Words Scar

Good morning folks. No pretty picture this morning. Instead I’m substituting it with an important message. A message some of you might need to hear this morning. 

Words can hurt.

Words can scar.

I came across a quote this morning that stopped me in my tracks:

“If I must fall, let me fall. The person I’m becoming will catch me.”

Read that again. Let it soak in.

Some of us really need to hear this.

From my early twenties, I let certain words live rent-free in my head.

Words that came from an unexpected place, and from someone who once held power over how I saw myself.

It was during the very first public showing of my photography.

A Grade 1 teacher—my Grade 1 teacher—walked up to my booth and said:

“Wow, these are great pictures… I thought you’d never amount to anything.”

Can you imagine that?

She decided my worth when I was six years old.

“Never amount to anything.”

Those words followed me for decades.

They echoed in quiet moments.

They chipped away at my confidence.

They made me second-guess myself far too often.

Words can scar.

A few years ago, I forgave her.

My writing mentor challenged me to write a forgiveness letter—and I did.

It wasn’t for her.

It was for me.

That act of forgiveness released me from the silent grip I didn’t even know I was still in.

This morning, when I read that quote, her words crept back in.

Yes, they still sting.

But now, I can see them for what they are: someone else’s limitation projected onto me.

And I can laugh—because I know who I’m becoming.

And that version of me is strong enough to catch the one who fell.

Make it a great day, chase the light… cheers