<b>By Takiya Smith</b>

A couple of weeks ago, I was having a bit of a moment or “just one of those days” as many people can easily relate. It was not quite a bad day, but it was just a day where I was feeling the stress, pull, tug and strain of “just being” — being a mom, being a business owner, being busy, being restless and plain old just being. This day in particular, I was feeling overwhelmed with all my responsibilities, commitments and duties and the thought of it all tired me to the point of tears. However, in the midst of my tears, wanting to curl back up in bed, pull the covers over my head and just sleep all day, this article was derived.

The words “you are a jewel” were spoken to me this particular day and in my epiphany I want to share them with every woman who has ever felt overwhelmed, over-burdened, unappreciated or taken for granted.

On a daily basis, in addition to my family, I am a friend, mentor and confidant, at the ready to give advice, hugs, prayers or just a smile. Somehow, this day, God saw fit that I needed all of theses myself and sent a stream of individuals to contact me that day. My phone rang throughout the day with calls from people, who just wanted to say “hi” or “you were on my mind.” I had two unexpected drop-in visits from clients I hadn’t seen, one in a year, the other in six months, just to say, “I wanted to come say hello” or “I just missed you and wanted to see you.”

The final call was from another client-turned-friend who called to say, “You were on my heart today, is everything OK?” Over the phone, she began to encourage me regarding my daily endeavors and in this moment it hit me that each and everyone of us needs this sort of encouragement. I found myself to be quite blessed this day with the thought of so many thinking about me, that it prompted me to think about others and reach out to let them know they too are appreciated.

Many times, we go so long or take for granted the simple thought of extending our gratitude to others. A phone call, a hug, or just even “dropping in” can be enough to make someone’s day. I really learned a lesson here, that it is so important to let people know when you are thinking about them and it can do so much more for an individual to actually reach out to them. How many times have you ever felt like you just needed a hug? How many times have you felt like just hearing someone’s voice or encouraging words? I can guarantee, if you have ever felt that way, then so have they.
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