Merriam-Webster dictionary defines encourage as “to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope : hearten.” It’s easy to lose hope and not solider on when life seems a bit wonky, off step or totally out of control. Some days you’re just not feeling it, something comes across your path or your social media feed and you become discouraged or you totally are losing hope. You are not alone. Anyone who is honest about their feelings will admit they feel like this from time to time.
We all need encouragement. We all need some one to cheer us on, especially on the hard days. Throughout the month of June The Kedge Anchor is focusing on encouragement, what discourages us and how we can be encouraged.
When I started this blog in January of 2020, I wanted to offer hope. I also wanted to share my art, which has always been an outlet for me. So the month June it’s all about encouragement. Follow The Kedge Anchor on YouTube for tutorials on ways that we can encourage others and ways that we can find encouragement ourselves. It’s so easy to scroll through our social media pages be discouraged by current events or by comparing ourselves. Comparing has become so second nature for me that I have to really be mindful of what I am feeling when scrolling on social media. Heck it doesn’t have to be social media for me to compare myself, just show me something I am not doing that I should be doing and I can judge myself why am I not doing it and why I can’t do it, and I’ll never be able to do it. Flip though a magazine, does anyone read magazines anymore? It’s so easy to compare ourselves to Photoshopped images and feel inadequate. But what we are really doing is comparing ourselves to something that isn’t real.
So what do we do when we find ourselves discouraged? How do get out of those pits? We don’t have to go there, be there or stay there. We are worth more than that. God created us in His image, Genesis 1:27, and values us more than the sparrows, Matthew 10:31.
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It National No More Dirty Dishes Day! So many of you want to celebrate this. Aaaahhh, to never wash another dish or load or unload the dishwasher. An empty sink, a clean kitchen photo shoot ready. Some households you will never see a sink with dirty dishes, others you may find one or two and some it’s never empty. I know that frustrates some to have anything in the sink. I get it.
I hope that I can give you a different perspective on dirty dishes. For me a sink full of dirty dishes means we ate. Our stomachs are full and satisfied. To me it’s a glorious thing. My mom used to have a poem taped to the side cabinet by the sink, you may have heard it;
Thank God for dirty dishes; They have a tale to tell. While others may go hungry, We’re eating very well With home, health, and happiness, I shouldn’t want to fuss; By the stack of evidence, God’s been very good to us.
(side note here, I would like to credit whomever penned this poem. I searched and found two different authors and one unknown)
Growing up I remember some of my friend’s mom would just lose it if there were dirty dishes in the sink. Now I am not saying we let them sit, let the sink smell and ants start crawling around, that’s not what I am saying. And for me dishes in sink is a good thing. My husband and I lived in Seminole County Florida where there is a hunger issue. Many children go to school without breakfast or a packed lunch. No matter where we have lived there has been an area where families lack food. Google where you live and search for areas that have a food deficit. I am willing to bet those homes have empty sinks.
I just don’t get upset about dirty dishes in the sink. I do keep a clean house. Many times the sink is full of dishes the next morning because we have been out living a life, or one of us was sick and in my house if one of is sick… I’m no thinking about the sink. I don’t freak out when I when wake up and dishes from the night before are there, it means we ate. I may be a little off beat here, but for me taking the time to clean the sink in the morning gives me time to clear my head and focus. I may put on some worship music or listen to a podcast or sermon whilst I clean. Sometimes it just before I make dinner I get to it. It’s ok to have a sink full of dirty dishes. It’s ok to have an empty sink. It’s just where on the priority list is it? I am very thankful for those dirty dishes. It means we ate. It means God has been good to us. So the next time you see your sink overflowing take a moment to breathe and thank God for dirty dishes.
This morning whilst rolling over in bed trying to fall back to sleep, I started to pray, but this thought came to my mind, losing steam. I must admit I am growing weary of the situation. Doubt creeps in, I really don’t feel like there is any end in sight, though I KNOW “the tide will turn.” And I began to think, what would I tell someone in my situation? What wards off the doubt? I began to think about the song “Raise a Hallelujah” “Sing in the presence of my enemies…” So ok, sing. ok yah singing and having a song in my heart, cool. The song continued in my head. Then what else helps ward off doubt? Being thankful, yah count your blessings, once you start seeing all the the things God has done, doesn’t the Bible tell us to mediate on those things? So I ‘m cool, what else? Encourage, it encourages me to encourage others, it costs nothing and seeing the smile on someone who is downtrodden or tired makes me feel good and lifts my spirits.
It was at this point I began to see a word – STEAM S-ing, T-hankful, E-ncourage.
Hmmm perhaps the Holy Spirit is telling me something. Always be… Singing, Thankful, Encouraging, Available, available to serve God in anyway. Taking my mind off of me and helping someone else, be it in the church, a friend, a neighbor, a stranger, blesses me. Wow ok, what’s M? Mad at the enemy. Be mad at the enemy for trying to steal your joy, even in the storm, for causing you to doubt, distract you from God’s word, his cunning tactics, be mad and fight back with scripture.
So SING!! The Bible tells us to sing during a trial. Paul in Acts 16- Paul sang in prison. When we take refuge, if we are taking refuge, we are storm or trial of some kind so Psalms 5:11: “Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy …” Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Psalm 96:1-2Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Even God sings over us!!! Zephaniah 3:14–17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (ESV)I never knew that until recently!!! How cool is that!!! I really gotta do more singing!!!
THANKFUL, be full of thanks Psalm 107:1 (NIV) -“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 ‘Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” That’s not an easy one to do in the middle of some circumstances, but the verse says to be thankful IN, not necessarily FOR. Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’
ENCOURAGE, 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV) “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Try it think of someone who may need their day brightened, heck make someone’s day go from good to great. Send a text, “Hey thinking about you today, send a real greeting card, add a gift card, or a real phone call, ask someone how you can pray for them. Reach out and touch someone.
AVAILABLE, be available to serve. The church is always a good place to start if you’re not sure where to start. Call your church office ask if there is something you can do, trust me they will have something, punch holes, make copies, organize something… answer the phones, type something, proof read, or maybe you can serve during the service, there’s always something. But also be willing and available to serve your community. Ask a friend or a neighbor if they need babysitting, cook a meal for someone who is sick or injured, volunteer for a local shelter or organization. There are soooo many forms of serving. . 1 Peter 4:10 “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” Galatians 6:10 “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Acts 20:35 “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
MAD at the enemy. Get mad Jesus got mad in the temple Matthew 21:12 (NIV) “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”
It’s ok to get mad, just don’t sin. But get mad at the enemy for trying to steal your joy, help your unbelief Mark 9:24 (NLT) “The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil… and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. We should sit up and take notice: on the one hand we could give place to the devil and on the other grieve the Holy Spirit. Either one should be unthinkable.” Make him angry by Singing, Thanking, Encouraging, Availability to serve, and just plain make him mad. He has no right to steal your joy. Don’t rent hime the space in your head. Occupy your mind and time with God and His Word. Ask Him to forgive you for losing focus and to get back on track, He is right there waiting for you, loving you, singing over you!
Recently I have been posting some funny National days in May. This week, I know it’s Friday, but May 10th is National Mental Health Awareness Week according to nationaldays.com.
I want to take the time to acknowledge this who are battling a mental health disorder. Depression and anxiety are very common. 6.8 million adults are affected by GAD – Generalized Anxiety Disorder, less than half are receiving treatment.
You are not alone. There is hope. It’s ok to reach out and ask for help. Click the link for resources https://tinyurl.com/bdd43aza.
Remember there is hope and someone is praying for you.
Yes there is such a day apparently. It’s not a national day but weird enough it deserved a blog post. Why are those tags even there? It’s to alert the consumer to the materials in the mattress. Your heavenly mattress you have been wanting to purchase may contain a material you are allergic to and the manufacturers provide this info in a tag.
These tags are required by the government not only to ensure the quality of the materials but to ensure that it isn’t being resold. A manufacturer could be using recycle materials which could increase the spread of bed bugs or worse disease. So, how would I know if I went to the store and the tags are still on it? We had a mattress that was still under warranty that we returned because it was sagging considerably only after two years. But we never removed the tags, so who’s to say the mattress wasn’t recycled. Who’s to say the manufacturers don’t put one back on???? Just sayin’.
Well, I guess if you need a root canal, you can appreciate it and the dentist providing it. It’s not a national day, but still thought it odd a day devoted to it. Dr. Chris Kammer in 2005 felt it necessary to designate a day to educate the public about oral health.
Fun fact, probably more funner than knowing what is done in a root canal, which you can read by clicking here, so fun fact Dr. Kammer first performed an original rap song titled “Get Out the Brush” in 2004 at Madison Mallards collegiate league ballpark. Which in 2011 he auditioned for, for American Idol. Here’s a link to the video.
I think we have come a long way in dentistry and root canals aren’t as feared as they used to be. Hope I never need one though. Dentists kind get a bad rap for the pain the tend to inflict on patients. They are just doing their job, it just so happens it hurts sometimes. Next time you’re at the dentist be sure to thank him or her sincerely for their service.
Welcome to May 7, 2024 where only in the USA would we celebrate packaging. Well, not just packaging, packaging design. As unusual as this maybe, from an artist’s perspective, not so unusual.
The actual physical design of a package takes the mind of an engineer. I am not wired that way. But the decoration or design on the package takes an artist, a graphic designer. Back in my day they were called commercial artists. Still not my wheelhouse. The closest thing I come to making a package is for a greeting card which you can watch a video here. And if you think about the front of a greeting card, it could be considered packaging for a sentiment. It’s a stretch.
Packaging goes back to the 1800’s and they were expensive. It was mostly reserved for luxury items, like jewelry and were not disposable. Manufacturers saw an opportunity and a benefit to promote “after use”, what we call recycling today or repurpose.
The punch-cut tobacco tins originally designed by the Dixie Queen company to resemble picnic baskets, and then came the lunch boxes. Dixie Queen company was stamped on the tin and these such items were popular into the early 1900’s.
This branded consumer packaging became popular in the 1900’s and the tradition continues today. The reusable grocery bag is a good example. How many other products do we buy that the packaging is reused or repurposed. Amazon boxes don’t count. My skin care products come in a nice sturdy box with magnetic closure that I use to organize my art supplies. I like to think I get more than just product, I get organization too.
Surface Pattern Design is a huge industry and probably something we take for granted. The next time you buy wrapping paper, or a notebook with a floral pattern, someone designed that. For instance, you can find this “Bee Sweet” pattern in my Society 6 shop.
Branding plays a huge role in how consumer’s decide in making purchases, from its attractiveness to its physical design. Think about it the next time you are out shopping or have to open one of those clam shell packages. Click on the link for further reading on National Packaging Design Day.
How much does the actual design and attractiveness of an item influence your purchase?
Happy National Tony Day!!!! If your name is Tony today is your day!!! There are so many national days and so many national month of something day I thought it would be fun to highlight some of the unusual national days, for instance today, May 6 National Tony Day!
Wishing all the Tonys a Happy National Tony Day!
Who doesn’t know a Tony or an Anthony? Maybe you know someone who is female and named Tony or Toni. I happen to know several, one who happens to be a cousin, one who is a dear friend and one who is a sibling of a dear friend.
So how did May 6 become the day to celebrate Tonys? It was designated by the birthday of Tony Blair, “Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is the longest-serving prime minister of the Labour Party of the United Kingdom.” Tony is short for Anthony or Antony or in the female form Antonia. I had a classmate growing up Antoinette, but we called her by her full name. However, my mom had a friend named Antoinette who went by Toni. Don’t know why you need to know that, the point is Toni can also be short for Antoinette. My cousin’s nephew (which would be my second cousin) used to call him “Ant-knee.”
What does Tony mean? In Latin: Priceless one, highly praiseworthy, Greek: Flourishing, highly praiseworthy. There are other meanings, Google it see what you can find and leave your findings in the comments. The name Tony was among the top 100 favorite names in 1955 and was among the top 100 favorite names. In the 1960s, it was among the top 50 most commonly used boy names.
Who are the famous Tonys?
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Perkins
Tony Bennett
Anthony Quinn
Tony Shaloub
Ayyyyy OH Oh Ayyy Tony Danza
Tony Curtis
Tony Orlando
and my favorite Tony the Tiger!!!
So to catch up on the unusual National Days in May,
May 5th was Museum Lover’s Day I have to admit, I love museums. I do enjoy art museums. Maybe I need to open a hand lettering museum dedicated to the lost art of cursive hand writing, hand written cards, writing utensils, history of pens, and quills, or maybe there just needs to be a greeting card?
I wanna hear your comments. What unusual national days do you celebrate?
The Kedge Anchor 
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