This past November I participated in the You Matter Marathon. This marathon was started by a woman named Cheryl Rice. One day a co-worker gave Cheryl a small card with two simple words printed on it, YOU MATTER. Cheryl was deeply touched by the thought and ordered cards of her own to pass out to others. The whole process had a magical impact on her life and she wanted to do more. That is when Cheryl came up with the idea for the marathon. The goal of the marathon was to share 10,000 YOU MATTER cards during the month of November. A website was created so people could sign up either as an individual or an ambassador. An ambassador you were supporting the marathon with your organization, your business, a school or other group. The first 500 people that signed up received 30 free cards, one for each day of November. There was also a template provided for those that wished to print and give out more.
I began handing out the cards to people I would see each day. There was one person that I handed a card to that really touched my heart and made me very thankful that I participated in this project. She is a church member, and she had lost a family member and a dear friend around the same time. She was having a very hard time dealing with the losses. I handed her the card one day as she was leaving church and told her that she mattered. The next day she called me and asked me why I had given her that card. I explained about the project. She asked me who she mattered to, and I told her that she mattered to me and that most of all, she mattered to God. She was quiet on the other end of the line for a while and then through tears told me thank you and that she needed to hear that. She tells me often that she keeps the card in her wallet and looks at it and thinks of what I told her. She was so grateful that I took the time to let her know that she mattered and that someone cared about her. Her gratitude warmed my heart and made me think of all the times in my life when God blessed me with someone to say the right words at the right time. I set out to bless her, but by her sincere gratitude, she blessed me in return.
I think back to that day and how grateful she was for this small act, and it makes me stop and think about all the things I should be grateful for also. We all should take the time each day to have an attitude of gratitude and share that feeling with others by thanking them for the difference they make. You never know when someone really needs to hear how much they are appreciated.
Lee Ann Simpson, Administrative Assistant Asbury Campus
