"Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."
Proverbs 16:24
Are you ready for some Valentines - candy hearts, mushy cards, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
Personally, my husband and I are not big Valentines Day celebrators. But it is always nice to hear someone say “I Love You.” And it is always SWEET to have someone give you a special Love gift!
Well I have a special gift that I want to pass along to you.
It is a gift that a friend of mine gave to me at the beginning of the New Year. It wasn’t a Valentines Day gift per se, but just a gift that she thought would bring me some JOY and was super encouraging!
This gift came wrapped in a cardboard box and was nothing more than a clear, glass jar with a plain, white notepad, along with a simple note that was printed on computer paper. Nothing fancy at all.
And yet it was a wonderful gift of LOVE as it was created and delivered so as to bring me hidden gifts of JOY.
Along with a personal note of encouragement, this is what the letter said:
At first I wanted to gussy it up (you know I could hardly resist adding decorative paper, swirls, color and curls!). But I didn’t because I wanted the notes to be the beauty. The absolute simplicity of writing something good that happened to me that brought me JOY during my day.
As Proverbs 16 says, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, SWEET to the soul and healing to the bones.” and that is exactly what these little notes are - sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Consequently, I nicknamed this jar my SWEET TREATS. Instead of a jar filled with candy, it is a jar filled with treats, special “somethings” from my day that are out of the ordinary and gave great pleasure.
But you could also nickname this jar:
The Joy Jar
The Blessings Basket (if you put your notes in a basket!)
The Lazy Man’s Journal
The Year In Review
Or Any Other Name That Sparks Your Fancy!
I have found that I like to keep my jar in my bathroom and add a note at night before going to bed. I don’t write every night, sometimes I am just too tired. But with my SWEET TREATS jar sitting before me, I am more cognizant to dwell on good things that happened because I want to fill this special jar full!
My gift to you this Valentines is for you to grab a jar (or basket) around your house, along with a pen and a notepad and start filling it up with SWEET TREATS that happened to you during the day. It could be just for you, or you could place it in a public place to encourage family members to participate as well - a kitchen counter or at the dinner table for example.
It really is a JOY to look back on all the little special TREATS that happen, without having to feel the guilt of more sophisticated recording in a journal.
I hope you have the HAPPIEST OF VALENTINES!
LOVE, MARGARET