Friday, October 23, 2009

Faithfully patient

Patience (noun) capacity for waiting, the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties

As I sat on a bench a few Saturdays ago waiting for LJN to pick me up from the mall. It caught me off guard how relaxed and patient I was at having to sit there and wait. A situation like this in the past would have left me all out of sorts with myself and everyone else, pretty sad but very true.

The truth of the matter is that I have never been very good at waiting for anything. I don’t have a patient bone in my body. And I have secretly admired people who have exhibited a great deal of patience. You have heard people talking about how he or she is such a patient person and the fact that some people have it and some people just don’t have it, as if patience was something you were born with like brown eyes or bluish green eyes.

I have always been very hard on myself for my tremendous lack of patience, a character flaw which I worked hard at changing but failed at many times. It wasn’t until I became sick that I finally became a “patient” person. Through the numerous doctor appointments, blood test, brain MRI’s, arguments, anger, fear, frustration and finally as the reality of my illness became clearer… patience emerged.

My illness has tested my new found patience at various times and places along this journey. I began to believe that being patient about my illness wasn’t doing me any good. I soon realized that these doubts had surfaced because I stopped trusting in and believing in the virtue of patience. I asked myself why did I stop trusting in being patient, what had happened to the new “patient” Trish? It hit me one day after my devotional reading, what was missing was… my faith. Through my daily devotional readings I was reminded that I could rest in God’s hands, that he would never leave me nor forsake me. And I now know that I also must become faithfully patient.

Trish

[God] Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5

Tune your anxious heart to patience,
Walk by faith where sight is dim;
Loving God, be calm and trustful
And leave everything to Him. – Chambers

2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV
For we walk by faith, not by sight



Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Dance




August is when the sunlight begins its dance; it is a photographer’s delight. Early in the morning the dance begins and finishes in the late afternoon with its best moves. Once your eyes discover the dance you want to chase this dance where ever it shows up… flickering, moving, twisting, creating so many beautiful shapes that your eyes can’t seem to capture all of the dances.

I asked myself what it is about this August sunlight that always shows up at this time. As I pondered this thought some more, I heard myself say of course it is summers last blast, the warmth from the suns rays mixed with cool breezes begins to dance. I think that God created this dance as a beautiful transition from summer into fall. It is a subtle, gentle, passing of one season into another.

Thank you Lord for this beautiful dance…






Trish

























“Everything in the Universe has rhythm.
“Everything Dances. - Maya Angelou






We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. - Bertha Calloway






The grass withers the flowers fade but the word of our God stands forever. - Isaiah 40:8







Photos by Trish






Through My Viewfinder www.zazzle.com/meia7214N*














Thursday, August 6, 2009

Hilton Head Island, SC

I am sitting in a beach chair on Hilton Head Island trying to get some R&R but the concerns about the care of my mother when we return home will not leave my mind. The harder I try to place these thoughts in a holding pattern in my brain the more they keep spinning right back to the front of my thoughts. I try to focus my eyes on LJN and our grandsons playing in the ocean, hopefully this scene will pull my thoughts back to Hilton Head Island… wrong, my thoughts turn back to my Mother who is staying with our oldest daughter until we return.

Many families are faced with how to care for an aging parent and in my case it comes down to just my sister and I. I live approximately fifteen miles from mom and my sister lives nearly three thousand miles away. Our Dad passed away nine years ago.

As the days and nights slipped by on beautiful Hilton Head Island the tug of war with my thoughts continued to rage. One night I awoke into the wee hours of the morning and finally concluded that my concerns with caring for my mom had nothing to do with the type of mother daughter relationship that we had or in my case the lack thereof; or whether or not I was the daughter who she felt she could confide in more. I realized my struggle was all about how can I care for my mother in my current state of health? I love and respect my mother and truly want what is best for her. Having pinpointed my internal struggle, I said to the Lord I still don’t know what to do… I trust you Lord for the answer.

Three days after returning from Hilton Head Island, a trip that will forever be in our hearts and minds… LJN and I picked up my mom and brought her to our home.

Trish



















“A daughter is a little girl who grows up to be your friend”. Quote From a plaque in my daughter’s Mother In-law’s guest bedroom.

“If I never had a problem I’d never know that God could solve them” – Through It All, Andrae Crouch

“….Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” – Ephesians 4:23

Isaiah 26:3 KJV
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

“When all goes well and I feel strong; oh, help me, Lord to see that I must place my confidence in you and not in me.” – Anon
Photos by Trish & LJN
Through My Viewfinder: www.zazzle.com/meia7214N*







Thursday, June 25, 2009

Family Connecting & Sharing…


Growing up it was just my sister and I. At the end of my junior year in high school I did find out that I had a half brother. And by that time I had decided that when I did get married I would have at least six children. When I began a serious relationship with LJN, I told him that I would like to have a large family. He wasn’t a bit uncomfortable with my maternal desire, being the fact that he is the youngest of seven, he clearly understood why I found delight in having more than one or two children… we ended up stopping at four! I quickly realized that raising a child is much harder than it looks on television or in the movies. Children are an enormous blessing from God and as parents we are to raise our children to go out and be on their own. In Proverbs 22:6 it says to Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. And as parents many of us pray that we have done just that.

Children are a heritage from the Lord. Psalm 127:3

I have connected with my husband’s siblings and their children in such a way that it all but makes up for me growing up with “just my sister.” And talk about two opposite personalities my sister and I, one a tomboy and one a book nerd. I love my husband’s family and have a strong desire to keep us all connected and sharing our lives with one another.

After my Memorial Day posting I received an e-mail from my sister-in-law, she said, “thank you for capturing the moments of our lives”. That thank you lead to the creation of a website named PhotomomentsbyTrish, hopefully this site will provide another place where our family can come together to pray for one another, praise each other, reminisce and share our thoughts.

Our time of connecting and making promises to get in touch and keep in touch at family funerals must come to an end.

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) Writer









Trish
6/13/09
Written: While under the dryer at Cousin Sheila’s salon.






Photos by Trish & LJN




Through My Viewfinder www.zazzle.com/meia7214N*






Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Early Morning

I would not call myself a “morning person”, up at the crack of dawn. But once in a while I will get up earlier than I normally do. Now I do know an early morning riser and that is my sister-in-law. She is always wide awake, bright, cheery and ready to embrace the day and she hasn’t had a drop of java! A matter of fact she doesn’t even drink coffee. She is more of a hot tea with lemon type, who loves every kitten that she lays her eyes on. It was on one of those early mornings that I found myself writing down my thoughts about starting my day sooooo early.

Oh the Dee-light!

Oh the delight of the early morning hours. There are times when I just love to wake up early in the morning before the rest of the world awakes. It’s just me and the birds chirping, my chirping is on the inside. All of my senses are rising to such a level that it is scary and exciting at the same time!

There are endless possibilities for the day ahead, the potential to get so many things accomplished. The thought of getting started so early is totally exhilarating to me. Hope and fulfillment are on the horizon. Are you ready for me DAY, because here I come!

Trish

This is the day that which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24









Photos By Trish & LJN
Through My Viewfinder www.zazzle.com/meia7214N*
***FYI - New Photography Website coming this month!
***FYI - New Family Sharing & Connecting Website coming soon!




Wednesday, May 27, 2009

My Memorial Day…

How we spend our Memorial Day varies from family to family and from place to place. Many of us living close to the Jersey shore traditionally head to the shore, leaving many areas feeling like a ghost town. Yesterday I was an observer to a Memorial Day family tradition that LJN had experienced as a child. As I watched LJN and other family members tidy up the grave plaque, place flowers and plant flowers at the graves of family members, I realized I was witnessing a very familiar practice on this day.

I listen to the exchange between the siblings, each having a different memory or recollection and for some having no knowledge about “such things” when it came to Aunt so and so and the occasional reply of… oh, I didn’t know that. As I stood there listening to all of these memories I thought about the many soldiers buried in cemeteries across this land who died in service to our country. I visualized those families at their graves, some holding back the tears in their eyes, others gently wiping away a tear and others recalling family memories that could put a smile on your face as they too exchanged memories about their son or daughter, father or mother, niece or nephew, aunt or uncle, cousin or grandchild. It is in these recalled memories on this day and other holidays when they are deeply missed that we, for a few fleeting moments, feel the warmth and touch of their presence once again.

I would like to say thank you to all of the men and women serving in our military today and to those who once served long ago, I lift my voice in praise for your service to our country and especially to the families whose loved ones paid the greatest sacrifice of all… death in service to our nation.

Trish


















I Weep for Those Who Are Not My Own
I weep as any Father, Husband, Mother, Wife, Brother, Sister, Uncle, Aunt, Grandparent or Friend would at the loss of their loved one.
I weep for those who are not my own…
These soldiers Men and Women are all a part of us. The list is very long and growing longer each day.
I weep for those who are not my own…
Our voices on ending this conflict are varied, but our tears and aching hearts are clearly the same all over.
I weep for those who are not my own…
Let our cry be heard from the North to the South from the East to the West.
Weep No More, Weep No More, And Weep No More!
PLEASE STOP THIS WAR!

Inspired when watching This Week with George Stephanopoulos- ‘This Week’ Remembers Those We Have Lost …

2/07
Trish Nicholas
Support Our Troops
"And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave." - Joseph Drake
***To Miss Carrie who has been deployed for seven months, my prayers are with you and your fellow soldiers that you all may return safely home to your families… GO NAVY!
Photos by Trish & LJN
Support Our Troops-Photographer Unknown
Through the Viewfinder www.zazzle.com/meia7214N*
GO ARMY!
GO AIRFORCE!
GO MARINES!





***FYI A brand new Photography Website is coming in June!





Tuesday, May 19, 2009

To All Mother’s

Last week I was watching a segment on the Today show about how much is Moms job really worth? I believe this same report has shown up on several other morning shows prior to Mother’s Day. This time the report pointed to a website called salary.com, where a stay at home Mom or working Mom could calculate how much she should be paid for the many “different” hats that she wears for her family.

Well, I am sure that you can see where I am going with all of this. And I don’t think I would be to far off the mark to say that many of us would be interested in finding out how much we would be paid, since curiosity about anything has never been at a loss when it comes to women…it’s in our DNA!

To all mother’s everywhere we hold a common thread and money it is NOT. The first cry of life in the delivery room, a life that you helped to bring into the world, that one and only special smile from your child, that says you mean the world to me, A child’s tight little arms wrapped around your neck when being frighten by a creak or a shadow in the night, your arms rocking them to sleep when their tummy and head is aching from the flu. The list of things that a Mother does for her family and all that she experiences with her children are simply PRICELESS!

No matter how they calculate our worth, there just isn’t any amount of money that you could pay any Mother, for she will always be a Mother and much more!

Trish




A mom's love is like a beautiful garden nurtured with love and caring. (Hallmark)



Mom, the older I get, the more I realize how blessed I am to have a wonderful mother like you.

But how can I put into words how much your love, encouragement, and faith in me have meant? (Hallmark)



Mom you’re an Angel
Just like those above.
Thank you for your
Patience, Protection, and Love.

No person has ever
Been so caring and warm.

Truly, Mom,
You’re an Angel in human form
Rachel Grace
Photos by Trish
Through the Viewfinder www.zazzle.com/meia7214N*
*** FYI A brand new Photography website is coming in June!
Happy Belated Mother's Day to all!


































A Belated Mother’s Day Wish

On Wednesday May 6th our second granddaughter and fifth grandchild arrived approximately three weeks early, weighing in at 5lbs 4oz. Needless to say there was a mad scramble to head to Chesapeake, Virginia to see her, leaving no time for my Mother’s Day posting. Well, I am happy to report that Mother and baby are doing fine! She has her Daddy’s nose and her Mothers signature chin. Her Pop-Pop said she is just GORGEOUS! Just see for your self… this is our little Jazz, short for Jaslynn.















God’s blessings poured out on you
In the gift He has given
Your precious baby daughter
God’s gift sent down from heaven
May God pour out His wisdom
To raise her in His love
So she may become a woman of God
With faith in God above
© By M.S.Lowndes

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Photos by LJN & Trish
***New Photography website is coming in June!
Through the Viewfinder www.zazzle.com/meia7214N*








Monday, May 4, 2009

Renewal Time


I have always referred to myself as a “summer time girl” proclaiming that my favorite season is definitely summertime. I must say that as the earth has begun its transformation from winter to spring, I am beginning to feel as though springtime is my favorite season. Everywhere you look you can witness the earth’s clock beginning its renewal. One morning LJN and I found ourselves awakening to a bird chirping outside of our bedroom window… no alarm clock needed that morning. Twice now we have witnessed and unfortunately had to remove two birds nest that were beginning to be built on our home. And as I walked through my garden the other day to see what had made it through the winter, my heart skipped a beat to see and smell my pineapple mint, chocolate mint, Greek oregano, lavender, hosta, and other varieties of flowers pushing their way up out of the ground.

I thought to myself who told the birds to arrive and start chirping again outside my bedroom window and for the flowers and buds on the trees to bloom again… who told you to do that now? As I observed all of this, fully knowing the creator of this process I kept having a sense of everything being brand new, fresh and clean. A tremendous feeling of renewal was hovering in the air and I could not get enough of it. In witnessing the earths magnificent renewal I clearly understood why God gave us springtime, spring gives us a new energy, a new strength and enthusiasm for the warmer months to come. It is what I call a time to really breathe.

While the earth is renewing, may you also take the time to breathe, meditate and renew your life. Take a walk in the sunshine or after an April shower, I am sure you will be surprised at what you see and how different you will feel afterward… go ahead try it and see.


I now believe that spring is my favorite season…

Trish

Romans 1:20 (New International Version)

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.












Think of the number of trees and blades of grass and flowers, the extravagant wealth of beauty no one ever sees! Think of the sunrises and sunsets we never look at! God is lavish in every degree. – Oswald Chambers

Photos by Trish @ Through the Viewfinder
Through the Viewfinder II