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Broken Shells | Subscribe to this Blog |
June 12, 2009
One summers afternoon as I leisurely strolled the coast in search of sea shell treasures I saw a shimmer from the sand. I lifted a broken shell and washed it in the surf. I was strangely captivated by its beauty. Its splendor did not lie in its perfect shape or un-chipped surface, for this shell was far from flawless. It had been broken numerous times. Its surface bore cracks and exposed layers. The ridges it had at creation had been made smooth, from the constant tumbling of the unrelenting sea that had been its keeper. As I gently rolled it in my palm I could not help but wonder all the places this one shell had been. How many times had it rolled on the shore? How many times had a fierce storm buried it, so deep the weight of the sand threatened to crush it? How many times had it been un-covered slowly by the perfect in and out rhythm of the tides that still came even after the storm? As I gazed at the amazing hues of iridescent colors, I realized it was the shell’s journey through harsh elements that revealed the magic of its unique beauty. Of all the thousands of shells that decorated the shoreline, this one shell had been transformed from ordinarily perfect into extraordinarily unique and absolutely spectacular.
You too are wonderfully unique. In the storms of life, when you feel broken, unable, when the hill in front of you seems too high to climb remember God has set you on a pilgrimage. You are on a journey that will carve out the beauty in you that he alone knows dwells inside. Of all the billions of souls that decorate this earth, yours is being transformed from ordinarily normal into extraordinarily unique and absolutely spectacular. Live your one lifetime with joyful expectation of the unexpected and remember you are beautiful because you are you, the one and only.
Jodi Bagwell
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Relationships | Subscribe to this Blog |
June 3, 2009
Fellow Sales Women
I wanted to share with you something that has been on my mind lately. It bothers me, that in our society we are absolutely inundated with superficial relationships. With email, social networking and cell phones our relationships are 10 miles wide and a centimeter deep. With Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Plaxo and countless others we have never before been as networked with other people and yet, I think our generation is plagued with growing epidemic of loneliness. Let me get on my soapbox for a moment and share that I believe God made women to have a deep need for relationship, real fellowship- especially with other women. Networking sites are great for professional networking, staying on top of the latest trends and using warm leads but they do not meet the deep seeded need we have for friendship and fellowship. Take time this week to call an old friend, when you have 15 minutes to really talk. Go to a movie (a total chic flic)- get a pedicure- surprise someone with a hand written card. Don’t just check your email- plug into someone’s life and really get connected. As for me- I am off this weekend to spend some time with a few dear friends at the beach. Good laughs, good stories and great memories.
The following was written by the late Erma Bombeck after she found out she had a fatal disease.
If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.” There would have been more “I love you’s”.. More “I’m sorrys” …
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it … live it…and never give it back. © Erma Bombeck
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