Here is a statement by Elie Wiesel that I came across. "Words can sometimes in moments of grace, attain to the quality of deeds." I do believe that is so. I also believe it true to say that in moments of gracelessness words also attain the quality of deeds. In fact, I believe that words are deeds that can hurt or heal, divide or unite, tear down or build up. To assign such significance to words flies in the face of much in our upbringing, culture, and experience that predisposes us to devalue the power of words. Maybe it is those old sayings we learned early on: "silence is golden"; "one picture is worth a thousand words"; "actions speak louder than words." Maybe it is the times when we were admonished as children to hush up, button our lips, or to mind our tongues. Or maybe we recall the …