Untitled Post
What
is it that compels a Mom to teach her children to say “Thank you!”
or “Please!” Then there is “Excuse Me!” and “Pardon Me!”
Despite Mom’s best efforts I am still confused about just the right
moment to say “Excuse Me!” or “Pardon Me!”. Or who to
introduce first. Sometimes the subtleties of manners escapes me just
when they are to be put into practice. Is
a terse, Thanks, of less value that Thaaaanks! This was the subject
of one couple’s discussion. Which is better? Shouldn’t the
Tha-a-anks be a Thank You? Is it enough to say just a Thanks?
is it that compels a Mom to teach her children to say “Thank you!”
or “Please!” Then there is “Excuse Me!” and “Pardon Me!”
Despite Mom’s best efforts I am still confused about just the right
moment to say “Excuse Me!” or “Pardon Me!”. Or who to
introduce first. Sometimes the subtleties of manners escapes me just
when they are to be put into practice. Is
a terse, Thanks, of less value that Thaaaanks! This was the subject
of one couple’s discussion. Which is better? Shouldn’t the
Tha-a-anks be a Thank You? Is it enough to say just a Thanks?
A
heart felt “Thank You!” is a way of blessing the hearer and
confirming their worth. It is like saying, “You are worth
something, and I appreciate what you have done for me.” Have you
ever experienced a sweet smile from a total stranger and felt a
‘thank you’ bubbling up inside?
heart felt “Thank You!” is a way of blessing the hearer and
confirming their worth. It is like saying, “You are worth
something, and I appreciate what you have done for me.” Have you
ever experienced a sweet smile from a total stranger and felt a
‘thank you’ bubbling up inside?
A
from-the-heart ‘thank you’ is a covenant of friendship. A ‘thank
you’ brings two people together on the same side of the fence. A
‘thank you’ reveals kindred spirits. Somehow gratitude is a multiply
er to the nth degree, it is as catching as a gleam from a well-cut
diamond.
from-the-heart ‘thank you’ is a covenant of friendship. A ‘thank
you’ brings two people together on the same side of the fence. A
‘thank you’ reveals kindred spirits. Somehow gratitude is a multiply
er to the nth degree, it is as catching as a gleam from a well-cut
diamond.
Nearly
everyone wants to have steps to follow in order to be thankful. Being
thankful isn’t a recipe, it isn’t a pattern, it is a way of life.
Find other ways to be thankful….be alert to what is around you and
give thanks and say thank you to others and most of all to God. It
depends on how God has created you with different gifts, say thank
you in your way for the things you find ‘thank-able’.
everyone wants to have steps to follow in order to be thankful. Being
thankful isn’t a recipe, it isn’t a pattern, it is a way of life.
Find other ways to be thankful….be alert to what is around you and
give thanks and say thank you to others and most of all to God. It
depends on how God has created you with different gifts, say thank
you in your way for the things you find ‘thank-able’.
One
list begins with RELAX. One of my very favorite verses is
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:34 Whenever I become tense, I simply remember this verse
and do not rehearse negative ‘what if’s’.
list begins with RELAX. One of my very favorite verses is
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:34 Whenever I become tense, I simply remember this verse
and do not rehearse negative ‘what if’s’.
LIVE
IN THE MOMENT. How many moments can you find? How many
moments in an hour? How many delightful moments can you pack in your
life by thinking not of the past or of the future but the now of your
life? Don’t postpone your enjoyment, a moment of joy will pass you
by.
IN THE MOMENT. How many moments can you find? How many
moments in an hour? How many delightful moments can you pack in your
life by thinking not of the past or of the future but the now of your
life? Don’t postpone your enjoyment, a moment of joy will pass you
by.
How
can you begin? START WITH
YOUR SENSES. The smell of fresh bread in the oven or
towels hanging on the line in the sunshine. The delight of baby
calves learning to walk. The laughter of children playing. A
tender, “I love you” from your loved one or friend. An unexpected
gift, no matter how small.
can you begin? START WITH
YOUR SENSES. The smell of fresh bread in the oven or
towels hanging on the line in the sunshine. The delight of baby
calves learning to walk. The laughter of children playing. A
tender, “I love you” from your loved one or friend. An unexpected
gift, no matter how small.
CHERISH
LIGHT-HEARTEDNESS.
Choose your light-heartedness – is it a play on words, finding
laughter where ever you are. Tease, take teasing, be patient and
laid back. Laughter is lightens the heart. Finding joy in everyday
things. Find a new point of view. A friend took a picture of a
flower and caught a lady bug ‘at home’, lounging on one of the
petals, giving thanks.
LIGHT-HEARTEDNESS.
Choose your light-heartedness – is it a play on words, finding
laughter where ever you are. Tease, take teasing, be patient and
laid back. Laughter is lightens the heart. Finding joy in everyday
things. Find a new point of view. A friend took a picture of a
flower and caught a lady bug ‘at home’, lounging on one of the
petals, giving thanks.
TAKE
A VACATION in the midst of a busy life without ever
leaving your home environment. Change activities. Create something
beautiful. Creativity is an antidote to getting out of any rut.
Create a new dress, paint a picture, write a poem or a story or a
song. If all else fails change environments and pack your bags.
Remember you can’t get away from yourself when you take a vacation.
A VACATION in the midst of a busy life without ever
leaving your home environment. Change activities. Create something
beautiful. Creativity is an antidote to getting out of any rut.
Create a new dress, paint a picture, write a poem or a story or a
song. If all else fails change environments and pack your bags.
Remember you can’t get away from yourself when you take a vacation.
KEEP
A JOURNAL – This sounds wonderful, and I have many
‘beginnings to journals’ with one or two entries. Perhaps this is
for you, to chronicle your journal. My grandmother and my mother
kept journals and now her children and grandchildren can read and
‘know’ them. Writing has a way of clearing your mind when you are
unsure of the next step. One lady, Ann Voskamp, recorded One
Thousand Gifts to share her Praises and Joys and Thank You’s. (The
6 steps are from – http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Thankful)
A JOURNAL – This sounds wonderful, and I have many
‘beginnings to journals’ with one or two entries. Perhaps this is
for you, to chronicle your journal. My grandmother and my mother
kept journals and now her children and grandchildren can read and
‘know’ them. Writing has a way of clearing your mind when you are
unsure of the next step. One lady, Ann Voskamp, recorded One
Thousand Gifts to share her Praises and Joys and Thank You’s. (The
6 steps are from – http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Thankful)
Are
you asking, do I have to be thankful for? My bills exceed my
finances, I ache and hurt all the time, the weather isn’t warming up
for Spring, our government is not like I want it to be, just want to
have fun and not think about my life. I just don’t have the energy
to go on.
you asking, do I have to be thankful for? My bills exceed my
finances, I ache and hurt all the time, the weather isn’t warming up
for Spring, our government is not like I want it to be, just want to
have fun and not think about my life. I just don’t have the energy
to go on.
This
morning, I went to the kitchen window and looked at the trees along
the fence. I so longed for them to break out into beautiful blooms
for our first spring here. And today, red blooms greeted me. I
praised God for their sedate beauty.
morning, I went to the kitchen window and looked at the trees along
the fence. I so longed for them to break out into beautiful blooms
for our first spring here. And today, red blooms greeted me. I
praised God for their sedate beauty.
This
week two visitors drove 500 plus miles for a visit. Our friendship
has been built on many years of prayer, laughter, tears and cups of
coffee. This friendship elicits more than a perfunctory thank you,
for my friends are truly family! How can such a friendship be? It
was built on Jesus Christ, prayer by prayer, upon a study of prayer
in a retreat. We prayed for several generations of family, believers
and unbelievers in Jesus, for healing – spiritual and physical, for
strength, for courage, for wisdom and thanking God for our
opportunity to be truly sisters in Christ.
week two visitors drove 500 plus miles for a visit. Our friendship
has been built on many years of prayer, laughter, tears and cups of
coffee. This friendship elicits more than a perfunctory thank you,
for my friends are truly family! How can such a friendship be? It
was built on Jesus Christ, prayer by prayer, upon a study of prayer
in a retreat. We prayed for several generations of family, believers
and unbelievers in Jesus, for healing – spiritual and physical, for
strength, for courage, for wisdom and thanking God for our
opportunity to be truly sisters in Christ.
Recently
I bought a larger print Bible, it was time, and began reading David’s
Psalms. One hundred fifty psalms, filled with praises to God the
Father. David wrote expressions of praise, faith, sorrow and
frustration that cover the range of human emotions. David describes
God in these Psalms, and reading we see that God is a Lord of
salvation, the lifter of my head, He answers, He is a shield, He
sustains me, He gives joy and peace. He provides safety. He is
majestic, He has done great things. And that is just the first nine
chapters.
I bought a larger print Bible, it was time, and began reading David’s
Psalms. One hundred fifty psalms, filled with praises to God the
Father. David wrote expressions of praise, faith, sorrow and
frustration that cover the range of human emotions. David describes
God in these Psalms, and reading we see that God is a Lord of
salvation, the lifter of my head, He answers, He is a shield, He
sustains me, He gives joy and peace. He provides safety. He is
majestic, He has done great things. And that is just the first nine
chapters.
From
David we learn not to withhold any part of our lives from our Lord.
For He created us, loves us, and watches over us. God is not pushy,
He waits for us to want Him and delight in Him. He is the First and
the Last, the Beginning and End, yesterday, today and forever. There
is no other Who we can praise and teach us to be thankful.
David we learn not to withhold any part of our lives from our Lord.
For He created us, loves us, and watches over us. God is not pushy,
He waits for us to want Him and delight in Him. He is the First and
the Last, the Beginning and End, yesterday, today and forever. There
is no other Who we can praise and teach us to be thankful.
As
we learn to praise God and thank Him, we are attuned to seeing His
reflection in others. He softens our hearts, teaches us to forgive
others as He forgives us. In a world where truth is not a valued
commodity that we face each day, the value of trusting and living for
Jesus – Who is the Truth. Jesus said to him, “I am the way,
and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me. John 14:6
we learn to praise God and thank Him, we are attuned to seeing His
reflection in others. He softens our hearts, teaches us to forgive
others as He forgives us. In a world where truth is not a valued
commodity that we face each day, the value of trusting and living for
Jesus – Who is the Truth. Jesus said to him, “I am the way,
and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me. John 14:6
• “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” – Psalm 9:1-2
• Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act. Psalm 37:2-5
Comments? eacombs@att.net