Site
Sponsor

The power of a kind word: How Embers™ spread hope, joy & love in a sometimes dark world

By: J. Fraser
| Published 02/04/2015

Linkedin

Words have power. Whether they lift someone up, or put someone down, words carry more power than we sometimes remember.

For Randi Watkins, 2003 graduate of The Woodlands High School, her company's slogan speaks volumes about her value of words: gracious words ignite™.

In an effort to create a company with a heart for serving, Randi started Ember Paperie in 2009. She graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in environmental design and went on to work for an architecture and engineering firm in Dallas. Four years later, she felt a stir in her heart and stepped out in faith to start Ember Paperie.

Ember Paperie creates Embers™, which are beautifully handcrafted pocket notes, debossed with gracious words with the purpose of spreading joy, inspiration and love. The Embers™ are a spectacular white or gold and come sold as singles or gift sets. They are pocket notes that you can give in secret or hand to a friend, and they are bringing back an art form not often seen in the days of advancing technology.

"The written note is becoming rare in our day but the power of the intentional word still exists," Randi said. "In the midst of mass emails, text messages and social media we can still feel disconnected. The simplicity of the written note brings a sincerity that carries more meaning. Old proverbs tell of the magnitude of our words. One can set a forest ablaze with harsh words and kind words are like honey - sweetness to the soul and healing to the body. Harsh words destroy, kind words heal, and gracious words ignite™. They can ignite encouragement, forgiveness, joy, laughter, unity, peace and life."

It's not lost on Randi the importance of thinking and serving others through the simplicity of giving an Ember™.

"We all have moments when time stops for a minute in our day and we remember a friend in need of encouragement or empathy stirs in us for a struggling co-worker or our intuition tells us that our waitress has worked hard all day and needs a lift in her spirit," Randi said. "We say to ourselves, 'I wish I had a way to encourage them and put a little light in their day. I wish I had time to stop and talk. I wish I had a paper and pen to write a quick note. I wish I knew what words to speak.' With Embers™ tucked away in your pocket for any moment that arises, you have a gracious word to give to ignite encouragement, hope, and life."

And that's exactly what Embers™ do.

The beautifully debossed products are sold on Etsy and many of Randi's clients share in the joy of spreading a kind word.

“We really enjoyed the service of our waitress and wanted to show her our appreciation not only with a tip but also with a ‘thank you’ Ember™," one client said. "I came back to the same restaurant a few weeks later and she ran over to me with happy tears in her eyes. She opened her waitress pad and at the top was placed that very Ember™. It’s the first thing she sees when she opens it to take orders. She told us that little Ember™ meant so much to her. In her excitement you could see the impact it had on her.”

And this is just one of many of Randi's testimonials. Others have shared stories of how they leave Embers™ as remembrance of prayers lifted in times of trial, given hope to co-workers battling cancer, and an Ember™ was the perfect finishing touch for an auction item for the Carson Leslie Foundation.

Stepping out in faith and starting a business is true faith in action. As any business owner knows, running a business comes with many trials and joys.

"I have found having my own company requires more of my energy, time and diligence than when working for a large established firm," Randi said. "However, I have more freedom to use my specific gifts to their highest potential as well as dedicate more of myself to building relationships."

And to know Randi is to know that at the heart of everything she does she has others in mind. It's to know someone who wants to touch people's lives in a meaningful, significant way. Randi said giving brings perspective to a purposeful life.

“I am not the most important person in my life’s pursuit,” she said. “Giving puts others before us and allows us to see we are all in need of one another. We are in need of stirring one another up, encouraging one another, and carrying one another’s burdens along the path that leads to an abundant life."

And with a company founder who wakes up every day looking at how to serve others, it's easy to see how her Embers™ are blessing people everywhere.

"Having my Embers™ with me causes me to think more about the people around me, whether friend or stranger, and less about myself, which is a beautiful and freeing thing,” one client of Randi’s said. “I find myself seeing the blessings and needs around me and actually having a simple and beautiful way to acknowledge it and encourage someone. It's something I can do easily, even with my three precious crazies (my kids) with me - and they get to see me thinking about and blessing people around us."

Randi hopes to see Embers™ all around the United States, as well as other countries. With that, she hopes Ember Paperie will be able to create new job opportunities both within her community and abroad. In the future, we also may see embossed and textured papers designed and produced by Randi.

"My simple hope is that this company will be built upon a solid foundation and be a part of the testimony and the delight of many people in the years to come," Randi said.

When asked how she would describe the company in a single word, she said, "Light."

And in this world that can sometimes bring so much negativity and darkness, the former TWHS graduate doesn't just create opportunities for light in the darkness, but she is living proof of that light.

For more information on Randi and Ember Paperie, visit http://www.emberpaperie.com or shop for your Embers™ today on her Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/EmberPaperie.

Photos
Comments •
X
Log In to Comment