Month: January 2024

Some days are better than others…

Today was a good day!

I am incredibly grateful for my Church, and if you would like to listen to a good sermon and good music, listen to this podcast. I found it a great way to start my Sunday.

We had dinner at my mom’s. It is a long-time tradition. We still miss my Dad every Sunday and have such sweet, funny, and honest conversations. Today was my niece, brother, and sister-in-law, my aunt, my mom, our dear family friend who is more family and 96 years old, and myself.

I spent some time today with my great-niece and nephews. Life with a 5, 4, and 2-year-old is just sheer joy.

I went to the Choral Lab at our Church. This concert was powerful. Their lyrics were meaningful and inspiring and a challenge to all of us to do better in our broken world. Even in the day’s goodness, I am reminded of what is true in my world and the world around me. We are a fractured people.

Amazon.com : His Mercies are New Every Morning Carved Wood Sign With Beveled Edge 12x15 : Home & Kitchen

And because of our broken world, every day, we witness, experience, or deny the pain around us; it is such a gift to remember that His mercies are new every morning! When life seems too hard to endure, when we aren’t sure if there is light at the end of the tunnel, when it is just a bad day when anxiety grips us, or mental illness consumes us, remember, His mercies are new every morning!  Sometimes, this truth will carry you through. Cling to it, believe it, and share it with struggling others. Find hope in the fact that every morning, His mercies are new! Start fresh tomorrow and make the best of each and every day! ❤️ Trish

Its time to do something….will you join me?

This is a fascinating listen, and in a new and changing world, it is time we change our care for those we love who struggle with Dementia. I have been aware of this and dreamed of it for years. My sister Arlene is an excellent nurse and said we should make this happen. I couldn’t agree more.
The reality is that a project like this, a project that will change the whole concept of care and enhance the quality of life for a neglected group, will take a good bit of dollars. Perhaps your family wants to sponsor one of the buildings or the road system? Maybe you have land to donate? There are so many ways this could come to be!
The road of dementia is a hard road to travel. It is hard for the person who is living with the diagnosis, the caregiver, the family, the community…Let us not ignore the way that we can improve quality of life by coming together!
So, perhaps some people share this vision and are looking for a place to invest in a life-changing project. If you know of someone who may be interested, please share this blog and invite them to reach out to me.
If you want to invest financially in a community like this in West Michigan, email me at trish@advocacy-matters.com
                                                                                                                  ❤️ Trish

Work should enhance life, not complicate it. 

Work-life balance is something that is desired by many in today’s frantic culture. I am unsure how it is best achieved, and I believe it differs for everyone.  I have adopted a saying in my management philosophy: Work should enhance life, not complicate it. Not every office can function as ours, but if you are in management, consider how you might be able to enhance life and not complicate it for the good people who help make your business work.

Several years ago, we enjoyed the children of our co-workers in our office. Three littles helped us learn about serving others and enjoying the right now. We learned about supporting new moms who wanted to work and parent.

It was a delight to support these Moms, who now have 11, 8, and 7-year-olds in their lives.

 

 

 

We are now into the next generation as we have grandbabies in the office. Every day as I drive to work I wonder how will work enhance life today?

Today was a day we had a good amount of work to accomplish. However, one of our co-workers also had a mother-in-law who needed to see the cardiologist for a follow-up appointment. She made it to that appointment, we shared in the childcare, and the work all got done!

We also love Mondays and Fridays when our co-worker becomes a Gigi in the office, and her sweet granddaughter comes to work with her.

Sometimes, it all feels a bit chaotic, but the work is done. Family commitments are honored, and children and granddaughters are cared for. It all makes for a lovely and productive workplace.

❤️ Trish

 

 

 

Thought provoking…

We live in a culture of tired people. I am aware of how often conversations mention how tired someone is…

May be a black-and-white image of text that says '"Rarely does tiredness come from a lack of sleep. It comes from a lack of peace." -L.Innis'

I read this today. I am not sure I fully agree, but it is thought-provoking. It invites me to consider a more profound option to my default thought of just being tired.

There are so many circumstances that can disrupt our peace. If I begin to consider those, I am called to a more challenging process of settling my soul than crawling into bed and disengaging my world.

I believe that if I am at peace, I will also rest well. I am committing to taking inventory of my tiredness to identify if my peace is disrupted or if I need a good night’s rest. Perhaps it is not about whether the quote below is 100% true, but more importantly that it invites me to consider and evaluate my own peace of heart, and for that, I believe it is worth sharing and provoking your thoughts as well.          ❤️ Trish

 

 

Are you a picture taker…

I am surprised how often I am impressed with my cell phone and how many photos it holds. Currently, I have just over 19,000 pictures and almost 1000 videos.

What will I ever do with 19,000 pictures?  Well, I keep sorting and deleting, but I also continue to take more; I find pictures that bring smiles or laughter, some that cause the telling of a story, and others that will provoke emotional release with only a glance. Did you know that your favorite picture can become a puzzle? I can ask my phone to show me photos at the beach or pictures taken in South Africa, so it is easier to find if I am looking for a specific photo. I do love my Apple phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will always cherish these photos of our family taken in October 2012. A short two months later, my oldest brother died in a car accident. The images taken on that Sunday afternoon will be the last time we gathered as an entire family. It is so special to have pictures to remember it by.

 

 

I write this tonight to encourage anyone reading this to take pictures and enjoy sharing and remembering the stories that go with them. ❤️ Trish

Change…do you embrace or resist?

I wonder whose face you see when you read the following:

Who do you know that resists change?

Who do you admire for their willingness to embrace change?

How do you deal with change…. significant changes, little changes…planned changes, surprise changes…

Pin on Inspiration

Consider how embracing change emerges beauty!

Try it…see what new beauty emerges within you!

❤️ Trish

Forward…

Martin Luther King Jr has said a lot of excellent things. It is easy to take his words and quote them. I also read the reminder that committing to living by these excellent words is essential. ❤️

These words are the words I am choosing for MLK 2024. I am reminded that this is not an all-or-nothing statement. As I consider these words in my life, there are places I may be running and where I am hardly moving. Every phrase here can be applied to different aspects of my life.

I also consider the spaces where I have lost patience with those who aren’t moving fast enough. Sometimes, I  forget the places I used to move forward at a slower pace. Or the spaces I may not be moving forward at all.

It is often easier to evaluate someone else on the path than ourselves. I think Martin Luther is inviting us to consider self-evaluation. Don’t be discouraged if you identify spaces you are not moving forward because movement can begin with one crawling motion. There is no shame in crawling. Remember, crawling, walking, running, and flying!

Onward and Forward!US Coachways Inc on X: "“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving

❤️ Trish

Be the Church…

This blog seemed perfect for today. We didn’t have Church today due to snow. It was easy to think it just didn’t feel like Sunday. While contemplating what to blog about, I thought about how Church happens outside of Church today.

May be an image of text that says '|ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS believe churches are meant for praising God. But so are 2am car rides, showers, coffee shops, the gym, conversations with friends, strangers, etc. Don't let a building confine your faith because we will never change the world by just going to church, we need to be the church.'

I had such a good conversation with my niece, who has been living with me for a season. It was honest and authentic; we shared faith, struggle, goodness, and hope!

I had such a sweet time preparing chili to share this week. I have received so much goodness as I have recovered from surgery, and it felt good to do something to offer to others. I am still preparing it while scooting around on a cart, but I am doing it, and I am deeply grateful!

 

While out for a drive today, the beauty of the winter wonderland was undeniable and caused us to pause and take it in. How can the snow pile up on the branches and stay through wind and storm? The picture does not convey how breathtaking the view was. Indeed, we were God inspired through nature today!

How will you be the Church this week? How will your daily rhythms and routines bring hope and joy to those around you?

I leave with you our blessing song from Church…

Teach us your ways, teach us your ways, as we learn from one another, learn to love each other, teach us your ways.

Teach us to give, teach us to give, give ourselves for one another, learn to love each other, teach us to give.

Teach us to weep, teach us weep, let us weep with one another learn to love each other, teach us to weep.

Alleluia! Let us learn from one another, let us learn to love each other, teach us your ways.

 

Be a good neighbor

Winter storm hits West Michigan photo 1We are in the middle of a winter storm. It is cold and getting colder in the days ahead. There are power outages, and it is easiest to hunker down and stay home.

Then I begin to think of those who are alone, those who need a hand with their shoveling, those who need some groceries, and those who need warmth, and I wonder how we will know if we hunker down and keep ourselves warm and safe.

Being neighborly on warm summer days is one thing, but how do we ensure each other’s well-being daily? Please be intentional about caring for each other. Be kind, reach out, offer goodness, be generous…

No matter what climate you live in, consider checking in on your neighbors regularly. In the cold, we hunker down and stay in, but there are other ways we ignore the needs of those around us. We are busy; we enter our homes with our heads down, looking at our phones and focused on our next task.

It is fascinating to read how the pandemic grew neighbor relationships unexpectedly. I hope we don’t need a pandemic to experience the richness of kindness and care!

Being a good neighbor is an art which makes life richer.

Listen to this recording from Life Kit on NPR…

 

What does your gut say?

I wonder if you grew up reading the writings of Shel Silverstein? Where the Sidewalk ends, Runny Babbit and The Giving Tree are some of my favorites…

The Giving TreeRunny BabbitWhere the Sidewalk Ends Special Edition with 12 Extra Poems

I could start rattling off my favorites, I have a few committed to memory, but tonight I want to share The Voice. I often will ask my clients or friends, what does your gut say? I believe that often the voice, is in the gut.

Our Inner Power: “The Voice” by: Shel Silverstein | Paige Anthony

I wonder how good you are at knowing and listening to your inner voice.

I wonder whose voice drowns out your inner voice.

I wonder how clearly you can hear your inner voice?

Live true to your voice in 2024…❤️ Trish