Tag: hope

encouragement

Finding Mental Health Lighthouses: Navigating Stormy Seas with Wisdom

The Kedge Anchor

Imagine you are out at sea on a stormy night. It’s dark, there are no stars in the night sky to guide you. You’re being tossed by waves and no sight of land. All feels hopeless. Until you see a light in the distance. A lighthouse, a light to guide your way to shore, to safety. You let out a sigh of relief, you feel encouraged, it’s gonna be ok. When you reach the shore all your fears are calmed and you know you can make it until the storm passes.

Have you been there? I know I have. Some of those storms like the storms of discouragement, have been just squalls passing through, others have been more severe, hanging around for a while. Being tossed and battered by my own thoughts or the outward events happening around me, I need something to help me, someone to help me. Whether it’s just a passing or the storm is sticking around for while, we all need encouragement through the rough seasons. Who or what to you turn to? What helps you navigate the stormy waters of discouragement when there is no light, no stars. Who or what are your lighthouses?

I am not a counselor and this blog is not about mental health, however, we need to be healthy mentally. This blog and blog post is just for encouragement. I have found some ways to cope and manage on the days when the waves of discouragement are overwhelming. I am just sharing what has helped me. So if you feel you need or just want to talk a professional counselor please click here to find one in your area.

Through the month of June we’ll be looking ways to find some mental health lighthouses for encouragement. With scripture we will reveal wisdom to help us find hope and direction.

Lighthouse – Trusted friends and family. Having a support system of friends and family is what God created for, community. Some days we need to reach out to others. Being discouraged and mental health challenges are not a sign of weakness. There has been a stigma over the decades of having a mental illness or diagnosis. That stigma, I believe to be diminished. With all the apps and commercials about mental health, it’s clear that this stigma is losing it’s punch. It’s not uncommon for someone to seek counseling just to get them through a tough situation.

It’s ok to feel sad, depressed, mad, anger, anxious. And at times we do feel do feel discouraged. God created you, He created us to feel these emotions, sometimes we need help processing them. He is not surprised at any time if you experience these emotions, He’s not angry with you if feel depressed or hopeless. He wants you to pour out your heart to Him. Jesus experienced these emotions the night before His crucifixion, – Matthew 26:36-46. He understands these emotions. He understands you because He created you. More importantly, He wants you, He wants to help you, He loves you – John 3:16.

Some will try to console by saying “You just need a little more faith.” It’s not about not having a lot of faith. Jesus just asks for mustard seed faith, Matthew 17:20. Even when we doubt He is there to help us. “… Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” – Matthew 9:23-24. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1.

We all at some point will face discouragement, depression, anxiety. You are not weak because you doubt, but be mindful of where it’s coming from. We have an enemy who likes to cause us to doubt. After all that is how he got Eve to sin, – Genesis 3. You’re not weak for feeling depressed and needing to reach out. Sometimes we just need a little help, a little encouragement. Who do you reach out to? Who is your support system? Many people are lonely and if you are one of those people who doesn’t have support system, if you’re not already, search for a local Bible believing church. Join, get involved, reach out and become part of a great community.

If you know of someone who maybe facing loneliness, reach out. Not sure how follow over the month of June for some ways to encourage others.

In the posts to follow we will find how we can find more lighthouses to help us navigate the stormy seas of life.

*** This blog post inspired by “Wisdom for Mental Health” – YouVersion

encouragement, hope

Month of June – Finding Encouragement: Overcoming Discouragement in Our Daily Lives

The Kedge Anchor
Photo by Charl Durand on Pexels.com

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.

Please hang around, like subscribe, share and comment.

Blessings

Gratitude

Celebrating National No More Dirty Dishes Day: A New Perspective on Cleaning and Gratitude

The Kedge Anchor
Photo by Kelly on Pexels.com (btw, not my sink)

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.

healing

National Mental Health Awareness Week

The Kedge Anchor

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.

Uncategorized

Tear Off the Tags Off the Mattress Day!

The Kedge Anchor

Click here for further reading

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’.

So go tear off your tags but first check out my YouTube channel!

Uncategorized

National Root Canal Appreciation Day – May 8

The Kedge Anchor

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.

art

May 7 – National Packaging Design Day

The Kedge Anchor

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.

Tin “basket”

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.

Bee Sweet pattern @ The Kedge Anchor -Society 6

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?

Please comment and follow on FB, IG and YT.

Uncategorized

Unusual National Days in May

The Kedge Anchor

May 6, 2024

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 1st was National CSS Reboot Day!!! (hmmm maybe that should be a greeting card).

May 2nd was National Password Day how many times have you had to change a password because a site or an app has updated?? GGGGRRRR?

May 3rd was National Two Different Color Shoes Day

May 4th was National Rhode Island Independence Day alright i was born and raised in Little Rhody and I did not know this. How did I not know this?

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?

art, Obedience

What If … Obeying God

The Kedge Anchor

In the last post, I shared a creative process. I made up a game called “What If…” What if I just sat down to paint? What if I just made some marks? What if I mixed green and orange together? What if I tried something new or different? So I did. I sat down to paint and play and try some new art supplies. And I surprised myself.

When I was done, I actually liked what I painted. Was it perfect? No. Could I make improvements? Of course. Then I began to think. What if? What if I took more risks, more chances? What if I was more in tuned to hearing God’s voice? What if I was and obeyed Him? I guess this is where I began to reflect on areas in my life where I am hesitant to obey, not hearing to obey or just not obeying.

My intention in my artistic exercise was to paint, to stop procrastinating and do what brings me joy. It wasn’t to make a perfect piece of art, it wasn’t for anyone it was for me. Sometimes I find it hard to find time to do just this, paint. Once I began to evaluate what I was doing with my time, I began to see pockets of time with which to create. I really need to keep time limits on scrolling social media. When scrolling takes away from what I need to do and what I enjoy doing, it becomes an issue. Now, when I find I have an idol moment, if there is nothing pressing on my to do list, I choose to do something artistic. This takes a bit of practice, training, discipline.

When it comes to obeying God I believe the same can apply. It takes training, practice, discipline. I first need to actually recognize His voice and I can’t do that if I’m not reading His word daily. What’s my intent when I read my Bible? Like when I sit down to paint, why am I doing this? My intent is to hear God’s voice so that I can obey Him. Sometimes I feel like I’m not obeying because I’m not sure I am hearing His voice. John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” and there’s more, a promise, a blessing verse 28 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

Sometimes I feel like I am missing out on some things, blessings, because I am not paying attention to the God’s voice. God knows my heart. So when I am earnestly trying to do what I think He wants me to do in a situation or even in the slightest seemingly, smallest thing I know He sees me trying. Many times I fail. He might be telling me to reach out to someone and I may be hearing a voice that says “don’t disturb them.” Or it could be buy extra food at the grocery store and I hear, “you’re on a budget.” If God is telling me to buy extra food, it’s not for us. It’s for someone else. There have been times my husband has come home from work and asked if I could pick up some extra cans of soup, granola bars or cereal for the food closet at work and I listened to the voice that told me I was on a budget. Ugh!

Now that I have recognized this pocket of time, I need to act on it and paint or draw. Take the risk. Recognizing God’s voice is still a work in progress. When I recognize it I need to obey it. Take the risk. That’s a risk that will always give a return on investment. I can’t lose. I can’t loose by making messy art, I can still learn. It may not be pretty but I will walk away learning to do something or not do something. By obeying God, I really can’t lose. Even if I mess up somehow, God will work out my mess, Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

What if…, what if I stopped procrastinating and painted or did something creative everyday? What if I stopped to hear God’s voice everyday and obeyed? What if…?

art

The Who of Greeting Cards

The Kedge Anchor

This is a real brief history. I won’t bore you with all the details so I’ll leave a some links for further reading.

You may or may not be familiar with Prang or Prang products. And you may be thinking what does this have to do with greeting cards. It was Louis Prang, born on March 12, 1824 in Prussian Silesia who was the son of Jonas Louis Prang, a Huguenot textile manufacturer. He was the apprentice to his father and learned engraving, printing and calico dyeing.

In Paris, during the mid 1800’s, Prang met and fell in love with his wife Rosa Gerber, a beautiful Swiss woman bound for Ohio where they started a family and had one daughter. In 1851 he and Rosa were living in Boston where he began to work for an engraver Frank Leslie. Later in 1856, Rosa encouraged him go out on his own and works with a partner creating lithographs of buildings and towns in Massachusetts.

Louis Prang sometimes known as “The Father of The American Christmas Card” was an award-winning Boston lithographer/inventor who, in 1873, reproduced a holiday card autographed by Christmas Carol author, Charles Dickens. Louis Prang printed his first Christmas cards in 1875 and brought them to London. The Christmas cards were a big success. The following year, he sold them in the Northeast of the US . It still took two more years before he had the corner market in the United States. By the late 1800’s, he printed more than 5 million Christmas cards a year.

I was today old when I learned Louis Prang was the Prang behind Prang products. I mean I didn’t know Prang was an actual person, not just a product. Though he still produced greeting cards and occasionally gave tours in his Prang Lithographic Factory in Roxbury he contributed to art education. So in 1875 took a step into art education where he found his true passion. It was as a public service he manufactured art materials and supplies.

Prang closed his lithographic factory in 1897 in Roxbury. He merged his company, The Louis Prang Company with the Taber Art Co. of New Bedford. He continued to produce and still produces high-quality work and made child-safe art materials. Those famous Ticonderoga pencils also known as Dixon Ticonderoga, purchased the right to his art materials in 1909. (At the time of this merger, Ticonderoga was known as the American Crayon Company). Louis Prang later died in 1909. Who knew?

For Further reading:

Prang.com

Prang Catalog

Prang History

History of Greeting Cards