The Toothpaste Truth

The day before I started middle school. My mother took me clothes shopping, even surprised me with a new backpack. But tonight just before bed, my mother did something that is far more important than the others. She gave me a tube of toothpaste and asked me to squirt it out onto a plate. When I finished, She calmly asked me to put all the toothpaste back in the tube. I began exclaiming things like "But I can't!" and "It won't be like it was before!" She quietly waited for me to finish and then said the following:

"You will remember this plate of toothpaste for the rest of your life. Your words have the power of life or death. As you go into middle school, you are about to see just how much weight your words carry. You are going to have the opportunity to use your words to hurt, demean, slander and wound others. You are also going to have the opportunity to use your words to heal, encourage, inspire and love others. You will occasionally make the wrong choice; I can think of three times this week I have used my own words carelessly and caused harm. Just like this toothpaste, once the words leave your mouth, you can't take them back. Use your words carefully, Kimberly. When others are misusing their words, guard your words. Make the choice every morning that life-giving words will come out of your mouth. Decide tonight that you are going to be a life-giver in middle school. Be known for your gentleness and compassion. Use your life to give life to a world that so desperately needs it. You will never, ever regret choosing kindness. Kimberly Armendariz