My Mom and I spent 15 hours on the road today. It was a fun and relaxing day to travel from Williamsburg to home. We debated splitting the day into two travel days, but sometimes getting home is worth a long day of driving. We enjoyed some off-the-beaten-path travel along with the good old turnpike.

We did a small experiment and set one phone on Waze, another on Google Maps, and the Rav 4 navigation system. It was intriguing that they all had different arrival times. We let them all run as we were curious as to where the differences would be.

As one spoke over the other and all three sounded very sure of their directions and directives, my Mom said, “it is clear there is more than one way to get home.” I thought about those words as we continued to drive.

There is more than one way to so many things in life. I began to consider where my voice tries to overpower and where my voice allows room for more than one way? Sometimes people follow different directions to all arrive in the same general space. I wonder if you are a person who allows others to define their way, or do you speak over others’ voices, directing them to follow your path.

I am grateful for more than one way to get home. And I am grateful to be home. In the end, it matters not what route we took. May we all be people who encourage the travel of many different roads and allow the people around us the freedom to choose!

Blessed be His name!

I have had a few days in Williamsburg, and it is clearly Spring just a little sooner here than in Michigan. I noticed how good it was to feel the warmth of Sunshine. I sat outside to get some work done today, and the combination of warmth and brightness really does something to the mind and soul.

I found myself noticing the budding and in-bloom trees. I could smell the flowers as I walked the pathways, and I felt the hope of spring awaken more deeply within me. I am grateful to have experienced this, and I am eager to live amidst the coming spring in my own hometown.

There is something that happens on vacation in how I notice the birds. I think they have more variety of birds in vacation spaces, but I am committed to paying a bit more attention at home. Between the Eagles and the Vultures, the song of the cardinal, and the Owl call, there is so much variety to tune into.

I am not sure why every year I am surprised by the beauty in the Springtime. It has come around every year I have been alive. And still, tonight, at the end of a beautiful Spring day, I am ready to return home to await the arrival of Spring in my own backyard.

May the sun warm you, and the beauty of new life in the budding trees and blooming flowers bring you hope this Spring season!

Blessed be His name!

I want to share just a little bit of hope tonight for those who hold grief in their being. I came across this post in my Facebook memories, and I am aware that I have feelings around this season held deep in my being.

Posted 3 years ago today: This week, we have experienced events that have been disruptive at almost every level. Monday evening, my Dad suffered a seizure that led to discovering two lesions, one in his lung and one in his brain. This week has been filled with testing, waiting, praying, hoping, wondering, and trusting. In the coming days, we anticipate receiving information that will bring clarity to our next steps. His laptop is often open on the hospital bed. If you would like to email him a note of encouragement. It is the best way for him to know and feel your love at this time.

I wonder…

We set off on a road trip this morning from Hightstown, NJ, to Williamsburg, Virginia. Google confidently told us it would take 5 hours and 20 minutes. It sounded like a perfect length for a lovely drive. 

Nine hours later, we arrived.

The day brought us many unexpected delays. The GPS lady randomly states stopped traffic ahead. We got very used to the saying that slow traffic on your route, and each time we just figured this is how it goes sometimes. 

As these delays kept occurring, I thought back to the days I was doing adoption social work. Delays were common in the process, and often no explanation was given other than unexpected delays. 

I remember three years ago when my Dad was awaiting biopsy results. It was a slow process, and someone said, sometimes there are unexpected delays. 

I wonder how you engage unexpected delays in times of waiting? Traffic, although frustrating, did not change anything other than our arrival time. Further unexpected delays are more costly in different ways. 

I hope that if you are facing unexpected delays, you can cling to hope amid the waiting. Find people to wait with you. Reflect on your waiting, be honest about the frustration, and trust that your waiting will come to an end in time. 

Isn’t there just something majestic about the Eagle?

There is something in how they fly, the way they swoop in, their 8-foot wing span for a female eagle, their wing design, and the white that pops sometime after they turn two, complementing their yellow beak and black body. John Denver knew about the power of an Eagle in his song Rocky Mountain High:

I used to think it was an unusual thing to see an Eagle, but here in New Jersey, the Eagles fly a few miles from my brother and sister-in-law’s house. Jonna knows where to find them and shared lots of facts about them on our morning walk. She also is an amazing photographer. This is fascinating about the Eagles nest: Bald Eagle nests are absolutely huge at roughly eight feet wide and 13 feet deep. They also weigh a lot more than expected as most weigh, on average, one ton.

I am not sure I will ever stop being in awe of the Eagle.

And how can I walk through the park without this song resonating deep in my soul?

May you experience the comfort and promise of being raised up and held in the palm of His hand!

Blessed be His Name!

I am not sure this needs more words.

Please, in a time where the pandemic continues to add stress to our lives (no matter how you feel about it) and as we continue to navigate spaces that feel either foreign or exhausting at times, practice Love and Kindness every chance you get!

Choose to make a difference, my friends!

Blessed be His name!

If

If you are in the room where something needs to be acknowledged, I encourage you to find your voice and speak. The elephant will feel relieved, and you may feel lighter as well!

Be brave friends,

Trish

I received a check in the mail today.

It looked official, and I wondered who was sending me money.

Last week, I had totally forgotten that I had gone on the unclaimed property website and found that I had something to claim. Lo and behold, today I got a check!

I want to share it with you as I think many people have a check hanging out there and are unaware of this website. I did some research, and you can google unclaimed property for your state, and the same website will surface. Remember to check all the states you have lived in.

Hoping you get mail soon too!

unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov

There is something about this song. 

I could listen to it all day long and feel it deep in my soul with every verse.

I believe this song can speak across cultures and generations. 

I believe that no matter how long your faith has grown within you; if you are just acknowledging that there is faith or if you have had faith for 99 years, this song will reach the spiritual places in your soul. Perhaps the most important message I want to leave with you as you listen is this: the deeply spiritual song is about keeping the faith in a time of darkness.