"….she is a confirmed busybody and I told her so!" growled Mr. Harrison

"Oh that must have hurt her feelings very much," said Anne reproachfully. 

"It was the truth and I believe in telling the truth to everybody."

"But you don't tell the whole truth," objected Anne. "You only tell the disagreeable part of the truth."

"You'll have to excuse me Anne. I've got a habit of being outspoken and folks mustn't mind it."

"But they can't help minding it. What would you think of of a person who went about sticking pins and needles into people and saying, 'Excuse me, you mustn't mind it… it's just a habit I've got.'"

I have been interested in one of the later volumes of the Anne of Green Gables series but have decided I needed to buckle down and read the middle books and not skip ahead.  Once more I am glad for making the effort. I am remembering how many life lessons Lucy Maude Montgomery weaves so artfully into her stories.  

Many friends have remarked over the years about the tone we tend to slip into from the safety of a screen.  It is easy to be snide and mocking, to be passive aggressive. (or just plain aggressive) .  "Oh, that's just a joke.  Everybody shares these."   In real life as well, we tend to make excuses for ourselves.  We defend our words because they are true.  And they may be.  It's likely they are not the whole truth about a person or situation, however. It's possible we share only the disagreeable parts.  Very often that is the only part of things we take the time to know about. 

One son challenged himself during a lent years ago not to complain.  To speak only positive things or remain silent.  He noted at the end of those weeks that he felt changed.  Our words do not only wound others.  We cannot avoid doing ourselves harm when we habitually share the disagreeable parts.