• Inquisitive curiosity feeds discovery • Play is the basis of learning • A place of security brings rest to our soul • Nurture tender life and watch it grow • Learning and growing is greatest when navigating challenges • When seen through the heart, each day is a wondrous exploration • Newness and change need time for adjustment • Fresh eyes can bring great enlightenment • May our words and actions encourage and uplift • Imagination opens possibilities and delves into solutions • Small things can loom as great mountains • Speak encouragement and express value for others whenever possible • Joy speaks through skips, song, and bright faces • God loves us, His children, beyond our greatest imagination
Shining bright Love deep and strong Life o’erflowing With passion and courage Reflection of most noble character Wisdom more precious … Incomparable worth Beacon to all
Charlotte-Anne Allen
Proverbs 8:11 “For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”
Re-Posting my poem which inspired the name of this website: “The Still Small Voice – for Just a Weed”. For those hearts out there who, like all of us, sometimes feel insignificant. A call for us to see the value and beauty of each life. Precious in God’s sight.
I see your face Shining bravely And so I stop To get acquainted. It’s just a weed I hear them say.
Delicate flower Standing there Surrounded By the tended growth. It’s just a weed I hear them say.
A splash of cheer; Yellows and blues, White and purple, Lilac too. It’s just a weed I hear them say.
I laugh; I chuckle. I smile with joy As I make my pass Around their home. It’s just a weed I hear them say.
What weeds are these? Unwanted ones? Not at all… but rather, Unnoticed treasures, Loyal companions, Fullness of life!
• It takes a seed to form ideas to have a vision for great things • We often underestimate the impact of one life upon another • The effect of one person will have lasting results • Fear and uncertainty can blind us or hold us back from taking positive steps • Sometimes we need to remove things which prevent us from growing and becoming • Cultivate good qualities and use them to benefit others • A single skill or interest has endless possibilities for expression • We absorb attitudes, assumptions, ideas, expectations, and philosophies from everything around us • It is prudent to keep a clear head and take time for contemplation before making decisions and following a chosen course • Let experience bring calmer responses and clearer insight • Offering encouragement and value to others is like water to sustain a body • Food for the soul comes from God, the great provider and source of life
From “Reflections from the Everyday” “Charlotte-Anne Allen
These words between friends, family members, or others are an expression of mutual affection and support. Have you ever considered how powerful they are?
For those on the receiving end, these simple phrases can bring a wealth of meaning, can’t they? I’m happy… We’re enjoying each other’s company… You’re special. They can also express empathy and compassion. I’m so sorry… I regret what happened… I still care.
What about when we speak those words? Sometimes it is so easy to say them, especially when we are happy and are spending enjoyable time in each other’s company. In parting, they are reminders for each other which we take with us, lifting each other up and bringing smiles to faces.
Have you ever struggled to say or to return them? Maybe there has been some strain in your relationship, some hurt or struggle… some unkind or ill-spoken thought. How difficult they can be to say in the face of great loss. Death, poor health prognosis, violence, or our own failures… In those times “love you” and “love you too” can be both painful and healing.
As I was reading in the book of Romans this morning, I came upon a word that expresses these very thoughts!
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” *
I was curious about the word “honor”, so I looked up the meaning for its use in this passage [Yes, a bit nerdy maybe but doing this has really helped me to understand verses in the Bible better!]. It said: “a valuing by which the price is fixed (of the price itself, of the price paid or received for a person or thing bought or sold); honor which belongs or is shown to one (by reason of rank…, deference, reverence)“.
Honor is linked with price and value… and (in that passage) with love! 1Corinthians 6:20 uses the same word, translated as “price”. “For you are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” It struck me of the great price already paid for us through Jesus. Each of us are loved, valued, and honored. Do we love, value, and honor each other to this extent? How do we even wrap our minds around that?!
My prayer for us today, is that we will be more aware of the power of these simple words to and from God and with others. May we use them often, with greater appreciation and understanding. May we be transformed and filled as we both give and receive.
• Giving does not divide, rather it multiplies and nourishes • Generosity in sharing what you have grows blessings for all • Disregarding the value of others brings heartache and misunderstandings • Gather together what is needed to guide you • Our lives are a rich mosaic of colors and patterns • Look for the beauty in small things as well as grand displays • The beauty of a life brought to wholeness gives us hope • God will comfort us in our brokenness • We often struggle when we cannot see the whole picture • Looking at all perspectives and options can help gain clarity • Receiving memories shared by others is like finding missing puzzle pieces • Apply yourself to learning and to gaining skills bit-by-bit • Trying new things adds color and interest • When all is dashed to pieces, there is God to gather us
From “Reflections from the Everyday” – Charlotte-Anne Allen
The Still Small Voice 