The Gift of Encouragment

I think everyone should have a Whitney in their life. 

Really, the girl is a blessing to have around. 

Her mouth is a continual fountain of 

praise and encouragement to me. 

She makes a deliberate effort to notice me, hug me 

and say something positive to me. 

All the time!

I have to chuckle though. 

Yesterday she told me how wonderful I looked. 

She went on to say how I seemed to have blossomed 

and gotten past the last 2 years of hurt and so on and so on.  

It was humorous to me, 

because minutes before I answered the door I had been crying.

(just 'cause I needed to)

                  ... And my nose always turns red when I cry. 

      

Also, I had only gotten maybe 4 hours of sleep that night. 

I guess my body and mind had decided that 

I only needed a nap instead of the usual night's rest. 

(Being normal must be over rated.) 

...And I had been cleaning, 

...and I think I remembered to brush my hair that day. 

I see you are getting the picture.

Anyway, the compliment/encouragement was duly noted 

and much appreciated! 

I am not sure how accurate her words were to me that day, 

but I truly feel loved by this dear young woman.

 
      "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life."
       Proverbs 10:11



What gift do you have? Have you been sharing yours?

I Thessalonians 5:11
Hebrews 10:23-25


~teresa~

Camisoles for Modesty!

When I find something that is just right, I want to share it with everyone. I want to share the wealth of information! It takes a lot of time and sometimes research to get just the right thing that works. Simplicity isn't always about what is cheapest. Simplicity can be about fewer things, or what takes less time and energy. I know for myself sometimes after trying to get ready to go somewhere, I will look on the bed and there is a pile of clothes that just didn't work out, and a frustrated me! Don't you just love it when you have that go-to-dress that is comfortable and flattering, or a pair great shoes that don't hurt your feet, but still look stylish?

In the fall of 2011,  in a quest for modesty and less lumpiness while wearing low-cut dresses, I found Molly's Clothing line. I fell in love with the Mini Camisoles. They are perfect under not so modest, but cute dresses. I get over heated very easily, so adding a tank top under my dresses was not working very well. Mostly, I hated how the camisole or tank would creep up and create a bunch at the waist. Molly's Clothing Minis are perfect for both issues! It is a crop top camisole! No need to have all that extra material around the waist, bunching up and making me too warm!

Molly's Clothing-  From the Mini Collection

 Also, Molly's Clothing line is finally offering 100% cotton minis. I only have the polyester, which can be hot, but still better than a regular camisole. I intend on purchasing the cotton ones before summer.

And this year, 2013, during the winter, I was in the market for some new camisoles. I found some beautiful ones at Costco! Felina camisoles are long enough, not too thick, and they are cut straight across, which keeps it modest. For an extra bonus, across the top has added lace and it is oh so pretty!

Felina from Costco, 2 in a pack for around $19.00

They also come in a variety of colors. I wish I could buy all my girl friends at least one. My Sarah just bought some today from Costco and she said she loves them and wishes she had 40 of them! I am sure that is an exaggeration, but when you find something that is just right, it is time to buy a few before they are gone.

Gina's Journey to Abba Father

Gina Clay is one of the sweetest people I know. About a year ago, I inquired about the missing bits and pieces of her past, inorder to get to know her better.  She wrote it all down in a letter to me. It was so sweet, and it was very inspiring. Besides just wanting to hug her to pieces, I have wanted her to tell her story to our women's group at church, but she just wasn't ready.  This is what she said to me, "Some things are just so hard to talk about..." I, personally, think it makes it much harder standing in front of an audience. It is hard to get the words out without crying.

So today I have the priviledge of sharing with you Gina's story in her own words:

On March 4, 2011, I found out my father died. I learned of it in an e-mail, about a week after his death. I got the news in such an impersonal way because my father left when I was three years old. I don't even remember the day he left. My sister was seven and my mom was six months pregnant with my brother. My mom is from Australia. So she was left devastated, in America, with two young children and a baby on the way, with no family around to help. I only saw my father a couple times after that. He moved to Japan and I never saw him or heard from him again.

I have spent most of my life trying to convince myself that I was ok with it. As I got older, I just tried to think of him as a stranger... basically because he was a stranger to me. That helped me let go of the hurt of not being wanted by him.

I often wondered how I would feel if I got word that he had died. I could not have prepared myself for the emotional upheaval that e-mail would cause. As I read the words, I sat there shaking and sobbing for a father I barely knew. He's gone now and I will never know him. It hurts. But I know I have a Heavenly Father and He will never leave or forsake me.  

"...you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

Here is my journey to my Abba, Father…

My mom married my step dad a few years after my father left and my youngest sister was born when I was ten. In my teen years, there were some very difficult things going on in my family and I was really longing for affection. I met Bill. His family had just gone through a very painful divorce. I think he and I were feeling alone in the world. We ended up clinging to each other and I got pregnant. Some suggested abortion, fearing that I would become a young destitute mother. But I just could not do it. And Bill did not want me to do it, either. So he sold his car and bought a ring. He asked me to marry him and of course I said yes. Bill joined the Navy and we planned to get married after he got back from boot camp. I was still in high school and an honors student but because of our circumstances, I decided to leave school and get my GED. So Bill returned from boot camp and we got married by a justice of the peace. I was 17 and Bill was 19. Shortly after that, Billy was born. Amanda was born 3½ years later. We loved each other. But the first few years of our marriage were not without some serious issues because we were so young and trying to figure out life on our own.

 Six years later, everything changed! Bill got out of the Navy and we were living in Richmond, VA. He traveled a lot with his new job and on one particular night, I was at home and Bill was in a hotel room in North Carolina. Without knowing it, we both happened to tune in to a Billy Graham Crusade on TV. I had no idea who Billy Graham was. I had never even heard of him before that. But while we watched that night, in two different states, unaware that the other was watching, God began convicting both of us. When we talked on the phone the next day, and realized what had happened, we decided we needed to find a church. I don’t think we quite knew what was taking place at that time, but we know now. It was The Holy Spirit at work. My older sister, who had been living for the Lord for several years at that point, sent me a Bible in the mail. And that February of 1997, Bill and I surrendered our lives to the Lord! God saved us and changed us! He forgave all our sins! We were new people!

 That was 16 years ago and we’ve never looked back. I can’t imagine the mess we would have made of our lives… our marriage… our family, if God had not saved us. What we would have ruined on our own, God made wonderful. I can not put into words my deep gratitude for the miracle God did in our life! A few years later, Bill went back into the Navy, which eventually brought us back to this area. We will celebrate our 22^nd wedding anniversary in a few weeks and we’ve spent more than a decade of our sixteen years as Christians at Avalon Hills Bible Church in Virginia Beach. I thank the Lord continually for saving us and also for bringing us into this church family.