Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Words of Encouragement

A few weeks ago, my girlfriends took me to lunch for my birthday at this great little place with an outdoor patio. The patio has a fountain and an outdoor fireplace and oil cloth tablecloths. We have been going there for years to celebrate our birthdays. We always order the Caprese sandwich on Kalamata Olive bread with Rasberry Vinagarette. So delicious. We finish off the meal by "surprising" each other with a piece of very rich chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a glowing candle. It is always lovely.

My birthday is actually this week so I will share with you the two gifts I received that day from my friends. The first was very tangible and practical and something I had really been wanting. My friend Heather pays attention that way. It was a nursing cover I had seen some of the other moms using. It is a Lait De Taule by Milky Juggs. Heather said NOT to google Milky Juggs. It was not a good experience for her. Rather, you can go direct to http://www.milky-juggs.com/.



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I obviously think something is hilarious here. I could have been the joy of recieving this gift or the fact that the small band playing on the patio thought my name was Brianna and was singing Bri-annnnnn-aaaaa to the song Rhianna for my birthday. Crazy stufff- I don't know!

Anyway, I loved the colors- they are so me- and it is lightweight with boning around the top so you can see the baby. Most fabulous to use I must say.


I just discovered that one of the lovely ladies who follows my blog also makes nursing covers. Hers are called The Feeding Frock and they cover you all the way around the back.

The second gift I recieved that day was not tangible, but will last much longer than my milky juggs cover. When the meal was finished, each of my friends took turns speaking words of encouragement over me. They spoke to me of who they know me to be, things I had done for them in the past that I had forgotten, what they see me doing. There were some tears and laughs, but the words were from their hearts and spoken with such love that I was overwhelmed.

It is so encouraging to be seen...



to be known



and to be loved.

I bring this up not to brag about what great friends I have, although I do, and not to float my own boat because there are certainly negative things that could have been said, but rather to bring to mind the idea of speaking words of encouragement over others.

Words are so powerful and people need to hear them.

When we see something in someone, let us affirm them in it. Whether it be our children, our husbands or wives, our parents or siblings, our friends, acquaintances or even the clerk at the supermarket.

Everyone could use some enCOURAGEment.


14 comments:

Love & Maple Syrup said...

Happy Birthday, Brigetta! Love your encouraging words and smiles!

a new beginning said...

For all of you Brigetta fans, her real bday is this coming Saturday, Aug. 29th :) B--you are a graceful woman of strength. You astonish me by just being who God created you to be. I am so incredibly grateful to call you FRIEND. Love you.

Sande said...

Ah. Words .... now your speaking my "love" language.

Farmgirl Paints said...

Great friends. I think that is what I love about blogging so much. It gives me a chance to "comment" or encourage people that I would never have known in real life. And what a blessing to receive it back!!

Amy said...

Happy Birthday and great advice.
Blessings,
Amy

donahugh43 said...

You are so blessed to have what money can't buy.True friends

Anonymous said...

your birthday is this week? Mine is next week...I suspect you have the audacity to be younger! (just kidding)

Happy Bday Brigetta!

campbell6 said...

Happy birthday girl! Glad you had some girl time and glad that it filled you rather than drained you. One of the things that "fills me" for some girl time is reading your blog. Thanks for choosing to be intentional about the gift of writing God has given you. Your words are read by many and it is a ministry to those God leads to it. So, what kind of jewels are you hoping for in your crown? :-) I'm hoping for anything but the gawdy looking thing my daughter colored on my head yesterday during craft time!!! I guess we'll be laying those crowns back at Jesus' feet so it won't matter if it doesn't match my eyes. Wow I am random today...that's good, I'll be right on the kids level during school. Liked your nursing cover - up...lol about googling that company. What a hoot!

Brigetta's Mom said...

I'm so LUCKY everday to be able to call you my daughter, friend and my beautiful grandchildren's mother!

Ashley said...

Great post and Happy Birthday!

Frenzied Texas Momma said...

Happy Birthday!I love the milky juggs warning... I can just imagine what happened. I learned not to type in latex. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love making weird food like that for my family. A while back I made rats (meatloaf in the shape of rats with spaghetti whiskers and mushroom ears) They loved it! I hope to hear from ya'll again!

Laura said...

Great post!

anthonyandbeth said...

speaking words of encouragement over people and having it spoken over you is SO BIG!!! amazing what the power of those precious words can do in a person's life!

love the nursing cover. that is the same fabric used for my shopping cart cover/high chair cover! i love it! :) i used a cover similar to that while i was nursing my daughter this past year and it was WONDERFUL!!! have now passed it on to a friend who just had a baby recently! :) have a great day!

Marcela said...

Happy Birthday! It sounds like you have a GREAT group of friends! Congrats to you! Beautiful birthday gifts too!!!!