The Power of Encouragement

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 155: Today, I am grateful for the power of encouragement. 

"Encouragement is oxygen for the soul." -John C. Maxwell

What a great quote. It holds a simple but deep truth about the power of encouragement. When someone wants to give up or quit, encouragement can recharge someone's emotional battery so they can press on and into the challenge.  

Encouragement must be sincere to make an impact. A good friend often says, "Muscle only grows in the presence of resistance." It can be exhausting and painful, but it is true. The push back can lead to re-evaluation and the "how might I do that better?" It is a good way to grow. 

The gardener evaluates the soil, the fertilizer, and the amount of watering when looking for the best harvest. Not every a plant has the same needs. My Sister-in-Love, Jennifer, always jokes about being plant hospice. There is only one to go but up in that scenario. The best success starts small and builds. 

The world is full of books on "self-talk." The problem with self-talk is that it is easy to lie to ourselves. An encouraging word from someone else is a game changer. We do not go from failure to success in a heartbeat. There is work in-between. Encouragers point out the growth in progress and celebrate the increments. It is honest.

Coaches do it when building winning teams. Talent is great, but growing together is where the magic happens. Seeing ways to build each other up instead of looking for a "superstar" makes a deep bench. 

 "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." -1 Thessalonians 5:11

Be honest. Be real. Don't miss an opportunity to build each other up. It will, in return, be oxygen for your own soul. 

Today, I am grateful for the power of encouragement. 

Summer Festivals

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 155: Today, I am grateful for summer festivals. 

There is one nearly every weekend. The Tremont Turkey Festival (June 11th -14th) is only a week away.

 Tremont, IL, reminds me of the community I grew up in. Small but mighty. Families are deeply rooted in the community. People come and stay. They festival is known for the turkey and the strawberry shortcake.  We always see friends working at the event. It has a craft/vendor fair, bed races, lemon shake-ups, and music. 

One of the best things is seeking the rich sense of community that abounds. In small towns, many are related. Others have generations of roots and memories. The summer festivals are a part of the heartbeat of the communities who come together every year to embrace summer. 

Turkeys, Strawberries (Elmwood this weekend), Hot Air Balloons (new in Pekin this year), and Washington, IL,  has already celebrated Good Neighbor Days. There is something for everyone. 

It is not a "festival" but Friday Night kicks off the "Groove in the Garden" Concert series at our Morton Public Library. One of our favorite bands is first up this year, "Cousin Eddie." It feels like a party every Friday at 6:30 P.M.. There is usually dancing and food trucks for dinner. 

The need to pause and celebrate is a part of being human. It is good for the soul. 

"So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them." -Nehemiah 8:12

Love the place where you live. Love your neighbors. Experience the joys of summer festivals. 

Today, I am grateful for community festivals. 

Summer Potato Salads

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 154: Today, I am grateful for summer potato salads. 

Summer picnics, church, and family gatherings are a showcase for potato salads. Everyone has a twist to the family recipe. Potatoes are inexpensive and a big batch does not break the grocery budget. Leftovers are welcome, but rare. (These recipes were posted on Pinterest.) The Spicy Potato Salad looks good to me. 

The recipe I long for is the one from the landmark Hofbrau House in Peoria, which is now closed. It was an authentic warm German Potato Salad. It was likely a recipe handed down through the generations. It was somehow light with vinegar, bacon, and green onion.

There is a special delight that comes from setting a table with ample choices, a variety of flavors and plenty to share. It is a rich part of our USA summer celebrations. Feeding our families, neighbors, and friends builds community. 

There was much hunger in the early days of this country. The land provided new challenges. Weather has always been a challenge to those who need to grow food. Any season of abundance was a blessing, but many times there was barely enough. Hunger was not a stranger. Learning to make a little into much was a challenge in many kitchens, but there was joy when it was accomplished. 

"Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor." -Proverbs 22:9

 Today, I am grateful for summer potato salads. 

Passwords Remembered

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 153: Today, I am grateful for passwords remembered.

Passwords are great, when we remember them. They are a part of safety in a digital world. They are a pain. The rules can be long. Then, you have to remember them. 

Password savers make me nervous. I do not like to use them on anything important, but they are required for so many things. It is the only way to get in. 

Passwords have become a daily part of life. We used to associate them with secret clubs or gatherings. Passwords have the power to unlock the places we want to enter from our banking to online shared interest groups. 

It made me think of this verse that is well worth remembering:

"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." -Romans 10:9

It is the password that unlocks eternity, but it requires true confession and sincere belief. This is the other scripture that came to mind when I was thinking about passwords. Jesus was on the cross with a man to his left and a man to his right. 

"And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” -Luke 23:41-43

His first statement recognized his own sin; the second man recognized Jesus as Lord. He confessed, believed, and received. 

I hope you remember all of your passwords today. 

Today, I am grateful for passwords remembered.

Drink from your own well...

 Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 152: Today, I am grateful for reminders to "drink from your own well." 

One year I focused on "enough" as my one little word to ponder and pray on for 365 days. It worked its way into many gratitude posts. This verse is one I missed:

"Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well." -Proverbs 5:15

If you read the whole chapter, it is clearly focusing on the way adultery destroys far more than a marriage. It creates waves far beyond the house walls it tears down. 

Yet, there is a wisdom far greater. To be content with what you have is what makes a person truly rich. A bigger, grander home is not evidence of happiness. The proof is in the tabloids. 

To have people around a table that is rich with love, laughter, and conversation is the best kind of wealth. To have a common core that embraces faith adds strength to the family fabric that keeps us warm on a cold winter night and together in the darkest valleys of life's troubles. Caring for and drinking from your own well is a solid decision we all have to make daily. 

"Love generously" is a sign that hangs on our wall. It is a good daily reminder when I wake up every morning. If loving well makes a better life... it starts at home.

Today, I am grateful for reminders to "drink from your own well." 

An Old-Fashioned Book

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 151: Today, I am grateful for an old-fashioned book. 

I love to read. Wandering through a library or bookstore is a special way to spend leisure time. My Mama Ina Mae read slowly, but she retained what she read. She and Aunt Judy kept me in books for all of my childhood and youth. 

The Love of My Life gifted me with a book Grandma Marge originally gave me as a teen (it disappeared in college). It was full of quotes, poems and short stories. That book is always near when I am writing my gratitude posts. It is called "One Thousand Beautiful Things." 

I love an old fashioned book in my hands. It is easy on the eyes and you can see the progress as you turn each page. Some books, I am sad to finish because the characters have become friends. These days, I do appreciate larger fonts, that I know e-reader fans appreciate. 

As a huge fan of audiobooks, I count each book as "read." Still, my favorites I want to have in hardback, paper form. This morning, we had a power outage and I picked up a real book. A favorite that is now an "old friend." When the wi-fi goes down and the electricity is gone... a well lit window and a physical book are perfect companions.  

Books have always been collected, treasured, and shared. 

"When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments." -2 Timothy 4:13

Seriously... it is very much like some of the texts I have exchanged with my family and friends. 

Today, I am grateful for an old-fashioned book.

Flowers Along the Way

 

Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 150: Today, I am grateful for flowers along the way.

This time of year, the purchased flowers have had a few weeks in the pots and are starting to fill out. The pops of color in other people's yards always make me smile. Flowers add so much color to our world. 

As you make your daily drive or walk to the ordinary places, don't forget to enjoy the flowers growing. As spring flowers turn into summer's blooms, there is a kaleidoscope of colors. 

"The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."  -Genesis 1:12

It is very good!

Today, I am grateful for flowers along the way.