Flowers for Mom

Mother Sweet Mother you are like a beautiful spring bloom,

Mother Sweet Mother your warm heart is as pure as the summer sun,

Mother Sweet Mother your smile is as full as the eastern sky,

Mother Sweet Mother your arms open wide as the sea to embrace me with your love,

Mother Sweet Mother, oh how I love you so!

And in ALL that God created he choose you to be my mother.

Thank you Mom!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Trish

Since this priceless gift God gave us
Must from us one day depart,
Lavish her with love and kindness,
Real true love, with all your heart. – Stairs

Tulip Mommy

Window Dressing

Bird Tulip


Featured May.Org: http://www.mochamoms.org/


Photos by Trish

*New website: www.wix.com/TrishN/Trish-Nicholas-Photography


*To Purchase Photographs: http://www.redbubble.com/people/tmeian


To all Moms everywhere have a Happy Mother’s Day with your family!

The Ugly Side of Technology

Hello...

A few Sunday’s ago I received a video on my cell phone of my granddaughter walking… wow technology at it’s best, she lives in VA and I don’t. Technology has opened up a whole new way of living and sharing our lives with others. We have all at one time or another witnessed technology at its best in the medical field as well as in the legal community.

Many of us are becoming increasingly aware of accidents and deaths related to talking and texting while driving. On Easter weekend I encountered an out of state driver texting behind the wheel… technology’s ugly side. We are all guilty of using our cell phones when we are driving. This device compliments of technology enables us to have 24/7 contact with anyone that we desire to communicate with and at any given time. But why, why do we risk our life and the lives of others… for what. And don’t fool yourself into thinking that only young people are doing the texting while driving, trust me the woman that I encountered on the road was not a young person, a matter of fact she should have know better.

Do we think that by telling ourselves that I could never be in an accident or cause an accident while I am talking or texting behind the wheel... that happens to other people not me. This mindset is simply ridiculous, illogical and down right STUPID! The fact of the matter is that taking our eyes off of the road for a second can change your life and the lives of others in an instant.

Maybe just maybe if we start thinking about our cell phone as a mere telephone, then we might change our current user behavior. Yes, I know that it is easier said then done. The expanding cell phone technology has taken us beyond just calling and receiving calls. I have first hand experience with the latest cell phone model which comes with a movie already downloaded on it. I am sure all of these cool applications can make it quite challenging for all of us.

If you are serious about making a change here are a few suggestions that I hope you will consider when you are driving. why not take the Oprah pledge, print it out and post it in your car, get a hands free device and keep your conversation short… what ever it is that you are discussing can surly wait until you can give it your undivided attention. AND if it can’t wait then PULL OVER!

I hope and pray that from here on out you will seriously restructure your user behavior before you make that call… if not consider this, it could be your LAST CALL!

By Trish

“Life is too short to be little. Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly, and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor.”- Benjamin Disraeli (British Prime Minister and Novelist) 1804-1881

“Circumstances are beyond human control, but our conduct is in our own power.” – Benjamin Disraeli

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Watch-a-Special-Message-from-Oprah-Video_1


The time is always right to do what is right. – Martin Luther King Jr.

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing
Isaiah 43:18-19 KJV


Take The Pledge: http://www.oprah.com/questionaire/ipledge.html?id=4


FACT: Teens, Cell Phones and Texting
Text Messaging Becomes Centerpiece Communication
by Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist, Pew Internet & American Life Project
April 20, 2010
One in three (34%) texting teens ages 16-17 say they have texted while driving. That translates into 26% of all American teens ages 16-17.
Half (52%) of cell-owning teens ages 16-17 say they have talked on a cell phone while driving. That translates into 43% of all American teens ages 16-17.
48% of all teens ages 12-17 say they have been in a car when the driver was texting.
40% say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger.
To read the full report log onto http://pewresearch.org/

PULL OVER! T-SHIRT from Zazzle.com

April 30th is National No Phone Zone Day!

Mark your calendars be a part of this lifesaving event and tune in to Oprah’s show on Friday, April 30Before then, sign the pledge and pass it on to stop texting and driving.

This season called spring

Everyday I hear the heighten chirping of the birds and see the flowers pushing their way up from underneath the soil. The earth is talking to us and leading the way, it is the season called spring setting the stage for summer.

The sights and sounds of spring are infectious to us all. Our bodies behave as if they have never felt the warmth of the sun and air, creating an inner craving to embrace nature and a desire to simply take a walk in it. It is our winter body awakening to this season called spring. We are reuniting ourselves with the creator of it all; we are becoming one with nature once again.

Spring with all of its breathtaking beauty around us, fills our very being with a sense of hope and renewal.

I thank you Lord that I am able to see this season called spring!

Trish

The Spring
By Thomas Carew

Now that the winter’s gone, the earth hath lost
Her snow-white robes; and now no more the frost
Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream
Upon the silver lake or crystal stream:
But the warm sun thaws the benumbed earth,
And makes it tender; gives a sacred birth
To the dead swallow; wakes in hollow tree
The drowsy cuckoo and the humble-bee.
Now do a choir of chirping minstrels bring,
In triumph to the world, the youthful spring:

"I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth?" - Edward Giobbi

"Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer." - Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

Photos by Trish

New Photography website: www.wix.com/TrishN/Trish-Nicholas-Photography

Blog Highlight:http://www.michelleostyle.blogspot.com/

April.Orgs: http://www.giftoflifefamilyhouse.org/

http://www.donors1.org/

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life - St. John 3:16

Have a Blessed Easter!

Eighteen Years

In December of last year my husband (Ljn) accepted what some in the IT profession would call the opportunity of a life time, at least that’s how we feel about it. I am happy to say that the timing of this promotion came at a time when both of us were ready for a change of scenery and lifestyle. For me the thought of living and residing close to the beach is right up my alley, for I am a self proclaimed summer girl who could spend her every waking moment with her toes in the sand.

Besides the many things that are associated with selling your home in one state and buying another home in a different state, I didn’t realize how hard it would be to say good-bye to a home that you have lived in for eighteen years. It hit me the other day when I was taking down personal family photos, which is a “must do” task when it comes to selling your home and setting the stage for potential buyers. With most of the family photos gone from their usual places our home had an eerie feeling of emptiness, it was as if it were no longer a home… our home. I was totally caught off guard by my emotions and immediately began to rationalize all of this.

A few days later when I was viewing some more properties it hit me, the packing up of the good dishes and personal items had triggered a sense of mourning. It was then when I realized the memories of living in this house will remain with us, our children, grandchildren, family and close friends forever.

I now have started to rejoice with the thoughts of the many memories that we will make in a different home and new location. We are looking forward to meeting other people and establishing new friendships.

To all of our family and friends we’ll see you at the beach!

Trish

“We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams.” – Jeremy Irons


Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead!" - I Peter 1:6

My home is not a place, it is people. ~ Lois Mc Master Bujold

Photos by Trish

***New Photography website:

www.wix.com/TrishN/Trish-Nicholas-Photography


***IN THE SPOTLIGH - http://www.hiatoys.com/

Love Favorites

Now these three remain:
Faith, hope, and love
But the greatest of these is love. - I Corinthians 13:13

Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all of the wealth in his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. –Song of Solomon 8:7

2KnEL

Feelings fade, knowing last forever...
Feelings change, knowing stands fast…
Feelings betray you, knowing sustains you…
Feelings burn the fuel of love, knowing love creates it…
Feelings give you a ticket to the concert, knowing love creates the gift, inspires the artist to compose, stage and perform.

You want to know what love is…., you want to know it so well, that nothing can make me doubt it, oh nothing! Don’t trust in what you feel, go with what you know.

2KnEL – Too Know and Experience Lovee
Written by Ljn

Icy Blue Heart

Begin by loving again,
Begin by loving again;
when all that once mattered
Seems ruined and shattered,
then begin by loving again.

The Lord sometimes gives and sometimes takes away,
there’s happiness followed by pain;
but when hearts are breaking,
there’s joy for the taking
in learning to love once again...

Words by Theodore E. Morrow

Wishing everyone a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

Trish

Nick, thank you for loving me unconditionally…

I could not resist, including some of the photos from our recent snowfall. To those who love winter and the snow that comes with it! ENJOY!

Snow Shadows

Winter Feeding

Snow Peeking

Photos by Trish

Lens Vision

http://my.pho.to/lvm/s2/albums/lens_vision/

Slow down, slowing down…

First let me start off by saying Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! I had a few things to say in Nov and Dec but somehow I never quite found the time to post my thoughts. And now I can’t believe that the month of January 2010 is almost over. Time seems to be marching on at such a rapid pace. I find myself on the brink of another month and I can hear myself saying what happen to January. It is definitely time for me to slow down.

Slow down, slowing down a bit what does that actually mean and for some people what does that look like, what visions do they conger up in their mind… sitting on a tropical beach and sipping exotic drinks, sun bathing on the deck of a cruise ship, or sitting by a warm fire in a cabin reading a book. I venture to say that if I had conducted a random street survey and asked this question I could have received any one of those answers and more.

The question that I propose is how do we learn to slow down in our daily day to day living? Do we stumble upon the answer when a major illness hits us? Unfortunately for some of us the answer is YES. And then and only then we finally realize that we need to slow down. Yes we all have our day to day routine of getting up and going to work, having breakfast, lunch and dinner, the occasional doctor appointments, social activities and special events. I know that it is vitally important to safeguard myself from allowing my day to day routine define my life, if not this could certainly usher in one month turning into another and wondering if this is all there is to life. I told myself that I needed to start slowing down more, for it truly is ok to take the time to sit down and smell the coffee, to savor the smell of it and the moment spent having it.

Let’s not miss the important parts of our lives, so please slow down. Smell that coffee, gaze at the moon and the stars once in awhile with that special someone, spread your tentacles beyond your day to day world and live. Flood your senses with life which is all around you. Don’t let the day to day routine rob you of really living life.

Trish

It is only in exceptional moods that we realize how wonderful are the commonest experiences of life. It seems to me sometimes that these experiences have an "inner" side, as well as the outer side we normally perceive. At such moments one suddenly sees everything with new eyes; one feels on the brink of some great revelation. It is as if we caught a glimpse of some incredibly beautiful world that lies silently about us all the time. -J.W.N. Sullivan

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Help the People of Haiti http://www.yele.org/

Photos by Trish http://lvm.pho.to/albums/lens_vision/

A Portrait of Ourselves http://aportraitofourselves.shutterfly.com/

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

Photos by Trish

Lens Vision http://lvm.pho.to/albums/lens_vision/

Eclectic Greetings I http://www.zazzle.com/EclecticGreetingsI

Through My Viewfinder http://www.zazzle.com/meia7214N