Nestled in the giant firs that cling to the shoreline of Emerald Lake Lodge, a string of two-storey, bright green steeple-roofed cabins offer shelter and seclusion to visitors year round. C.C. and I always ask for a cabin as far from the main building as possible. We like the walk after dinner, the stars a glittering blanket of awe-inspiring splendour above, the night crisp and clear all around us. The view from our main level cabin, bracketed by fir trees, looked out over the still frozen lake to the majesty of  the snow-covered President Range  and Emerald Glacier on the far side. It was breath-taking.

There is no traffic at the Lodge. Cars are parked on a lower level with the Lodge providing shuttle service to and fro. Admist the silence of the fir trees, only bird song interrupts the quiet.

Except when someone is yelling and cursing. Then, the silence is marred by human discord spilling out into the silence, creating ripples of unease all around.

It was early evening, the light still bright on the lake. C.C. and I were sitting quietly reading, a fire burning brightly in our room when voices began to penetrate the calm around us. Surprised, unsure what we were hearing, I stepped out onto the deck to listen. The voice was loud. Close, and angry. It was a woman. Yelling. Cursing. Abusive. Disgusted at something, someone.

I wasn’t sure what to do. It was easy to tell they were in the cabin above us. It was easy to tell their deck door, like ours, was open.

I considered the options and called back to C.C. who was sitting reading by the fire. “Do you think I should knock on their door and let them know we can hear them?”

C.C. waved me to return inside. I admit it. I had purposefully raised my voice so that I could be heard by anyone above who happened to be listening.

It only took a moment. There was an abrupt stop to the angry yelling. Silence descended. The cursing stopped and calm returned.

It took me awhile to let go of the effects of her harsh words and discord. I kept shrugging it off, breathing into peace but I must admit, later on at dinner in the lodge, I did listen to voices of other couples in an attempt to see if I could tell who it was. I doubt I would have said anything, but I was curious as to what could be so important that the peace and tranquility of a mountain retreat in one of the most romantic settings around could be disturbed by such violent anger.

C.C. who knows how curious I can be, gently nudged me to pay attention when he saw me looking around the dinner room, listening closely to other people’s conversations (I know — nosey!). I smiled sheepishly and turned my attention back to him. It was hard not to listen to him anyway. He was reading the menu to me with an Italian accent — and his Italian accent is atrocious! In the laughter dappled halo of our dinner conversation, I forgot about the woman of the harsh voice, and focused instead on his loving presence.

But she did remind me of something very important. We must always be conscious of what we send out into the world. Our words, our voices, our presence makes a difference in the world that ripples out to edge up against other people’s lives. Letting our anger spillover like frigid water bursting from the trap of winter’s ice is a chilling experience for everyone; those it is directed to, and those who stand on the periphery as unexpected recipients and innocent bystanders.

We have power to create harmony, or discord, with our words. To make a lasting and welcome difference in the world, choose harmony. It never fails to create a ripple of joy all around.