Our words must be as strong, loving, and meaningful as a hug. Each syllable or utterance that comes from our vocal cords should float out of our mouths as if they were the warmest possible embraces. Our talk does not have to be fancy; it must be genuine and focused on the person’s goodness.

As part of our dialog, we need to sharpen our story-telling skills, not fantasy stories, but communications related to the person with the broken heart based on things of beauty that you have noticed, even tiny things. The idea is to help the person form an internal image that slowly evolves into a self-image based on goodness, the goodness and beauty in your stories about the suffering person. As time goes on these comments will grow and deepen. However, the idea is not to teach anyone right from wrong, but to help the person realize his/her own goodness that will lead to morally grounded judgments.

We have to be sharp during our encounters with the person. What does his/her eyes say? What might the screams mean? How deep must the sorrow be when a persons cuts or hits him/herself? We have to read the person and listen for stories that we can use that will help define goodness. We should acknowledge sorrow without wallowing in it. Most of our story should be based on the person’s beauty.