I used to think that I ALWAYS had to have the final word in arguments. Regardless of whether what I had to say was right or wrong. I felt like the person that got to speak last somehow had the upper hand. No, the person that got to speak last got to piss the other person off last.
Last words are for fools that haven’t said enough. Karl Marx
More often than not, my final words weren’t always the nicest, especially if it came in a letter, email, or a text message. I was out to say something hurtful. I saw myself picking up my feet and putting them in my mouth, as the saying goes. Sometimes, I was feeling EXTRA and I slipped a hand in there too. It’s funny how sometimes we can see ourselves doing something we know is wrong, but we do it anyway, like ordering a hot chocolate and some munchkins from Dunkin Donuts. Oh, sorry. Where was I? lol. Oh yeah, I’m so glad I’m not that person anymore.
I’ve realized that life is short and I need to stop engaging in stupid stuff. If I have something not so nice to say, I’ll figure out how I can address it in a blog. I don’t include anybody’s names. I talk about other people’s behaviors and how I feel. My blogs are a positive way for me to channel what I’m thinking and feeling. They also allow me to say what I want to say without saying what I want to say. It’s me screaming without actually screaming. I tried it, it doesn’t help, and neither does frustration-crying.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are lots of people and things that piss me off, but instead of being quick to react, I respond differently. I process the situation in my head. I talk about it with some friends and then I pray about it. Prayer really does change things. It changes people. It changes attitudes. Prayer also allows me to see things with clear and more levelheaded eyes.
I love the life that I’m living. I’m really diggin’ on me and I’m not willing to risk it by going back to who and how I used to be. I’ve found happiness and NO ONE or NOTHING is going to deprive me of one minute of it.
I’m content not having the last word because what trumps having the last word, for me, is peace. I need peace in my life, peace in my heart, and peace 
in my spirit. If I don’t have peace in my spirit that’s when I feel like something may require a little more than a blog. When something keeps me up at night or causes me to lose focus on other things, that’s when I need to do more to address it, but from a calm, positive place. When the conversation happens, I need to remind myself that I don’t like when people come at me with negativity, so I don’ t need to bring negativity to anyone else. That’s not productive.
The tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. James 3:5
My friends will tell you; this is definitely growth for me. There are some instances that I forget who I am and how far I’ve come. Luckily, I catch myself before I say or do something stupid. 
Whew! I’ve made it a practice to keep my phone and/or my iPod handy, because whenever I’m feeling some type of way about something, I pull something out and I start jotting down notes for a new blog. I think my future blog count is now up to 47.
What I’ve found the funniest about not having the last word is that I’m now the one telling other people to let stuff go, telling them not to let other people deprive them of one minute of their happiness. It takes more energy to be angry than it does to be happy. I choose me. I choose being happy. I choose me being happy.
At the end of the day, I’m not the one that has the last word, God is.
Lessons Learned:
1) If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all…or blog about it.
2) Blogging is very therapeutic.
3) Negativity begets more negativity.
4) Don’t ALLOW anything or anyone to steal one minute of your happiness.
Peace, love and blessings!
LESSONS OF LOVE FROM MY FATHER 