Month: January 2021

With all the news events these days, I am keenly aware that it is difficult to know the full story.

I often hear the blame going to the media and how they don’t communicate the full story. I then consider how often we also fall in the category, asking ourselves, “when do I really know the full story?”

I am aware of how easy it is to assume I know the full story and form my thoughts and responses based on what I believe to be true. But when I consider all the places there may be missing facts, I realize I likely don’t know the full story.

I am aware of how easy it is to fill in the blanks based on what I know and what seems logical or feels right about it. Sometimes I am even aware that I am finishing the story in my thoughts. Somehow I believe I know enough of the story to draw my own conclusions. I must stop and realize I do not know the full story.

I am aware that sometimes I align myself with someone because I like them or trust them, and it feels right to support them. I think of times this has been real in my life, and I have learned that I did not know the full story.
And there are the spaces where I am simply an observer. Perhaps this is the most comfortable space to be a supporter or a critic of the total picture. Not remembering that many things are unfolding that I am not privy to observing. I have learned to pause before taking a stand and asking, do I know the full story.

As I have gotten older, I am grateful to have learned that it is unusual to know the whole story. Life is complex, and people are complicated. There is a mystery to how each day unfolds. I am reminded that good listening requires holding all that is offered to me and remembering there is likely more.

Am I able to speak words of support, encouragement, honesty, and compassion without sealing the conversation?

Am I willing to communicate that I hear you and be curious about what continues to unfold for you?

Am I willing to remember that every story is told from the perspective of the speaker?. That is not wrong, but that also is precisely that, someone’s perspective.

And so perhaps it used to distress me if I did not know the whole story. Today, I believe that there is likely always more, and I am ok with that. Work with what you have, trust what feels trustworthy, ask more questions where clarity is needed and always leave room for the unfolding of what is yet to come.

Blessed be His name,

Trish

Do you ever have one of those movies that just has so many good lines…
The kind that you think I need to think more about that, so you jot it down?

I don’t think reading this blog or watching this movie is anything like taking your own pilgrimage on the El Camino trail, but I do think this movie can inspire you to consider new spaces in your own soul!

I tried to keep a list of the thoughts I plan to reflect on in the coming days!

If any of these resonate in your heart, check out:

Walking the Camino: Six ways to Santiago

A bad day for the ego is a good day for the soul

life and spirituality are so intertwined and connected

And I said to him, “this is a feast,” And he replied, “no, this is knowing how to live!”

You transform into yourself

The more we release of ourselves, the more we can share with others.

If you understand and own how you feel and how you react, you can work to improve it

Every day is a journey and the road itself is home

I think we already have the answers but we don’t make time to let the answers surface

When we are in harmony with ourselves we have more capacity for helping others.

When your able to divert your thoughts and make them positive, your world starts to be more open!

t has been a busy week in my world. On this Friday evening, I am aware of my need to exhale. It has been a week of all the usual things and some extra stuff added in.

I have been aware of unexpected diagnoses in the lives of people I care about.
I have been aware of loss through death and divorce in the lives of those dear to my heart.
I have been aware of hard-working people in difficult situations, and I often want to cry out, “why O Lord?”

I have spoken with so many people who would like caregivers through Visiting Angels of West Michigan. It is an honor that they want to work with us and are willing to wait. Still, please pray with me that God will provide us many good caregivers to add to our already great multitude. There is a great need for the presence of compassion and the assistance of gentle hands and kind conversation. We are praying that we can say yes more often as opposed to not yet or not now.

I wonder what you need to EXHALE this week. Is it your own struggle and hardship or the ache of witnessing someone else’s?

Tonight I was standing at the doorway looking up at the gorgeous moon. The air was crisp, and the sky illuminated. I could feel as I witnessed the beauty of this scene that I could EXHALE and know that in my work, in my week, and in the hearts of those I love, that I can choose peace tonight.

I wonder what it is for you that speaks that It’s going to be alright. I have a favorite song that I listened to often in varying seasons of my life. Maybe someone is reading this who needs to hear these words. Or perhaps the peace that speaks in this beautiful night scene also speaks to you.

Whatever you need at the end of this week, I pray you will find it in abundance!

As I reflect on the end of the first month of 2021, I know there have been days and weeks that felt long. There were no specific reasons that some days feel longer than others. Often it is the lack of sunshine and amount of darkness at this point in the winter that can make the days move a bit more slowly.

I realize as we are wrapping up January, I am struck with the feeling of “Wow, where did the days go?” I would like to look back at the end of every month, taking time to reflect and notice what has unfolded.

January of 2021, I am grateful for COVID vaccines and that I received my first shot. I am thankful for a really light snow month and some days of bright sunshine! (not enough, but I am still grateful)

I am thankful for the joy that my puppy Wilhelmina Hope has brought to me every day. I am grateful for Dan and Julie, Natalie and Megan, and how they share Willa with me. Thatis a blog story for another day!

I am grateful for winter days at the cottage and enjoying the beauty of snow and icicles and time away with a new rhythm. There is a sense of release when I walk into the house on the weekends we go, and I am keenly aware of all the goodness that is possible in having a “home  away from home.”

At Visiting Angels of West Michigan, I am overwhelmed with the burden and struggle of COVID implications in January of 2021. For so many people who are seeking to protect their loved ones, these days feel forever long. The limitations and restrictions are significant, and the permitted “window visits” just don’t often reach soul levels. How I hope for changes in the coming months, and may we remain an encouragement to one another while we wait.

I wonder what you wcould reflect on in gratitude and struggle in January of 2021. Take some time and jot it down. It will be a meaningful time to look back at 12 summary sheets at the end of 2021. I believe it will be a gift to recognize God’s provision and presence in so many different ways in our lives and the lives of those we love.

This saying is often shared at my Church, and we say it with conviction when we say it together!

It sounds so good and feels so right when you hear an entire congregation declare God’s goodness. But somehow, it doesn’t bring the same confidence to my soul when I say it alone!

Today I spent a lot of time advocating for my dear friends in their late 80’s. Our medical systems are excellent in so many ways and complicated in so many other ways. My friend is doing so well after major surgery that now he doesn’t qualify for some things that they really would benefit from. I spent a few hours up at Mary Free Bed this evening. We talked and prayed about what the next chapter might look like as he continues to anticipate 30 days of radiation. At the end of a lovely evening with him, and after an hour plus on the phone with her sorting out her questions, we are no closer to an answer of what’s next. But both of them ended the conversation similarly. Even in the dips, he said, and even on hard days, she said, “God is good all the time!” And I was able in full confidence to reply back, “All the time, God is good.”

Tonight, we are grateful for this truth and the promise that He will hold us in his hand. I hope and pray that you can say the same, on good days and hard days, in dips and mountain tops!

Blessed be His name!

TrishA

Tonight I am aware that life is full of goodness.

With the goodness in my life comes lots of different commitments, desires, and activities. Often people will say to me, “you are so busy!” I remind them I am only as busy as I allow myself to be.

I enjoy the variety of engagement in my life.
I am fortunate to experience people of varied ages every day.
I am committed to places where I am in leadership.
I am committed to being in spaces where I am learning.
I am committed to expressing gratitude every day,
I am committed to being honest with someone about an area I feel vulnerable,
I am committed to doing something daily that challenges my brain to remain sharp.

I am challenged by my work, even after 19 years, and realize that the variety of activities every day allows me never to say “I am bored.” I know it is a gift to love my job and not a day goes by that I do not say “Thank You Jesus” for Visiting Angels of West Michigan and all the amazing people I have met on the journey.

I am committed to learning new things in 2021. I am starting with venturing away from my auto setting on my camera and trusting myself to play with various settings

I am enjoying the wonder of my new puppy Wilhelmina. She challenges me to get on the floor and play. She invites me to take walks and play in the snow and take naps after playing cause sometimes we just need to sleep!

I am keenly aware of the little things that feel like self-care for my soul in 2021. Last week it was a trip to Trader Joe’s with a friend to buy produce for my week. It is the warmth of my heated mattress pad every night at bedtime. The music plays out on my deck while I play with Willa in the snow connects me to the tender spaces in my heart.

I used to think that self-care was going out and spending money on something like a massage, manicure, or pedicure. Although that is delightful, it has been so good to discover that self-care is way more accessible than I ever believed.

Yes, life is busy, days are full, and the people I enjoy every day are delightful. All of these things make my soul feel intensely alive.

Playing with Willa, learning new things, practicing something new, and resting are choices I am prioritizing every day. I am grateful for the experiences that have taught me that self-care is essential.

I wonder what you do for self-care?

I wonder if you have taken your own self-care to a level that is accessible to you every day.

Remember, self-care is not selfish!
Self-care is essential!

Be well,
Blessed Be His Name,
Trish

Today I remembered this picture. I remember as a child, I could not find the younger lady. All I could see was the older lady. But I had friends who did not believe there was an older lady. All they could see was the younger lady. I remember wondering how that can be; the same picture is seen so differently through different eyes?

Then as I got older, I was able to identify both images. I am unsure if my mind matured or my eyes could discern more critically as I got older. I found it impossible to imagine another possibility until I could see it for myself.

I find this image similar to how I am experiencing the response to COVID by those around me. I hear some perspective that if you are cautious or heeding our governor’s directions, you are falling victim to fear and not faith.  Some people fully support the restrictions in place, believing that the precautions/restrictions have been very beneficial. Some refer to our State leadership in ways that villainize them. Some people would nominate our leadership for recognition and praise at every turn.

How can the same situation have such extreme differences in how they are perceived?

I can envision faces with each sentence I write. I know and believe all the people are faith believing people. I am not clear why some can see the old lady and some can see the young lady. I am not sure why some people honor the restrictions, and others feel tormented by them. I can only pray that we are doing our best to come together to respect the differences. May we not be a people who bicker and fight and cause division. (That reminds me of the Israelites) May we not be people who spend more energy judging others but instead promoting respectful disagreement and honoring varying perspectives.

This pandemic is more than a blip on the screen. It has had a significant impact on so many lives in a variety of ways. May we ensure the story we are weaving throughout the pandemic chapters shares the powerful impact of faith believing people.

May faith, hope, and love abound in us and through us all!

Recently I wrote about the quote:

“And the Day Came When the Risk to Remain Tight In a Bud Was More Painful Than the Risk It Took to Blossom.” – Anais Nin

This picture was with the blog. There is hope, and there is potential, but it is clear that the beauty is still coming.

And this is the picture I took this morning. I invite you to keep this picture in your mind this week, remembering that there is great beauty in living with the courage it takes to bloom.

But as lovely as this flower is, I am challenged with the question of where I am resisting blooming? Where do I hide in the potential of the bud or the hope of the bloom?

I did not expect this Christmas gift to challenge my soul in this way. I am grateful for the questions that have come from this beautiful bloom. It is time for me to risk blooming in some areas I have rested in simply budding.

How about you?

Tonight I was walking downtown and came across this sign. It felt important to take a picture of. I did not plan at that time to blog about it tonight, but it is what came back to me right away when I began to journal about what to write about. I am aware that there is a lot of negativity going around about many different things right now. And suppose one is not engaging in the negative conversation. In that case, it is easy to get caught up talking about those who are negative in their thinking.
I would like to challenge every reader today to send one note or have one conversation affirming something positive in someone you know. And if you find that it is a positive experience, do it the next day again. I would really love to spark some good energy in the lives of those around me. Pay attention this week to how much you get caught up in the negative energy around you. I have found the quickest way to combat my involvement is to intentionally engage in positive conversation. I invite you to give it a try. After all, it only takes a spark to get a fire going. And soon, all those around will warm up in the glowing….

Be positive today (and tomorrow) and share some love,

Blessed Be His Name,
Trish

I found an Authenticity Calendar that I bought for 2021. I find that the thoughts I put into my thinking challenge me throughout each day. I like the idea of starting every day with a view that shapes my perspective.

You will likely find several blogs this year titled Authenticity Card. These will be thoughts that especially invite me to consider something that resonates in my soul.

Let me start with the idea of unafraid of being yourself. I have done a fair bit of emotional work in my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. I have learned to embrace my strengths and weaknesses and honestly believe that my whole story is part of who I am today. There is no option to forget or block out a part of who I am. For when I am fully myself, I am embracing all of my stories.

That being said, I still have moments every week where I choose to withhold my whole self. Sometimes I realize in the moment, and sometimes I reflect on it at the end of the day, but it is an area I am committed to continuing my growth.

I wonder how true you are to living fully as yourself. Are there individual relationships that invite you to be free in this or where you feel more inhibited? Are there thoughts that you water and grow that lead you to love your true self with more profound conviction, or do your thoughts hinder your freedom of self?

What is your faith self-talk about who God is calling you to be? What is your faith self-talk about who God created you to be? Are you a spiritual mentor or tormentor to your soul?

I am grateful for thoughts that challenge me to grow and shape my thinking and actions. I hope to radiate beauty this year and grow in courage to be unafraid to be myself. I hope you will join me!