I love quotes.
When I was in high school I would often daydream of perhaps being quoted someday. Surrounded by notebooks and journals stuffed with poems, thoughts and long, hand-written emotional expressions, I would imagine one day someone discovering this treasure trove of language genius, and then quoting me. In fact, armed with my pen and stacks of paper, I would brainstorm – working tirelessly to come up with a quote that would turn the world on its ear. Here’s what my seventeen-year-old brain concocted (are you ready for this?):
“No one can judge that which comes from within.”
Hmmm…now that’s deep.
Along with this excogitated thought I found a letter I had written to whomever was lucky enough to find my precious quote. The first line of the letter is priceless:
“I just want you to know I am not an emotionally disturbed person.”
Interesting. I find this highly disturbing! If that line were any indication on the quality and depth of my high school writing career, it would appear my writings were of a somewhat dark nature. To this day, my “quotes” remain unquoted. Shocking, I know.
The question then, do I still dream of being quoted? Well, these days I get quoted all the time, although I can’t say they are my most noteworthy words. Still, when I hear Sydney exclaim, “Are you kidding me?” to her younger siblings, or when Jackson declares, “Hey, I’m working here!” when I pull him off of the computer keyboard. Or even when Brooklyn, exasperated, lets out a huge sigh and says, “I’m getting so tired of this!” I think to myself, “Didn’t I just say that?” Yeah, I’m getting quoted all the time. When I hear words of impatience and irritation spilling from the mouths of my three innocent sponges, I feel like someone is twisting a knife in my stomach and reminding me of how often I fall short in the parenting department. I would much rather catch someone repeating one of my more sweet and spiritually profound phrases, or in this day and age, be “re-tweeted” on Twitter for something pithy I posted. Instead, my shortcomings and misquotes get played and re-played on a daily basis for my listening “pleasure”.
I guess the moral of this story would be “Oh be careful little mouth what you say!” It’s not so much about the words we throw around in the company of adults that get us into trouble, but the remarks we make in the presence of little people who are always eager to steal a quote or two from their unsuspecting parents. To my three offspring, I am the most quotable person they know!
Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
I’ve got such a long way to go!