Tag: hopeforthefuture

Uncategorized

What’s New in 2026? Anchor Notes!

The Kedge Anchor

In a post last week I posted some changes coming to the Kedge Anchor in 2026. When I first started this blog, I used to create coloring pages and digital wallpapers to help with scripture memorization. I wasn’t getting much feedback from them so I moved on since they were a little time consuming to create every week. And since The Kedge Anchor is about encouraging others I wanted to go more in that direction. Which lead me to create The Anchor Angel Project, with the help of some inspiration from a friend 🥰. Sooooo I started creating and sending Anchor Notes which are just small images that can be sent via email, text, messenger. Kinda like a meme but these are intentional to anchor truth and encourage others. Some may be humorous or for a special occasion, such as a birthday or holiday. And after starting my YouTube channel making videos and shorts I discovered that that is something I enjoy. You’ll see more to come from that.

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

So here’s the first Anchor Note of 2026 from the You Have Been Prayed For series, free to download and share with whom ever you like, just click on the image and save to your device. (If you are on a desktop right click and save)

So every month I will post an Anchor Note for you to download and share.

However, this is not instead of making and sending actual greeting cards but to supplement them. Not everyone we know is connected digitally and those who are might need some old fashioned reaching out. I will still continue to create greeting cards and send them out and make tutorials.

There is more to come. I have some more ideas to share but I’m rolling them out one by one. The older i get the more I don’t like changes. But, I am learning that change is how we grow and sometimes it takes failure after failure to make those changes. I think y’all might like what’s new for 2026.😊

Christmas

Beat Christmas Stress Before December

The Kedge Anchor

Peace at Christmas can be hard to find in December. The cleaning, baking, wrapping presents, hosting parties, can make the season bright but not so merry after a while. It’s built, week by week, long before the tree goes up.

My last post I covered how to save for Christmas. Weekly, consistently, slow and steady wins the race. When I put $25.00 aside each week after 52 weeks that’s $1300. And while that may not seem like a lot in 2026, it will be $1300 more than you had. You might be thinking I need that money before the end of 52 weeks. I gotcha. This really pays off the second year and well, you have to start somewhere, right? Start saving now so you can get a jump start on Christmas shopping. I like to start in October, thinking, planning, asking my family to start thinking about what they want for Christmas (Side note: Amazon Prime has lists that can be shared, just sayin’).

Now that you have decided how much you are putting aside, where are you putting it? At the time I started doing this, I had a AmEx Bluebird card. AmEx has since discontinued that. It was very convenient, I was able to schedule the transaction every week and didn’t have to think about it. There are other ways to sock away money. You could do good old fashioned cash, that takes a lot of discipline and it still works. Opening up a dedicated checking/savings account at your bank or another bank is option. Having an account from another bank might help keep them separate. Having a separate bank account will allow you to schedule transactions so you won’t have to think about it.

There are other options such as prepaid debit card like the discontinued AmEx Bluebird card such as CashApp, PayPal, and Venmo. PayPal and Venmo have auto transfer features. Check them out see which one fits your needs.

All righty then. It’s now the first week in October and you see something for Christmas for someone. At this point you should about $975, still more than you had to begin with and you got to start somewhere. However, if you have automatic transfers, the money will still be going in and adding to the total.

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5

The first year I did this I was working full time in a hospital. I realized I was visiting the vending machines waaaay too much. I didn’t stop completely feeding the vending machines, but I did become more conscious of where the money was going. After budgeting the money I would take $8 or $10 and allow myself to visit the vending machines once in a while or if the cafeteria was closed. Any money at the end of the week I would put in a piggy bank. I started this at the beginning of the second year. By October, I had over $300!!!! And yes, we still pay with cash when we can so any stray dollars or coins we have laying around it’s gets stashed away.

It was nice to have the money to pay for shipping packages, buy baking goods, decorations, Christmas cards or last minute gifts for someone. And whatever was left over in the Christmas account was rolled over to next year.

There was more peace at Christmas not having to worry about spending money. We even had money to donate to the Salvation Army if we happened to walk by one of their kettles, we had money to buy a gift for the Angel Tree and fill shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse. It is far better to give than to receive. Peace is built up week by week, way before the tree and the decorations are put up.

Sometimes peace can look like abundance in December.

encouragement, Uncategorized

What’s New in 2026?

The Kedge Anchor

With a new year and fresh start I have decided to do a few things differently. A while back someone had reached out to my asking why I had stopped making the coloring pages to help memorize scripture. Anyone remember Memorize Mondays? Well, to be honest, I didn’t think there was much interest. They are a little time consuming and I decided to focus on other projects.

There is something I would like to try but you’re just gonna need to stay tuned until next month. It still involves being creative and scripture. I had also been posting wallpapers for desktops and phones with scripture to help memorize verses and well there didn’t seem to be much interest in those either. So, I moved on.

I moved on to YouTube where there seemed to be more interest and that’s where I started to give more focus. I plan on staying there and focusing on that platform. I have discovered I like to make shorts and videos which brings me to my next new thing I want to try and well, I have some ideas that I am excited to share so you’ll need to stay tuned.

The Anchor Angel Project is something that has piqued interest in others and I will continue to promote that and encourage y’all to participate, but you will need to stay tuned and follow me on social media. Hmm maybe I can tie all these ideas together.

My art and greeting cards are things that I like to do and encourage others with. For as long as I can remember I was always cresting and making greeting cards. I remember I thought I wanted to work at Hallmark designing greeting cards, LOL. And I may not be working for Hallmark however I do still create them by hand and digitally, the hand made ones I sell locally, I sell the digital cards online, so I guess I have fulfilled that dream in a way. It’s not how I imagined it but how I imagined isn’t as important as I am actually doing it.

All that to say, please subscribe to the blog, follow me on social media to stay tuned of the new things coming in 2026. Thank you for your support.

Christmas, encouragement, Stress

How I Stopped Stressing About Christmas by Saving a Little Each Week

The Kedge Anchor

Christmas can be stressful. Searching for the perfect gifts, the baking, the decorating can weigh on us after awhile. Let’s not forget our bank account. It’s not like everyone gets a Christmas bonus every year. And if you’re like me, you have to ship a few packages. It all adds up and it stresses me out.

I decided that I could plan better for Christmas if I did it slowly over time. It occurred to me one year long after Christmas, like the summer, I found a gift for my sister and decided to buy it and put it away. I felt like I had a win. When I was out shopping, I’d be on the look out for potential Christmas gifts, especially if someone had mentioned something they wanted. If I found something, I bought it and put it away. It was a great feeling to be ahead of the game. There was one year, I was done by Thanksgiving. Then it was just baking, decorating and Christmas parties.🪅🎄

Having a cash 💰 stash or a Christmas savings account was the biggest rush. When I was a kid, our bank Old Stone Bank, had a Christmas savings pass book. Yes I am mid century modern old, not Stone Age. Anyway you could put away $5 or $10 a week and by the end of the year you’d have $520 or $260 back then that was a.lot.of.money (and you actually had to walk into the back with the cash and teller made an entry in your pass book). That gave me an idea. How much could I set aside every week so that I would have Christmas money to spend? I tried putting aside $1 on week one, $2 week two… that came to $10 the first month. By the third month, 19 weeks that is $70. I was on a budget and each month that was like a bill going up. That wasn’t working. I decided that $25 a week would be a start. (OK that was ten years ago). Even $25 a week is $1300. Ten years ago, that went a long way and I just rolled it over for next year. Now if you are just starting, it’s ok. You need to start somewhere and it will be more than you have if you didn’t start. This will pay off in 2027, trust me it’s a rush. I usually had extra money in the account for birthday gifts during the year. I could by decorations, baking goods, whatever I needed for Christmas. It’s a Christmas rush of a different kind 😉I felt great to not have to pay back the credit card company and still have some cash to roll over. It was a huge stress reliever.

Please subscribe and follow me on social media and stay tuned in the next post I will tell you how I stashed the money and was able to add to it during the year.

The Kedge Anchor – Facebook

@thekedgeanchor – Instagram

@thekedgeanchor -YouTube

hope

Waiting on God: Strengthening Faith Through Patience

The Kedge Anchor

Waiting on God can feel slow, heavy, and confusing but the Bible shows that “waiting” is one of the most powerful spiritual practices we have that is often perceived as an inconvenience. In Scripture, the words for wait in Hebrew and Greek go deeper than simple patience; they are defined by expectancy, hope, perseverance, and a deep trust.  The Bible often pairs hope with waiting. The Hebrew words for “hope”—qavah and yakhal—are often translated as “wait,” describing patient, trust. We attend to God’s promises, remember his track record, and let that memory strengthen our expectations. The psalmist waited for God “more than watchmen for the morning” (Ps. 130:6). The apostles spoke of a “living hope” anchored in the resurrection of Jesus and the renewal of all things (1 Pet. 1:3). 

Waiting has a way of stretching us. It has a way of producing patience, which is a fruit of the Spirit. – Galations 5:22-23. The Hebrew word is Qavah -waiting with tension., to wait with an expectant tension, like pulling a rope tight. (Isaiah 40:31). God isn’t asking us to sit still and do nothing. He’s inviting us to lean into Him, trusting that strength is being woven into us as we do. Waiting can be the spiritual act of being pulled together, not pulled apart. Like God is tugging on the loose threads of our hearts, pulling them taut so He can weave something stronger in us.

When it comes to waiting on the Lord, the time is never wasted. God is intentional about the pauses He gives us. Biblical waiting is never passive. It is one of the most active spiritual postures there is. The Bible uses several descriptive Hebrew and Greek words for “wait,” and each one peels back a layer on what God is doing in the quiet seasons of our lives.

A few days ago I started a devotional plan on the Bible app – Anticipating Christmas – An Advent Overview. It was this paragraph that struck a cord -“Over the next four days, we will walk through the key Advent themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. Each one reveals an aspect of God’s character and calls us to live in light of the world he is making. Between the first advent and the second advent, Jesus’ return, our lives take their shape from the story God is telling.”  “Between the advents” is what caught my eye.

(Side note:the words I highlighted, hope, peace, joy are three words I felt the Holy Sprit gave me for 2026. And now I believe He’s tossing in the word wait.)

Whilst I was reading the first day of this devotional plan, I couldn’t help but think about what was prophesied in Isaiah about Jesus’ birth, His first arrival to earth and His return.  I have to be honest, the world is craaaaaazzzzeee right now. None of which has taken God by surprise, however, I never thought or imagined in a zilllion years the events of evil, lies and division that has taken place over the past few decades, much less past few years. I ask God often, “How much longer? How bad is it going to get before Jesus meets us in the clouds?” At which point, I realize, I really don’t want to know.  I just know that things aren’t going to get any better until Jesus returns to the earth again. The world waited, like 700 years from the time of the prophesy in Isaiah to the birth of Jesus. It’s been over 2000 years since Jesus gave His life and shed His blood for us on the cross. And with all that’s going on… I can’t help but be aware of Christ’s return. (Read the book of Daniel if you want a time line of the events that have already taken place). 

Waiting is hard. Well, it is for me sometimes, ok most times. Sometimes I enjoy and appreciate the anticipation. Sometimes there’s anxiety in the wait, sometimes it’s pure excitement, sometimes I can wait patiently. What matters most is what I am doing in the wait? Which made me think of another devotional I read about the virgins waiting for the bride groom and tied into the sermon my pastor spoke on a few Sundays about waiting and things started to merge. Yep, waiting is a word for 2026. 

So I am mainly focused on waiting for Jesus to open up the sky and meet us in the clouds. What do I do, we do, whilst waiting for His return. 

Ok back to the ten virgins who were instructed to keep their wicks trimmed and lamps full of oil. The trimming of the wicks – important because for the oil to burn efficiently and clean, otherwise the oil would burn faster and be smokey. To me that symbolizes trimming the things that will cloud my focus on waiting, specifically for Jesus’s return. Maybe I need to trim my time on social media or say no to things that will overload my schedule and cloud my focus on God.

Keeping my lamp fill with oil symbolizes staying filled with the Holy Spirit. I can only do that by staying in close proximity to God, reading His word daily and serving Him. In order to keep something filled, we have to keep an eye on it. For instance to keep gas in your car you need to pay attention to the gas gauge. In waiting for Jesus’s return we have to keep our eyes opened, minds alert ready to hear Jesus (Psalm 130:6 – more than a watchman waiting for morning). Keeping our lamps full we are preparing by storing scripture in our hearts. See waiting isn’t passive. I guess I need to be aware of what I am doing when I am waiting. I can be passive or active in my waiting and focusing on God and serving Him are a few ways I can actively wait for Jesus to meet us in the clouds..

This could be applied to waiting for anything God has you waiting for. I can also apply this to everyday waiting and be more productive by choosing to spend less time on social media in my waiting and read something or maybe sketch or take time to memorize a verse. Are you waiting on an answer from God? What are you doing in your wait? Are you staying active and waiting with expectant hope?  Keep you lamp full and your wick trimmed. Keep your heart and mind focused on God, His word, recall the the times He has been faithful to encourage you and remind you.

Waiting is never wasted when you are waiting on God and serving Him in the wait and there are so many ways to serve Him. The hope that comes with waiting faces the dark and keeps watch. It acknowledges the difficult season without surrendering to it. There are things we can do in our spiritual wait and our everyday waiting. Practice waiting this week. When anxiety rises, pause and remember a moment of God’s faithful care. When you’re tempted to grasp for control, choose a small act of trust, cast your cares (1 Peter 5:&7). Hope and faith grow through small daily habits and becomes a signpost for others who are searching for light. 
Morning is coming; the cross and empty tomb guarantee it.

healing, hope

Surrendering Doubt: Finding Peace in Faith

The Kedge Anchor

Today, I want to share something that’s been sitting heavy—but beautifully—in my heart. It was sparked by a devotional my pastor in Rhode Island, Pastor Dave, shared this morning on Instagram. @therrien6034 

Every day at 6:00 a.m., Pastor Dave posts a short but impactful video devotional called The Bible Café—a time where we receive “a serving of Scripture and a cup of caffeine (or the beverage of your choice).” Each week he focuses on a new topic, and many of us are keeping topical journals based on the Scripture he shares each morning.

This week’s theme is doubt.

In Luke 24:38–39, Pastor Dave pointed out that the disciples doubted they were really seeing Jesus after His resurrection. Despite walking closely with Him, they quickly forgot what He had already told them—and that forgetfulness opened the door to doubt.

Doubt often leads us to lean on human reasoning, which I know too well. In my own experience, doubt hasn’t just led to overthinking—it’s brought discouragement, disappointment, and sometimes even depression. When we doubt, we start trying to make sense of everything on our own, and it rarely leads us closer to God.

Earlier this year, in a season of deep grief, I found myself overwhelmed—like I was drowning, searching for a way out. That’s when a word began repeating in my heart: surrender.

It was simple, but powerful.

Surrendering my grief to Jesus didn’t make the pain disappear overnight, but it created space—a holy emptiness—for Him to step in and carry what I couldn’t. And lately, another word has joined that inner echo: seek.

Maybe it’s an “aha” moment from God.

When we surrender—whether it’s a habit, addiction, grief, doubt, or anything that weighs on us and pulls us away from God—we’re not just letting something go. We’re making room.
Surrender creates a void. But that space is not meant to stay empty. It becomes an invitation for Jesus to move in.

Letting go may feel like a loss at first, but in reality, it’s the beginning of something greater: peace, clarity, healing, and deeper intimacy with God.

The disciples were incredibly blessed—they saw the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes. His glorified body stood before them, scars and all. Sometimes I find myself wishing I could have a visual like that. But the truth is: we do.

We may not see Jesus physically, but we see Him in His Word, in creation, in the love of others, and in the quiet moments of prayer. His presence is still near. – Joshua 1:5 “ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.” We may not walk beside Him like the disciples did, but we can still walk with Him daily.

And just like the disciples, after their doubt, were filled with faith—we too can be filled.
When we surrender, we make space.
When we seek, we find Him. Jeremiah 29:13 – “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

So today, I invite you to do the same:
Surrender whatever is pulling you away.
And seek the One who is always ready to fill the void—with His truth, His presence, and His peace.

Anchor Angel Project, hope, prayer

Free Downloadable Prayer Images for Inspiration

The Kedge Anchor

⚓ “We all need encouragement—an anchor in the storm, a reminder that we’re not forgotten. Sometimes the simplest way to lift someone’s spirit is to let them know they’ve been prayed for. That’s what the Anchor Angel Project is all about and is here to help make it easy. 💙

Below you’ll find free prayer images you can download, save, and share with anyone who needs a reminder of hope and encouragement today.” Just right click and save to your device. The next time you are praying for someone, let them know, send one of these images with or without a short message of your own. I will never forget the day a friend of mine dropped by my office at work to have lunch with me. It was a wonderful surprise and really lifted my spirits. We don’t always have that ability to surprise a friend at work, but we can still let our friends and family know we are thinking about them.

While I have you here, please head over to my YouTube channel and check out my crafty Christmas card DIY videos repurposing old Christmas cards giving them new life. Check them out

God sees us, nothing goes unnoticed by him. Sometimes we just need to reminded in the storm when we can’t see past it. (2 Chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.”)

healing, hope

The Impact of Charlie Kirk: A Voice for Our Time

The Kedge Anchor
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

On September 10, 2025, many of us were shaken by the news of Charlie Kirk’s passing. I was in disbelief when I first heard the news. My husband texted me and told me that Charlie Kirk had tragically lost his life. I was crushed. How? Why? A husband, father, and bold voice in our generation, his presence was felt not only in politics but in the realm of faith. In our home, Charlie was a staple in our YouTube news feed. Day after day, his voice popped up alongside pastors, analysts, artists, animal videos and storytellers, becoming part of the rhythm of our daily life. While the world remembers his speeches and debates, we remember a man who, for such a time as this, stepped into arenas others avoided and spoke with conviction.

Charlie embraced his moment in history. He was not perfect, none of us are, but he understood that the times we live in call for courage. Whether one agreed with him or not, there was no denying that his anchor was firm, and his willingness to stand was clear. “If you believe in something, you need to have the courage to fight for those ideas—not run away from them or try and silence them.” Charlie was created for “such a time as this” Esther 4:14.

As believers, we grieve his sudden loss, but we do not grieve as those without hope. Hebrews 6:19 reminds us, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Charlie’s voice has not been silenced here on earth, but his ultimate hope was in Christ, and that hope is eternal.

Charlie knew his calling and was given a platform, and he used it boldly. The challenge now rests on us, to boldly rise up in faith, to speak truth with love, to love others regardless of what they believe and to anchor our souls in the One who gives life beyond the grave.

Like many, I still have questions. Why, Lord? I asked God. And in His gentleness, He reminded me of His sovereignty, that He ordains our days. “All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). What shocked and saddened us was no surprise to God. From the day He gave Charlie life, God already knew the day He would call him home.

Even Jesus knew, while He walked this earth, when, where, how, and why He would lay down His life for the sins of the world. My heart aches for Charlie’s wife, children, and family, I can only imagine their grief. And yet we serve a Savior who does understand grief: “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.” – Isaiah 53:3.

So I trust God, and yet I still struggle. My prayer for Erika and the entire family is that as they walk through this valley, they will continually seek the presence of God. As Psalm 16:11 promises: “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

Charlie’s voice is not gone, in fact, it continues to echo through us, in the lives he touched, the convictions he stirred, and the courage he inspired. For such a time as this, we are called to step boldly, to speak truth with love, to love others as Christ loves us and to anchor our lives in Christ. May we honor his memory not by clinging to sorrow, but by living faithfully, loving deeply, and standing courageously in the moments God has given us.

Though we grieve, we do not grieve without hope, for our ultimate anchor is in Jesus, who gives life that never ends. May His presence bring comfort, guidance, and strength to all who mourn, and may we each rise to live fully, for the days God has entrusted to us.

art, encouragement, hope, Uncategorized

Create Joy: Handmade Cards to Encourage Others

The Kedge Anchor

In the last blog post, I shared a little about what the Anchor Angel Project is and how you can be part of it. The idea came from a friend of mine who had been walking through a long, difficult season. I started sending her memes, Bible verses, articles, care packages, and cards—just little things to lift her up. One day she referred to me as her “anchor angel,” and that phrase stuck. After that, my imagination took off.

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved making cards for my family. I used to dream about working for Hallmark someday—LOL. I’ve always loved to design, draw, paint, hand-letter… just create. Making greeting cards became one of my favorite ways to express myself and brighten someone else’s day. I don’t always have the time to make them as often as I’d like, but I’m hoping that by making this project my mission, I can do it more consistently—and encourage others to do the same.

We’re reminded in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to “encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing” (NASB1995). A simple greeting card can be such a beautiful way to do that. It’s a tangible reminder of God’s love and your thoughtfulness. Tuck one into a care package. Send a photo card with a favorite old memory—like that beach trip you always laugh about or a random Tuesday that turned into a lifelong moment. The recipient might even frame it. It’s a little thing that can have a lasting impact.

A handmade card is personal. It’s heartfelt. It’s a surprise in a world of bills and junk mail. When was the last time youopened the mailbox and felt your heart smile from something totally unexpected?

That old saying, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive,” is so true. There’s a special kind of joy that comes from knowing you’ve encouraged someone else. It encourages me, too.

So—who will you bless this August? Who will be your three? I’d love to see your creations! Follow The Kedge Anchor on Facebook and Instagram and share your cards with #anchorangelproject.

And hey—there’s still more to come. I haven’t revealed everything yet… there’s a little twist on the horizon. Have you guessed it?

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend Eve!! I am so ready for the weekend—how about you? 🧡

encouragement

Introducing the Anchor Angel Project: Spread Hope!

The Kedge Anchor

Here it is—and here’s what’s next!
Did you guess from the coloring page what was coming?

✨ Introducing The Anchor Angel Project! ✨

At The Kedge Anchor, we’re all about encouragement—and that’s exactly what the Anchor Angel Project is here to do. It’s a simple but powerful way to share hope and kindness with people walking through hard seasons of life.

The idea was born from a moment with a dear friend who was going through a very dark time. I sent her a small note of encouragement, just a heartfelt gesture. She later told me I was her “anchor angel.” That phrase stayed with me—and soon, ideas began to flow. What if more people could experience that same kind of uplifting encouragement?

This past Valentine’s Day, I partnered with my church in New England to bring that vision to life. Church members and school children joined together to create handmade cards for the residents at the nursing home where my mom once lived. Honestly, I’m not sure who was more blessed: the ones receiving or the ones giving.

And here’s how you can be a part of it. Watch my YouTube video for all the details

Here are the files to print your own card

Front of cardDownload
Inside sentimentDownload
5×7 EnvelopeDownload

The image and card are for personal use and for this project, not for selling.

Print on card stock, 270 GSM or 90lb for the card. To print the sentiment on the inside, be sure the card is oriented to how your printer prints. Test on plain paper to check where the image prints and place the paper back in the printer so that the sentiment prints on the correct side and right side up. All printers print differently so check your user manual.

The 5×7 envelope will take up every inch of an 11×8.5 sheet of paper. Legal size would be best, but it will still work with letter size 11×8.5. You may want to use slighter thicker paper other than printer paper for the envelope.

Today I’m only revealing half what’s to come!

Stay tuned, there’s more to come!