What Miss T Eats

I had the most interesting reading books when I was a youngster! I remember still the poem, “Miss T.”

It's a very odd thing—
As odd as can be—
That whatever Miss T eats
Turns into Miss T.

Walter de la Mare (1873 - 1956)
British poet and novelist, from Peacock Pie, A Book of Rhymes, 1913

I’m sure the point was for us young readers to realize that what we ingested—fruits and vegetables, milk, and meat or candy, ice cream, and popcorn—would make a difference in our health. A verse I read today in Proverbs reminded me of Miss T. “Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.” (Proverbs 26:22 NLT) Other translations call the dainty bites “choice morsels” or “tasty trifles” and in addition to rumors include gossip, tale bearing, and whispering (in the sense of insinuating). Isn’t it interesting that what goes into our mouths goes into muscle and bone building and other body functions, while what goes in our ears goes to our inmost being!

Words that we speak are powerful things. “Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose.” (Proverbs 18:21 MSG) The same is true of the words to which we listen. We are probably all exposed to things we would rather not hear, but we do have a lot of discretion—more perhaps, than we usually exercise—about what we choose to hear.

It’s a very odd thing—
Very odd, I should say—
That what Miss (or Mr. or Mrs.) J hears
Turns into Miss J. --MM

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture marked MSG is taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.