She was one of those little girls who is all sugar and spice, but when the spice came out it was no longer nice.
Any time someone or something bothered her she lashed out with harsh words. It was a problem at school and at home, and her parents knew that they needed to do more than just tell her to stop. One day, the girl's Dad took her out to the back fence where there was a large bucket of old nails and a hammer.
He said, "Honey, every time you lose your temper and say something hurtful, you need to hammer a nail into the fence." Like many young girls, she adored her Daddy, and she agreed to give it a try. Days and weeks went by, and many nails pierced the wooden fence, until one day the girl said, "Daddy, here's the hammer - I don't need it any more. I haven't said a mean thing for days." "That's great, Sweetheart. Take the hammer back, and now, every time you control your temper and are kind to someone, remove one of the nails."
The girl rolled her eyes and groaned, but she agreed to do as her Dad said. Over the weeks, one by one, the nails were pulled out and returned to the bucket. Finally, she handed over the hammer and proudly said, "I did it, Daddy. I was nice to people and all the nails are out! They walked to the back yard together to see the results of her work. Everywhere a nail had been removed there was a dark hole, a permanent mark in the wood. 
Unkind words,even when taken back, leave scars.
Baltimore,Md.
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