Our mother’s words have a life-long impact on our psyches, our self-esteem and our capacity to have faith in humanity.
Whether you had an exquisitely loving mother, one that was challenged in her capacity to love you, or somewhere in between, ultimately it’s up to each of us to find our way.
With that said, we found this beautiful parable about Thomas Edison and the loving devotion and powerful words of his mother and their impact on history. Enjoy.
“A story is told about a young Thomas Edison who came home one day with a paper for his mother. He told her, “My teacher told me to give this paper only to my mother.”
Thomas’ mother read the note and her eyes filled with tears. Thomas asked his mother what the note said, and she read aloud,
“Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.”
And that’s exactly what Thomas’ mother did; she home-schooled her child with devotion and dedication.
As the story goes, many years later after Thomas Edison’s mother passed on, and he was now one of the world’s greatest inventors, he found a folded paper among other family items. He opened the very same paper that had been handed to him to give to his mother and read the following message: “Your son is mentally ill. We won’t let him come to school anymore.”
At that moment, Edison realized what his mother had done for him so many years ago. He wrote in his diary: “Thomas Alva Edison was an addled child that, by a hero mother, became the genius of the century.”
“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Can you imagine what might have happened to Thomas Edison if his mother had read to him the reckless and hurtful words written by his teacher?
He might never have invented the light bulb or made his many other contributions to society.
Thank goodness for the wisdom and wise words of his mother! She created the context in which her son could grow to his full potential.”
Words are powerful.
Let’s take this message to heart and refocus our words for making a difference. You might be a parent, what do you say to your children? You might be a teacher, what do you say to your students?
And what words do you use when you talk to your parents, your family, your boss, your subordinate, your colleague, and even your social media followers?
Just as harmful words can cause irreparable damage, so can mindful words positively affect a person for life.
If inspired, please share.
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