Take Time To Care

 How will you use your time today? How we use our time matters. We need to be aware and use our time wisely. In our day, we should take time for ourselves and others. I know it doesn't seem like there are enough hours in a day to get everything done, but let's aside time for what's important 💖. In order to know how to use our time wisely, we need to notice what needs our attention around us. I asked a question about two weeks in a previous blog post titled, "What Do You Notice?" I encouraged us to pay attention and be aware of needs we have. If you haven't read that blog post, please go back and check that out 😊!! In our noticing, I want to encourage us to take time to care. When we care about someone or something, it means we feel concern or interest and we attach importance to it. This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to go with Bible Club students and adults to visit local nursing home residents. It was a great time! For anyone that has followed my blog for any amount of time knows that one of my favorite things to do is visit nursing home residents 💖. It gives me so much joy!! On this visit, it was a beautiful day as we walked to the nursing home as it's not far from our school. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the scenery for sure 😊! At the nursing home, students read Scriptures, shared poems (one young lady wrote an original poem!), sung songs, and spelled out THANKS by sharing things to be grateful for. The students did an amazing job! We shared with residents in the sunroom, which was the first time we had shared with them in that particular room. It was beautiful as the sun shined perfectly in there. I know the sun was shining, but I felt like God was shining His light down even more! It was great to hear the residents share what they were thankful for. It was great seeing the students and residents talk with each other and see the smiles 😊. What topped it all off was that the kids got to meet our nursing home pen pal resident for the first time!!! When I shared with the students they could meet her, their faces lit up like it was Christmas time!! Then, when they went in the room to say hi to her, my heart leaped with even more joy 💖. Our pen pal asked the students their names and grade and she was smiling as they talked! Her roommate was also very nice and thanked us for seeing them. We stayed in the room for a few minutes as we had to get back to school, but it mattered that we took time to care. We spread kindness. We shared love. We gave smiles and had our presence show up. We showed appreciation and kindness 💗. Here's what I haven't told you yet- the same day we went to visit the nursing home (October 22nd) would have been my Daddy's birthday. For those of you who may not know, my Daddy passed away at 49 years old in 2002. The visit was bittersweet in that Daddy didn't live to see the age many of the residents did. The visit was also a blessing because I, along with our group of students and adults, got to take time to care and show kindness to the residents 😊. We can't always visit someone in person, but we can take time to say hi, give a smile or compliment, write an encouraging note, lend a helping hand, showing up, ask questions, be a listening ear, sit with someone, give a phone call, or send a message. It all matters! People need to know they are important. So, don't forget to take time to care 😊! God bless you all!!