I found this post on Russel Ray Photos and asked permission to reblog.
Dear New Follower: First, let me thank you for following me. I appreciate it. I decided that I could not follow you. Please, let me explain.
I’m an easygoing Southern boy, born and raised in Texas. My paternal grandparents adopted me when I was a couple of months shy of 11. I understand profanity … four-letter words.
My granddad used them as verbs, adverbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, abbreviations, exclamations, questions, complete sentences, incomplete sentences, names of people…
My wise old grandmother, on the other hand, let granddad use enough profanity for both of them. I only heard my grandmother use profanity once. She wouldn’t let me do something. I was furious and said, “God damn you.”
She was 5’1” (same as me) and I’m 6’3”. She took me down with a right hook and said softly, “Don’t damn me, damn you.”
She let me cry for five minutes, as she always did when I was punished, always with a whipping though, never before with a right hook.
Do parents spank their children anymore or is that child abuse?
Then she took me to the bathroom, cleaned my face, and told me she loved me. She also told me what would happen the next time I used profanity; or the Lord’s name in vain.
Love and discipline.
Do parents discipline their children anymore or just give them and iPod or iPad?
So, dear New Follower, I wanted to follow you, I really did. My grandmother taught me to do unto others as they have already done unto me. Wait! No she didn’t; I taught me that. You followed me, so I was going to follow you.
When I got to your blog though, I found the title was absolutely horrible and left without looking around. I felt bad about that and returned a few minutes later. I read your home page and one post. It was no better. I left again and won’t return.
I’m sorry. I really am, but simply cannot bring myself to follow you. Every time you publish a new post, I would get an e-mail telling me that “New Follower with a poor choice of words for the blog name” has a new post. I already saw that the titles of your posts are as bad as the name of your blog.
I consider your choice of words to be very negative, and I’ve had enough negative people in my life. At the age of 57, I surround myself only with positive people.
My wise old grandmother taught me the beauty of the English language with its million words. She also taught me how cruel, mean, and nasty abuse of the English language can be.
I prefer beauty.
Aesop, the ancient storyteller, told this fable: Once upon a time, a donkey found a lion’s skin. He tried it on, strutted around, and frightened many animals. Soon a fox came along and the donkey tried to scare him too. But the fox, hearing the donkey’s voice said: “If you want to terrify me, you’ll have to disguise your bray.”
Moral: Clothes may disguise a fool, but his words give him away.
Said another way: Profanity is a public announcement of stupidity.
Those might sound cruel and uncaring, but you appear to be young. Not like teaching and old dog new tricks. You have a choice. I would encourage you to be beautiful.
I don’t know anything about you, but think you have the potential to be a very beautiful person. I believe that about everyone on Earth, all seven billion of them.
Every time you want to use profanity, stop and think of a better way to say what you want to say. There are over a million words in the English language, and dictionaries and thesauruses to help in your struggle.
Maybe some of my favorite four-letter words can help:
- Love
- Free
- Help
- Pray
- Give
- Work
- Good
- Best
- Save
- Hope
- Nice
- Kind
- Glad
- Live
- Life
- Glow
- Amen
- True
- Luck
- Gift
- Calm
- Holy
- Cure
- Kiss
- Hugs
The reach of the Internet allow us to influence many people, which can be good or bad, depending on you and only you.
Best wishes for health, happiness, peace and prosperity.
May Your Glass Always Be Half Full
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