Take out the Steps, Please

I am a word person. Not much or numbers. I leave those to my parents, retired banker and mathematician, and sister, accountant. Numbers are so final. Black and white. Give me words any day. Don’t misunderstand me. There are some words that drive me bonkers or make my skin crawl. Obviously what my sweet Grandmother would call “ugly” words are tops on that list. Back then I didn’t appreciate her calling foul language “ugly” but now I see perfectly why she did. That language is so offensive it even takes away from the beauty of the one speaking those words.

One word that makes me cringe is step. What about you? How are you with steps? I don’t like that word at all. Stairs hurt my knees, but that is not what I mean. Let’s talk step in regard to family relationships. Growing up I heard about stepparents and siblings….through Cinderella. Those steps were horrendous! It would scare any child away from wanting a stepparent or step sibling. Do you remember how they treated poor Cinderella? They worked her endlessly, gave her no love or affection, and laughed while doing it.

My husband came into our marriage with two children. They easily slipped into my family, life, and heart. At times people tell me how my daughter favors my sister or cousin. One person commented on how she gestured when speaking. “She does that just like you and your mother.” Remarks have been made that things my son said were straight out of my mouth. “He has your values.”

The stories of a wicked stepparent were found to be untrue when my mother married Dad. Yep, they were quickly shot down. He is a sweet, gentle giant and loves us like his own. Doctors we both go to caution me about health issues “because of your Dad” only to laugh when reminded he is my second Dad and not the first. When people find out they are shocked. He is never called step nor are we.

In my family we have a lot of steps. They are the good kind that I love dearly. I have banned the word from my house and vocabulary. My children are my children. Dad is my father. I have more cousins than I can count. When someone asks me how many nieces and nephews I have, it takes me a while to add them all up. Why would I put “step” into a discussion that doesn’t really need it? Family is family. Love is love. Speak it and believe it. Get off those steps.

Proverbs 16:24 “Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”