Words of Hope: Great People Talk About Ideas
Our family likes meaningful conversation. Years ago, we heard the quote, great people talk about ideas, mediocre people talk about things, and small people talk about others. Wow! What a great model for daily family conversation. What are the most meaningful ideas in the world? Love, gratitude, forgiveness, faith, grace, joy, freedom, unity, healing… So many incredible ideas of meaning. Dr. Murray Bowen, a generational family psychologist, defined healthy conversations as ones where family members experience a feeling of health and wellbeing afterward. Conversations that left the family feeling worse he classified as unhealthy. My Dad and I loved to talk about life’s big ideas, which led to a lifetime of meaningful, beautiful, healing conversations. How many thousands of meals asking beautiful questions together—Dad, how did you learn to see the world with tremendous gratitude while living with cancer? Hey Dad, what are the keys to building a deeper friendship with Mom? Dad, what are the gifts you received from your family you are thankful for?
There is something holy and numinous in a conversation around beautiful and life-giving ideas.
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. – Proverbs 16:24
