In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

A friend sent me a text recently and said he was cleaning out his grandmother’s basement and found a vintage purse that he would save for me. I wrote back: great I’ll have to visit soon. He texted back: word.

Word? I asked him if it was some kind of new slang (which he is known for) that I don’t know about. He answered: It means, yah u rite…from an old porno I saw in the 90s…word.
My friend has other sayings he repeats often like My Bad, Just sayn’ and Sup?!  I understand those expressions.

However, asking around I’ve discovered that a lot of people know what word means, but I profess I’d never heard it before.

While I don’t fully appreciate the slang meaning of word, I do appreciate how important words are to us as we listen or read what is said and written, we take heart in the meaning. Words are continuously changing, challenging and thrusting us through life. They heal, inform, motivate and wound or inspire us to move in new and prosperous places or sometimes disastrous directions. How you say something as much as what you say can have a profound effect on people around you. Constructive criticism can benefit someone or nearly destroy the relationship as the misspoken word is not easily retracted.
How you speak of yourself can change the way others think of you, building yourself up boisterously can be annoying while putting yourself down makes people uncomfortable and lowers your own self-esteem.  

Ashleigh Brilliant (English author and cartoonist, b.1933) suggests words are a wonderful form of communication, but they will never replace kisses and punches. I offer though that well-placed words can solve just about every problem and controlling what we say with patient atonement will save the day.

Words are powerful there’s no doubt. You can manifest life changing events with reflective and thoughtful statements. And one of the nicest things about words is the laughter they can bring and you have to admit that sometimes a silly phrase can turn a conversation into an uplifting moment just when you needed it the most. Word.