Clearly she was expected to say something, but panic at having to speak stole the thoughts from her head.

Words deserted him immediately. He could only speak when he was not asked to.

I'm shy at public speaking, which is tough.

Is that the biggest favor your vocal cords have done to anyone this week?

I'm not going to shy away from speaking my mind, ... I felt like I was kicking (expletive). So, I just said it.

I believe that words are strong, that they can overwhelm what we fear when fear seems more awful than life is good.