"Appreciation
can make a day,
even change a life.
Your willingness to put it into words
is all that is necessary."
(Margaret Cousins)
There is a true story about a teacher who had asked her students to write something (just one thing) they appreciated about each student in their class. After she collected all the encouraging words, she gave each student a list of the the things their classmates admired about them. It was an excellent exercise in positive reinforcement, respect and admiration, and many lives were encouraged and even changed as a result.
As years passed, one of the students had served and died in Vietnam. Found tucked inside his wallet was a weathered piece of paper...yes, the list! One of his prized possessions, it travelled with him through the years, through the war, through life and death.
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak,
but their echoes are truly endless"
(Mother Teresa)
Sometimes we become weary, discouraged, worn out from working hard, or just plain fatigued. Then, someone out of the blue compliments us or shows us appreciation in some way, encouraging us and making us feel valued. Our efforts suddenly feel worthwhile...they haven't gone un-noticed.
There are plenty of situations in life, both serious and not so serious when we could benefit from a kind word.
"Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones" (Proverbs 16:24)
Whatever we are going through might not be as powerful as the story of the soldier or the classroom filled with changed lives, but every life is important...every word has meaning...and the words we speak (a reflection of our hearts) do make an impact.
MAY YOUR WORDS
BE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
TO SOMEONE... ANYONE...
MAYBE EVEN TODAY!
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14 comments:
Great post! Thank you for the important reminder. Have a beautiful weekend.
Oh yes Lorraine...so true.
Its the little things that are really the big things.
Oh to touch into the lives of others with our words and deeds!
Blessings my sweet friend xoxoxo
Deborah :)
yes yes yes, there couldn't be truer words spoken...the power of our words is monumental!! Thank you for this precious reminder, one can never have too many reminders about the importance of kindness and the spoken word. What an impact it has on those around us....I will be thinking much on this tonight sweet bella. xo j
You always have the most lovely posts! Appreciation is so important. Every time I catch myself being grumpy or ungrateful, I think of so many people have given up so many things to give to others or of loved ones lost. Then I truly begin to appreciate this precious life God has blessed me with.
I love that story! The seniors at my kids' high school write letters to each other to be read at their retreat...same sort of deal...my oldest still has his saved in his room. Hope you're having a fabulous summer~~~
Fabulous post! AMEN!! We need to give and learn to receive encouragement from others. I just finished reading a book called, Strengths Based Leadership. At the end of the book, I had a code to go online and take a test to determine my leadership strengths. What a great thing! I tend to focus on my weaknesses, but successful people actually spend more time focusing on their strengths. Go figure!
Amen, amen...I have had my kids do this for each other, when I felt they were picking on each other too much. Years later our daughter shared how she cared the cards around in her basketball bag to encourage her.
Thanks for sharing and reminding me of the power of my words
This is a great post, and thank you so much for putting this in practice and leaving such kind words over at my blog when you visited earlier! You're a natural encourager, so what an apt reminder! Thanks!
Amen and Amen; It is important to learn to tell people how we appreciate them. I just also want you to know that I appreciate you as my blogger friend and am always blessed by your visit to my blog and your kind words. xoxo
What a lovely, inspiring post. Thanks so much for sharing!
This is a beautiful post my sweet bloggy friend. Many years ago our office did a similar thing. Everyone on the management team was asked to write a brief sentence about each person and place it into a box (every note was anonymous). Each paper was read . Wonderful words were shared, lessons were learned. We were each given our little notes. I kept one of the papers folded in my wallet for years. It said " Katherine listens to me as if I am the most important person on the plant, she listens with her heart" To this day those words stay with me.
Big Hugs ♥
Amen! Margaret Cousins is soooo right!
God bless and have a great weekend :-)
~Ron
This is a post after my own heart! Encouraging others is my passion. It doesn't have to cost a dime. I had not read the appreciation quote before but the Mother Teresa quote is one of my favorites.
Hello there lady,
Just dropping by to say hi; hope you are having a blessed weekend:) xo
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