead language, until it finds a willing and prepared hearer."To that, I add the reader. And I was so willing to read and hear his verses.

Bugs still makes me laugh!

Neither of those is the book my dad used when teaching me to read. I was thrilled with Bugs Bunny’s antics and Daddy taught me to read using the comic strip in our daily newspaper. To this day I’m not sure whether his greatest motivation in teaching me to read was to educate me or so he wouldn’t have to read to me. ☺ Since he was an advocate for education, I hope it was so I would be able to read more diversely. 


I often reread books I’ve loved to study the word pictures the author painted. Do you have favorite authors whose descriptions are so perfect you long to write like them? I do. One is Loretta Chase in LORD PERFECT. Her descriptions of the hero and heroine are breathtaking. I love that book as you have already guessed. I enjoy all of Ms Chase's books, but LORD PERFECT and MR. IMPOSSIBLE are my favorites. At least  for now. She continues to write amazing books and I continue to buy and read them. Her word choices are perfect and vivid.

1880's Mogollon, New Mexico 

Another Louis whose words impacted me is Louis L'Amour. His words paint pictures for me, and for my husband. We have read each of L'Amour's books. In fact, we have most of them in hardback from the Louis L'Amour book club. Hero and I have detoured a couple of times while traveling to include a site mentioned in a Louis L'Amour book. Warning! Skip the town of Mogollon, New Mexico unless you are driving a small car. Worst one-way mountain road we’ve ever driven. It’s frightening to look over the side of the mountain road (no rails most of the time) and see all the vehicles that didn’t make the turns.  Once in the town, though, the scenery is so worth the trip. Oh, no, I digressed again.


Words have tremendous power: power to soothe, power to harm, power to change lives forever. A harsh word cannot be recalled. A kind word never goes unnoticed. 


A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.  Proverbs 25:11 


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