Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

Our relative from Ireland has arrived, and I realized that right accent is a key to right speech!  I could listen to her saying anything and be enthralled and delighted.  Her voice has that lyrical quality, and a lilting softness that is so pleasant to the ear.  But that also reminds me that tone is awfully important.  If we are conscious enough we can modulate our voices to be more soothing, less threatening, and therefore easier to listen to the content of the speech.  I do this every day with my dogs, and yet I forget I have this ability when it comes to humans.  It takes extra effort, but it's worth it.  I did it when I read to my children, because I wanted to engage them in the reading process.  It's a skill in my toolbox I sometimes forget about.  Now if only I could get the Irish accent down!