Keep on…you got this!

Do you ever feel fatigued and need to be reminded to keep trying?

Do you ever feel weary and need to be reminded to get up and move?

Do you ever wonder if your life inspires anyone and need to be reminded that you are an inspiration?

Do you ever feel like you can’t give much more but then decide to keep helping?

Do you ever doubt everything around you and then hear that little voice that says, keep believing?

Do you ever feel stuck and like life is in a rut, and you are reminded of the importance of dreaming?

Do you ever feel a bit despairing? Then remember, there is power in hope!

Do you ever, at the end of every day, remind yourself that even when it is hard, it is always good to keep loving?

And at the end of the day, when your heart is either depleted and worn out or full of hope and goodness, remember, you got this!  ❤️ trish

simple fact: you will never get the same moment twice

On my good days, I live in moments. I have not mastered this every day, but I can slow my mind, body, and soul on my good days and sync them together to live in the moment.

I have come to cherish the moments of quiet when I can breathe deeply and listen to and love the silence.

I find some of the sweetest moments when I am with those I love and engaging in or observing intergenerational conversation and/or engagement. I have marveled at the comfort and sweet vibes my sweet pup can bring to my heart on a good, mediocre, or bad day. And one of the most tender spaces is when I am resting in being pampered and cared for.

I wonder what moments you have experienced this week that are deeply meaningful.  Are you in touch with your gut enough to know when your senses invite you to pause and enjoy.?

I will share a few photos of moments I know I will not get again in the same way, but I am ever so grateful I received them. I am filled with gratitude for the moments that make my days meaningful!      ❤️ trish

There is no shame in aging…

I have worked for 20+ years as a business owner of Visiting Angels of West Michigan. I am very grateful for how I have had the privilege of walking alongside so many in their aging journey.

One phrase I often say is there is no shame in…(fill in the blank).

There is no shame in wearing hearing aids, asking a friend for a ride, using a walker in public, asking someone’s name, and/or sharing the struggle or fear of memory loss.

I read this fact today, and it causes me to pause again. It is tragic, and it is an invitation. How will we move into this reality as a community and a culture? How will we create safe spaces in our social and faith communities for those who struggle with memory loss or those who love someone who struggles?

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When will we begin to honestly share the longing and need to fully embrace those with memory loss in our social circles and faith communities? We must learn as individuals and leaders to invite with gentle persistence so that our communities include everyone. Our relationships will not be complete if we miss the projected 12.7 million people! There is no shame in aging and all that comes with it. May we love and support each other well every day we are given breath! ❤️ Trish

 

 

 

The museum of your heart…

you have turned your heart into a museum of people you've loved to keep  them alive inside you. (nikita gill). | Quotes, Pretty words, WordsI came across this thought last week. My imagination has had some fun considering this concept. I am not much of a museum fan, but when I think of the museum of my heart, I surely want to buy the first ticket!

No photo description available.I once had a tapestry party. It was a bit like the museum open house. I invited people from all seasons of my life. It was put together by those closest to my heart (my parents and siblings). I wrote each guest a letter about how because I knew them, I had been changed for good. It was a glorious evening of being loved and giving love!

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I wonder who would be featured in the Museum of Your Heart? How would you tell the stories, how would you express gratitude, how would you ensure that every display was seen?

Give some time this week to remember who fills your heart because you loved them. Some faces come to light immediately, but whose faces have faded and must be focused on for the stories to be recalled.

Delight in the journey your heart has taken…feel the ache and the wonder. Take time to celebrate the love! ❤️ Trish

 

 

 

 

Better decisions come after….

Recently, I took a yoga class. We spent time on breathing, as every yoga class does. I was surprised at how difficult breathing can be. I have some things to learn about the power and practice of breathing.

Cindy, our Yoga instructor, said something that I have been testing. She said better decisions unfold after a deep breath. I am working to practice this. It has been a good practice to pause, breathe, and consider my decision. I am starting to trust that what Cindy says is true; better decisions unfold after a deep breath.
This practice is tried, trustworthy, and unique in beautiful ways. Give it a try and see if it benefits you! Consider embracing a discipline that assures more thoughtful decision-making.

 

 

a journey of friendship

I am regularly in awe of the journey God has placed Heather and me on. It is a journey that started so many years ago. And to think we would be in this space today is nothing but an act of God’s kindness to each of us!

So many years ago, before I kept digital pictures, I worked with Heather’s Mom at Sunshine Community Church. I got to know Heather through our time at Sunshine together. We enjoyed life, laughter, fun, and friendship. Her oldest son was born, and we shared what we believed to be, at that time, a season of life.

Much to my surprise and in a delightful reuniting of friendship, Heather applied for a job at Visiting Angels more than 17 years ago. I love remembering how Heather says she felt like she won American Idol when asked to join our team. I realize I won the lottery that paid out daily!

Having Heather as a friend and co-worker is like being on an adventure show. I appreciate Heather’s commitment to living her best life joyfully and seeking truth, justice, and excellence. Heather loves deeply, lives passionately, and offers her gifts generously! Heather and I have journeyed together on our best and worst days. We have navigated abundant laughter and deep conflict. We have come to know and trust one another deeply, a beautiful gift in friendship and life.

I am so grateful for this friend God has given me. I have been so honored to witness God’s goodness in her life. It has been so good to know and love her husband and children. I have loved watching her kids go from being young to just like that into adulthood. She loves them and who they love. They are now establishing their careers and families. To know Heather as a young mom, a wife, an honest friend, a co-worker, and a business partner as we launch our new business on the side of the full life we both enjoy is such a gift to me! Check out https://advocacy-matters.com

Happy Happy Birthday, Heather. I am thankful for your story and God’s goodness, protection, and provision in our lives! I look forward to what is still to come! May we give ourselves to others to improve their quality of life and relationships! 

Enjoy a few pictures that show you the joy of being friends with Heather. 

 

Let your good words speak…

I am the owner of a franchise called Visiting Angels. I own the Grand Rapids location and have for 20+ years. More recently, the franchise has implemented a reputation score. This score is contingent on the number of referrals submitted by satisfied customers.

I am grateful for every good report I hear, but I find it cumbersome sometimes to ensure people place their good words in a suitable space to ensure we receive credit and our score is on the higher end of the average franchise. I often say the competition will not drive me, but I do find myself hoping that people will respond to the requests to share their experiences. We are sure to say that we ask for an honest reflection of their total experience, letting people know we are open to hearing all the feedback they wish to bring.

During an intake call, when we asked how they heard about Visiting Angels if it is not a personal connection, it is often because they have read their Google reviews.

Consider becoming someone who uses the Google Review tool to share your experiences. Use your feedback to be honest, and even if you have input that addresses ways to improve, stay kind and full of truth and grace!

If you have worked for or utilized our services, I invite you to practice using the Google tool to increase the referrals submitted. We value your feedback and welcome your input! Click here and look for write a review buttone on the right of the page!

Grateful for the community we serve and those amazing humans who do the serving!    ❤️ trish

Visiting Angels of West Michigan review link

 

 

Resiliance, Grace or mystery?

I just posted a Facebook post, which provoked my thoughts towards this blog. I have been amazed at the resilience of my body this last year. My lower extremities have been under construction due to the long-term effects of bone spurs in my feet and knees. Today is almost one year since my first failed surgery. Then it went onto unexpected knee replacements, two Excision posterior heel spurs, and Achilles tendon repairs (one on each foot).

 

I can look at this reality and call myself resilient. Still, there are lots of people who struggle for a year with medical conditions and don’t have the hopeful outcomes I am experiencing. So many people fill the pain clinics, and yet I am so grateful to anticipate pain-free walking again this spring if all goes as planned and projected. They are resilient way beyond what I have gone through!

I struggle with why I am receiving what I hoped for, even if it has been a long year and someone else does not. I don’t understand that, and I am not sure that question can be answered in our human way of thinking.

Why do healthy people die young? Why do some people live to be in their 90s and pray every night for God to take them and others long to live to see their grandchildren grow and disease robs their bodies of life?

Tonight, I am grateful, I want to be honest about that, but knowing that conflicting emotions can both be genuine, I am also conflicted as to why goodness falls to some but not others? Why has goodness fallen to me? In my reflection on that tonight, I have come into some honest journaling and goal-setting. I want to be responsible for the goodness I am receiving. More of that for another blog!

I am confident of this; it is not at all a measure of God’s love or a result of good works or how deep one’s faith is. The one way I can find peace is that there is a mystery in living and dying.  Signing off, grateful and perplexed 

❤️ Trish

Courage, humor and grace

I work in the type of business where the unexpected is our norm. Somedays, the unexpected doesn’t happen, but that is somewhat unexpected. 🙂 We often expect something unexpected for our day to feel normal.  But the unexpected at work is slightly different than the unexpected in life.  We are offered an invitation here to survive using courage, humor, and grace. From experience, those are not typically the first three responses when dealing with unexpected twists and turns.

What I like most about this tidbit of wisdom is that the choice is ours regarding how we respond. So often, in moments of changed plans or circumstances, our first response is to feel powerless, and in that, we can feel angry, vulnerable, defensive, or a myriad of other things. Remember, this is not saying we are unaffected or that it doesn’t matter, but if we choose humor, courage, and/or grace, perhaps how we navigate these spaces will be more pleasant for everyone! May courage, humor, and grace be abundant in your days! ❤️ trish

Failures of courage can be the birthplace of empathy

I found this term, failure of courage, to be a new phrase in my thoughts. When asked what I regret, I rarely, before now, have thought of my regret as the birthplace of empathy!

And as I think about regrets, if I think about them as failures of courage, I feel it more deeply in a vulnerable space in my heart.

Courage is something that comes from within my being. To be courageous is to be willing to take risks, to live with intention, and to make choices that stretch me out of my comfortable spaces. I am most aware that courage is a choice and will often come following a deep breath of doing what, deep inside my gut and heart, I know is the best thing to do. As you move into each day this week, I invite you to consider choosing courage, and if, at times, your regret is a failure of courage, then let that regret be the birthplace of empathy!             ❤️trish