Broken shells and pennies

I once heard a young man preaching about "Have You Ever Felt Like a Penny". He was a successful, educated guy who always seemed very positive and confident. His talk was about how no one values a penny now. People drop them and don't even bother to pick them up. They say "It's just a penny". God values people, even ones who feel like they are pennies. His words stuck with me, as I have felt like a penny more than once. I am usually startled if someone likes something I say or do, it is a shock to be valued. It's a pity we don't tell each other more often that we are of value. Broken shells are like that too. People want the prettiest ones on the beach, and search for ones without flaws. I like looking at all of them, especially the very old, holey ones with weird things stuck to the underside. I feel they 'had a life' of unusual depth and experience. As I get older, I hope I accumulate interesting experiences and don't really care if I look more like the odd old shell than a perfect one you put on display. The beat up broken shells get to stay in the sea!