Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me…

For as old as this little ditty is (it is reported to have appeared in March 1862), it is simply not true. Words, from the moment we hear our first one affect us profoundly. In so much as positive words are cherished, if we don’t come to terms with antagonistic colloquy it alone can destroy who we should have been.

I tell this story to explain how important what we say is to the people around us, and if for no other reason to acknowledge that I know what the words spoken by others have done to me.

A lot of people are shocked when they first hear me say “My mother was a prostitute.” Let’s be honest, not a lot of people have that story in their arsenal. And, I have yet...

Please subscribe to keep reading.