Think First!

Think First!

Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around.

Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide.

Ecclesiastes 10:20

My father, Clancy, seemed to have a pithy saying for just about every circumstance in life, and he had his own take on the proverb above:  Engage your mind before putting your mouth in gear.  Dad's big mantra was always THINK FIRST.  Never say or do anything until you have taken the time to think it through.

Dad never gossiped.  He never talked about other people behind their backs, never laughed at their peculiarities or their problems, never repeated stories that he heard from another source.  He was raised to respect his fellow men, then spent 38 years in the military reinforcing that idea.  He believed in the chain of command, he supported his fellow airmen, and he was respected by everyone who knew him.

Clancy always taught his children – by word and by example:  to think before they speak, to talk about issues - not people, and to spread kindness everywhere.   

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Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.

The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. 

Before our Father’s throne we pour our ardent prayers,

Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 557