Election Night…

On Tuesday night when the announcement came that Senator Barack Obama had won the election my husband took my hand and I kept saying thank you Lord! Then we just starred at each other and before we knew it tears began to run down our cheeks. Through our tears and emotions I heard my husband saying, "Martin Luther King took a bullet for this, John Kennedy and Bobby." I said to my son, "you can get back to college!" He raised his hands straight up in the air and said, "now I really feel that I have a future..… this is AWESOME!" He sat back down in his Dad’s chair turned to me and said I’ve got work to do. I thought to myself... hhmmm interesting!

The Audacity to Hope...

Earlier in the year our son attended a Barack Obama rally with us and he was truly moved by his message of change and hope, especially his stand on young people who truly wanted a college education… He heard Obama's offer to "extend a helping hand to your country and we will extend a helping hand back to you." Senator Obama’s message to never give up on your dreams, have the audacity to hope and believe that all things are possible really resonated with many young people. Those words of inspiration and hope could not have come at a better time for our son.

On Tuesday morning our son was the first one out of the house, he was heading to the polls to cast his vote before going to work. He has been working two jobs now and he has never whined or complained about his situation.

You see I became ill prior to the start of our son’s junior year in college. Many of you are familar with his situation and know that he could not attend school that year. I remember him coming to me later on and saying, "I am still young and no matter how long it takes I will complete my education."

Yes We Can!

Never give up on your dreams!

Believe that all things are possible!

With President Barack Obama in office his hopes and dreams have become so much brighter now.

Trish

Thank you for opening your eyes America!

Open your Eyes
By Trish - Mar 6th, 2008 at 3:24 pm EST
Posted on http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/trishnicholas

Photos by Trish @ Through the Viewfinder

http://www.tljnicholas.com

Football... Football... Football...

It may seem dark! But brighter days are coming!

Coaching...

Coaching...

Coaching...

And Coaching...

Oh how much you have grown up since you graduated from High School! We are confident that you will complete college and earn your degree in Sports Management... You've always had the right attitude!

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…

I am convinced that life is

10% what happens to me

And

90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.

By Charles Swindol

" May he give you the desire of your heart and make your plans succeed." - Psalms 20:4

Thank You!

Thank you, Clee, Cheryl, Ira, Juls and Niki; for calling on your Brother, Sister-in-law, Uncle and Auntie when you needed our help. It is a blessing to know that another family member will call upon you in a time of a severe crisis as we all found ourselves in with Craig. We thank you for the deep love and respect that you bestowed upon us with each phone call that we received from all of you… the Lord knows how much we can bear. And we can say how good it felt to be needed in every critical phase and decision with your son and brother and our nephew… Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. -2 Corinthians 1:3-4



I must say that I feel very blessed to be a member of this family AND what an awesome family it is. Clee, I thank you for sharing the letter that Craig wrote to the family. I truly believe that he was calling the family to participate in a more cohesive manner. Yes we are many, Yes we all have been blessed with many talents, gifts and abilities, Yes we are all not saved and living for Christ and Yes some of us have allowed hurts from the past to separate us from one another… the time has come for us to all work together. We must never forget the strong foundation that Dad and Mom Nicholas established; it is strong and can become stronger if we only allow it to. Let all of us begin to stand on that foundation and move in a mighty way throughout the family and the world….so that all honor and praise be given unto our Lord and Savior… I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. - Psalms 100:1, 2, 4



Thank you family…

Trish

















He’s been faithful, faithful to me;
Looking back, His love and mercy I see.
Though in my heart I’ve questioned, even failed to believe,
He’s been faithful, faithful to me. -Cymbala





Photos by Trish @ Through the Viewfinder

http://www.tljnicholas.com/

**Hawaii Photos - Courtesty of Niki

**All Things Are Possible Album Photo By Jackie Jackson

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make know your faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1




Our Tribute To



Steven Craig...




A Family Farewell...













Balloon Prayers Released...








He Enjoyed The Ocean Sea






The Breeze And The Sand...

In my home or at the beach, at the mall or in the streets. Constant my light is gonna shine. Far away or close to home, you are still on the throne. I am yours and you are truly mine. *From the song No Compromise by Steven Craig Jackson.

You do not know what will happen tomorrow.
For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears
for a little time and then vanishes away.
James 4:14

No Reservations, No Regrets…

I woke up this morning thanking the Lord for allowing me to see another day. I gave LJN a body hug before getting out of bed. I tried to focus in on today’s to do list, but I could only think about my niece and the conversation that we had yesterday. I knew that once again she had to gear herself up to go back to work. Thank you for flying with us today... I can see her flashing that warm beautiful smile of hers to each departing passenger. Her heart has been so heavy after each visit with her brother and she expressed that it has become increasing difficult for her to return to work. My niece is truly blessed to work for an airline that has been generous and very supportive during difficult family crises.

You see she is going to loose her oldest brother who has at times been a father to her in the days when their dad was absent, he has been the piano player for her and the rest of her siblings and the person that she talked to almost every day. In my conversation with her yesterday through her words and her tears she said Auntie I can say that I have no reservations, no regrets and will cherish each day, every minuet and all the hours that I spent with him… it is well with my soul.

Let it be well with all of us, make peace with any person be it an enemy, a friend or a family member. Don’t hold a grudge for it will only hurt you, learn to forgive that person who you feel has hurt you, seek that persons forgiveness, kiss and make up for tomorrow is not promised to us… do it now.

Trish

Photos by Trish @ Through the Viewfinder

http://www.tljnicholas.com/

*Photo Collage - Courtesy of LJN archives

Thank you Lord for providing me with your natural beauty this morning!

“Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other.” —Colossians 3:13