Thank You Notes, from Croley's Corner of Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thank You Notes

 …rooted and build up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:7
 Good Power Friday Morning,
I’m confident that your Thanksgiving was wonderful. I know mine was extra special as we spent it with my parents here in Oregon. Lots of food, as always, a fire, games to play and a time of great reflection…it was perfect. I had a time of quietness and was thinking of the many families that were together yesterday and the countless hours spent in the kitchen preparing that perfect “Thanks” giving dinner and I wondered of those that did cook, had anyone ever gotten a “Thank You Note” afterwards?
 I love to receive "Thank you” notes and the best part of the note in itself is that it was written with a thankful heart of the writer. A “Thank You” note exclaims you were appreciated and you were noticed for, maybe, something that you did out of a heart of love or perhaps…. just because!  I am positive, too, that the receiver was thankful you took the time to write and express your heart.
With the means today of Internet, FB, Tweeter – oops, I mean Twitter, or cell phones, sending a “Thank you” note is almost extinct. So by sending such a note, I guarantee it will bring a smile to the recipient’s face. Their hearts will be moved by the simple fact that you took the time to express your heart of thoughtfulness towards them. There are so many different varieties of "Thank You Notes.”  Many are simple and sweet... colorful and full of zest... stripes and polka dots... flowers and scenic landscapes... and they always seem to express either the giver or receiver.
I love to write “Thank You” notes. In fact, I write a “Thank You Note” every day to my Heavenly Father! I have a lot of journals filled with “Thank you Notes”
Some time ago, I suggested to a Women’s Ministry to begin their own “Thank You Notes” to the Lord, either write it in their journals or on a piece of paper that they could keep and tuck it away and in six months they could look back and see the “Thank”fulness of their hearts expressed towards their Heavenly Father.
It was liberating to hear what they shared and to see what God actually did for them during that time!
Inspiring? Yes!!!! When was the last time you received a “Thank You” note from someone or for that matter, when was the last time you sent one to someone? Don’t put off tomorrow what you could be doing today! See the abundance of His great love and thankfulness pour out of your very own heart as you surprise someone.
Thank Him... praise Him.
So what are you waiting for? Go ahead it will make your day!
Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
 From my thankful heart to yours

Debbie

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving ... from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving … from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…

Thanks for stopping by for our Coffee Hour! I know you may be extra busy today, getting ready for Thanksgiving and all, so I won’t keep you long. I just got to thinking about this holiday, my favorite one, and got a little sad as I won’t have my kids to share it with this year so I dug within my soul for past memories and reminders of what really matters, Thanksgiving Day and every day! I hope you enjoy my Thanksgiving rendition of Twas the Night Before Christmas … grab your coffee and come on in.

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house

Every creature was stirring, including the mouse

Everyone was working on all of the fixings

The noise and smells were coming from the kitchen

The children were busy with their tablets and toys
Captured in their games, they made not a noise
While the adults laughed and worked all collectively
What a beautiful sight it was for any heart to see

When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter
Mom ran to the kitchen to see what was the matter
She looked to the left and she looked to the right
She couldn’t believe what was in plain sight

There was broken glass from a favorite platter
And at first glance, she knew it didn’t matter
Everyone was frozen, waiting for her reaction
But she didn’t give the devil that satisfaction

The counters were a mess, preparations everywhere;
It looked as though a tornado had just gone thru there
The turkey had flown from the platter to the floor
The poor thing looked like it just couldn’t take no more

The stove was a disaster waiting to happen,
full of pots and pans, handles overlapping
The old mom would have immediately gotten on her broom
And painted the atmosphere with a bit of doom and gloom

But the new and improved mom was no longer that way
For she had learned the true meaning of Thanksgiving Day
She stared at each of them and the mess they surrounded
Knowing her response would leave each one of them astounded

Now sons, now daughters, in-laws, friends like family
This is ever a sight for the eyes of my heart to see
More than the chaos, the mess on the floor
The memories we’re making are worth so much more

So grab a rag, and a dishtowel too
Here’s one for each and every one of you
Let’s work together in cleaning up this mess
It will only take a few minutes or less
Pick up the turkey, and we’ll wash him off
We’ll stuff him but good and put him in a trough
We’ll baste him all over, and get him ready to eat
No one will ever know we stepped on his feet

And when the morrow comes and we gather for the meal
We’ll be able to discern what matters and what’s real
Faith, family, friends, love and laughter
Help to bring us all that happily ever after

I looked to each of them with tears in my eyes
And said something I had just realized
Oh, why can’t it be Thanksgiving every day?
Loving each other in a Christ-like way
Patience, self-control, love and joy too
Are there for the asking for each of you
We don’t have to wait for a holiday to see
That Christ’s greatest gift is that of family

Praying you enjoy your Thanksgiving, no matter what circumstances you are in, no matter who you are with … or not with!
Thankfully,

Evinda

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Share and Enjoy

Power Friday-@ Croley's Corner of Chicklit Power

Power Friday-from Coffee Hour @ ChicklitPower

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…

Good Morning Power Friday readers

I am so excited that you have taken the time to join me today. It’s not by circumstance that you just happened to stop by, for today is my “Welcoming Basket Debut” so to speak. Many years ago it used to be when a family moved into a new neighborhood they had an official neighborhood greeter and it was their responsibility to help them feel welcome and create a desirable sense of community. It fosters a feeling of belonging and to help put a face and name to each neighbor. And for the most part the “Welcoming Basket” would sometimes include home baked goods, some kind of house-warming gift and a swarm of hospitable handshakes. As the new neighbors move in, all eyes of anticipation are on them…that’s just the nature of humans. They want “to know” if they have children… how many, how old…..if they have animals and their curiosity in them arises wanting to know what the inside of their home is going to look like… and for the most part, the men would eyeball what kind of car or truck they’re driving and what kind of work they do, if their into sports and the list goes on!

After the settling-in period, the new neighbors usually want to return their warm welcoming. Now with any good hostess that has invited her guest to her home, she always has something wonderful to offer. Many times there are coffee cakes, muffins, granola or maybe some yogurt with a serving of fresh fruit on the side. On the invitation it reads “Please bring your favorite cup or mug” and her preparation has been well calculated to embrace her new welcomed friends. She has eagerly invested her time in preparing her dishes in that they would know the warmth and kindness of her heart; in hopes the sweet aroma will permeate and embrace their senses that it will express the motive of her heart as it engulfs each guest when they enter into her home.

As each neighbor arrives; the whiff is distinctively an aroma of a house filled with love…. Her home has been saturated with this sweet aroma, which identifies her of who she is within her home.
“But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Hebrews 13:16 NKJV

I pray that today as you welcome me into your community, you grab your favorite beverage, find a comfortable place to sit and relax as we begin building a relationship together and that your soul will be filled with a sweet savoring aroma; may it be a fragrance that will permeate the very presence of our Heavenly Father…from His heart to yours…to share with others..

As far as God is concerned, there is a sweet, wholesome fragrance in our lives. It is the fragrance of Christ within us, an aroma to both the saved and the unsaved all around us. 2 Corinthians 2:15 TLB
Have an awesome weekend and I’m looking forward to sharing with you next Friday and don’t forget to bring your favorite cup!!

Debbie

Share and Enjoy:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The Highway to Destination? Joyful!(tm)

Happy Thursday to you! It’s a great day for a sacrifice of righteousness on our way to Destination? Joyful! ™ Grab your coffee and let’s go explore what this particular sacrifice costs!
So when we began this particular sacrifice, I had an opportunity to offer Him up a sacrifice of righteousness by being silent after feeling attacked and ridiculed by someone I love in front of someone I love. I failed in that test and the very thing I was teaching someone not to do, I DID!
This next opportunity to offer a sacrifice of righteousness involved the same principle but with a bit more depth, and while I wasn’t prepared for the circumstance to happen, I was prepared to step back before moving forward in deed and in words.
It’s kind of funny, because the very thing I had drawn my line about in this second circumstance, I was being tested in! God’s refining fire is so painfully brilliant at times it throws me to my face in humility and causes me to beg for the water of His Word. Yes, humility is a necessary pool to bathe in, especially as I prepare to go into the trenches with others who are struggling with hurts, habits and hang-ups. I must not forget where I came from and how I came to Who I came!
There are so many one-liner lessons in the two situations that have happened back to back in my journey, but the loudest one echoing in the nooks of my heart and gushing out into my whole being is found in 1^st Peter 5:6: “Humble yourself before the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time”: in other words, when I feel others have wronged me, I don’t need to be the teacher of the lesson I think they need to learn. The cost is too great! Think about it like this: When a fire starts, do I add a match, or walk away and thus let it go out?
I love what He promises in 1^st Peter 5:7 when we do just that: “casting all your cares on Him for He cares for you.” After all, if I am a Christian who does not love the unlovable, then I am without the greatest gift, love which grows joy!
Oh, friends, He is so good to hold us accountable and I am not quite giggling as I realize He’s done just that: held me accountable to the very thing I had shared with this person on so many occasions in our friendship: Just because someone verbally slaps us with their perceptions, doesn’t give us permission to slap them back with ours. There is no unity in that. In fact, love is the framework for unity and truly listening adds shades of beauty to beautiful to describe but seldom seen. If all I am able to do is concentrate on defending what’s being said, then I am not focused with a heavenly perspective of unity. Rather, I have missed what’s not being said and forgotten about the One who will defend me when it’s all said and done.
Having a heavenly perspective in an earthly battle will keep us from stepping out of the bigger picture, which is unity in and for the Bride of Christ, the ultimate Kingdom of which we are headed. Oh, to be a kingdom builder and not a building destroyer.
Ask yourself: Can I agree to disagree, in love, for the greater good of Him?
I thought I would get into the cost of this sacrifice, but at the risk of staying on His platform longer than I am welcome, I will let you go. Thank you so much for joining me for our coffee hour and I truly pray that the lessons I am striving to learn will become preventative medicine to your soul and in your journey with Him!
We WILL wrap up this second sacrifice next week and then get to our October’s WOW!
In His grip,

Evinda

Power Friday!

Thanks for joining me for a little coffee break and another Power Friday at Chicklit Power! Grab your coffee and come on in.

Incidentally we will have our monthly WOW for February on Monday! Where in the heck did January go?

I am still overwhelmed, and sometimes discouraged, at how much of this viral infection of codependency still resides in me! It’s His love and grace that keeps me going, and then knowing there is you to share the lessons with also acts like a heart on your foot at my behind to keep me walking towards freedom from this disease!

Last week, my infection spread on Facebook. Talk about viral! Ugh! So a friend of mine posted a comment about a reminder that very few people are trustworthy, and as soon as I saw that, a few faces came to mind and without thinking, pausing, praying, I put “Can I get an AMEN!” The next morning, I received a few notifications regarding this post and apparently, there was a little Facebook bonfire happening around that post! I had no idea that it had turned into a bit of a combative commentary. There staring me bold in the face was a comment that I KNEW was directed to me from someone who obviously not only took issue with what I said but has issues with me as well.

Conviction began to dance in my mind and did the two-step down to my heart! That’s where this power thought comes from:

You’ve got to own it before you disown it.

I knew that the attitude that I posted that comment “Can I get an Amen?” was not Christ-like so I owned it, asked for forgiveness from Abba and then did a private message to the person I had offended. I didn’t make excuses for my behavior; I just owned it so I could disown it! I think this power thought could actually be a series!

See before we can change our behavior, we have to own it, come to recognize it so the next time we have a better chance to change it.

Make it a great weekend

Evinda

Nana Holds-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks so much for joining me today for a little break. I earnestly hope you enjoyed your CHRISTmas and that you made memories to cherish for years to come. Grab your coffee and come on in.

Something I didn’t mention up until now is the internal struggle I was having about giving up my weekends with my hubby. I mean, I was doing it, but there was definitely a struggle. My social world suddenly shrunk and it was like we were somewhat isolated and while I enjoy isolation I also like to nurture my/our friendships. Marriages are life-sized mirrors and friendships are like mini mirrors that reflect both the good and the not-so-good in us. Anyway, after several weeks of receiving a few invitations to do things and having to decline – I was actually able to laugh a bit about it when I heard myself say “We have to get a babysitter” – we received yet another one from a girlfriend and friend of CPM and she invited us to attend a car show with her and her husband and then back to their house for dinner.

Well, my hubby loves car shows but my first reaction was to decline, yet again. I reminded her and me that we had Bryden now and I was about to enter into my own pity party when her words pulled me out: “Well, bring him. We’ll find something for him to do.”

So that’s what we did and I’ll always treasure her insistence that we get together and her persistence in seeing it through.

We had an amazing time and Bryden was definitely the center of attention and no one seemed to mind! He was absolutely adorable, engaging and endearing.

My two girlfriends and I were outside in Teresa’s little haven she created all within an EZ Up. It was/is so tastefully done with a comfy couch, a couple of chairs, a coffee table, some potted plants and flowers everywhere, soft lighting, and for the background sound effects, she had a garden-sized water fall sculpture. It’s a great place to sit and read, or talk as was our case.

So there we were, in the midst of a passionate conversation about something and here comes

this little man in a toddler’s body with his hand outstretched and wearing an incredible sense of pride as he handed over what had to be the largest rose I’d seen in a long, long, long time! And talk about leaving me speechless! Why in the world and how in the world could he do something so sweet for me? It was something too hard to fathom, though I reveled in the beauty of it for some time that evening, in between the giggles and fits of laughter inspired by Bryden.

Both couples seemed to truly be enjoying him and didn’t act annoyed in the least that we didn’t get a babysitter for him and brought him along. It was an awesome time that evening and for the first time in weeks, I remember thinking, maybe there’s life after all with a two-and-a-half-year-old!

Have an amazing day…

Evinda