I believe the most powerful messages are sent without words, written or spoken. Like the ability of Maine evening sky, set ablaze by the setting sun and filled with clouds of scarlet, purple, and orange, to stir an indescribable sense of beauty and awe within me. Or the calming silence that a snowy night broadcasts its message of peace and safety. The overwhelming sense of majesty and power that a star-studded sky that comes over me when I humbly peer up at the vastness of the universe. Or the time when Jesus was beaten and died on the cross – his willingness to suffer on my behalf creates a much deeper sense of love than when one of my parents say they love me, even though I know they mean it.
I believe that people have the capability to send powerful, wordless messages, but instead often choose to send damaging messages or no message at all. I wonder if marriages would change if husbands brought flowers home to their wives as a surprise more often. I wonder if students would be more inclined to learn and participate in classes if every so often teachers would, instead of having a planned class, lead a day in which the students enjoyed being with their classmates. Sure, work needs to be done and everyone is busy, but are we too busy? What would be wrong with people showing appreciation toward each other more often, encouraging hard work and patience with affirmation? I think that people don’t even show appreciation for each other with words often enough, much less with actions, and we all know from nature and a few people in our lives the potential power that actions have over words. And it is my belief that I need to send more powerful messages of encouragement, appreciation, and gratitude through the way I act in the hope that others will start to do the same.