thehereandafter

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Joshua 3:5 Get ready to let out a loud AMEN! The story I am going to recount was in the national news media (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) the Tuesday following Easter Sunday. It is a true event and another opportunity God has taken to show us his power so that we may believe that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God and that we have life in his name! Hallelujah! A mother in Argentina went into labor with her 5 th child three month early. Upon the baby’s birth, it was a girl, the hospital staff told the family it was a stillbirth. Later that day the mother and father visited the morgue where their baby had been kept in refrigeration for the last 12 hours. They asked to see their baby as the mother was naturally distraught and wanted to see her baby before the funeral. As they opened the casket the mother said her baby was covered in a white sheet and there was frost but the mother said she heard her baby cry, and ...

As most of you know my daughter, Amanda, is engaged. She is working on getting their affairs in order before getting married. We have been looking at houses for them to live in after they are married. She found this one, older house that she fell in love with. It makes me smile thinking about it…young love is full of possibilities, full of dreams, full of hope! First, let me tell you a little of my first thoughts…the street and neighborhood the house is in is fine (my son and daughter in law lives a couple streets over). But this house is located near the fringe of where it looks like it goes downhill. You know what I mean…there are a row of houses where the yards are manicured and neat and clean and then that seems to fade into the houses and yards that look unkempt and messy. And this yard needs a lot of work. It has, as they call it “good bones” but has been left for so long that it is out of control. It is unique; it has a concrete circle with a flower bed in the middle in the c...

For the last month there has been lots of discussion about how early the season is changing.   All of the country has had a mild winter and in most parts of the country we seemingly pasted over spring and jumped right into summer. The national media reported records were broken all over the country with record heat for spring,   everywhere the topic of conversation was the pollen count due to early blooming of everything, and even the cherry blossoms in our Nation’s Capitol were blooming way ahead of time..OMG! Everywhere and everyone have been discussing the crazy weather and the problems it has the potential to cause. I have heard worries about there not being enough cold weather to kill the bugs so the crops are going to be eaten up, the summer is going to be too long and hot and the cost will be drought, there was not enough cold weather and it was not long enough for the cycle of natural freeze then budding to produce fruit…these are just some of the worries. There h...

I wanted to make special Valentines to send out to my family this year. I thought I had started early enough to finish my design, make them, and get them in the mail so they would reach their destinations by Tuesday, February 14 th . However, it didn’t work out that way (I have great goals but usually doesn’t work out that way!). I worked and worked…I made cupcake cards that were decorated on one side and a little chalkboard on the other side. My goal was to have all the cards done, packaged, and addressed by the Thursday before Valentine’s Monday. By Friday morning I wanted to have them to the post office to be in the earliest mail. A great goal but one I didn’t make. Instead of finding myself at the post office Friday morning, I was rushing there Tuesday morning, Valentine’s Day.   All the valentines made their way to my family members and friends but not on Valentine’s Day and by Tuesday morning I was definitely rushed and I didn’t have them out on time. I know you are prob...

Tuesday was Valentine’s Day as all of you know, and my gift to my husband would be a day of rest and peace. My husband is a very hard worker…he works a full-time job, Monday-Friday, leaves the house at 7 a.m., on Tuesday and Thursdays he leaves his job and goes to school until 10 p.m. If that is not enough, on Saturdays he pulls a 24 hour shift riding on the ambulance. He tries to fit in sleep on Sunday and then starts the whole routine over again on Monday morning. Tuesday morning when I woke up at 6 a.m. he had gotten up and gone to the grocery store. I jumped in the shower, put on my make-up, fixed my hair, made the bed and lit three or four candles. My thought was that I would be ready for the day, ready to meet whatever came up, our room was clean and neat, which always gives you a sense of peace, and lit the candles for a pleasant smell and a feeling of relaxation. I then went and brewed a fresh pot of coffee and then went into our room to wait for him. I envisioned a day for ...

Last week I attended several meetings at the hospital where I am a Patient Family Advisor. I was all dressed up, in my “going to town” clothes, had my hair and makeup just right, and was feeling special and important. The meetings went well except that the whole time I was there I felt a bit light -headed...maybe I better back off of the hair color! As I came out of the hospital, with my hands full (I took a cupcake with me to nibble on the way home), I must say I had a little attitude in my step. The next thing I knew..oops...and down I went...cupcake and me! I...Trina...Miss important met the sidewalk...OMG how embarrassing! And let me tell you this, graceful I am not! There were people entering and exiting the hospital along with a group of workmen weeding in the flower bed around the sidewalk. As if falling spread out on the sidewalk was horrifying enough, before I could pull myself together I had a group of people surrounding me. I, due to total embarrassment, was not sure whet...

Today   is the 4 th anniversary of my daughter Amanda’s accident that almost killed her. This evening I was talking with a friend and telling her how tired I was, how angry I was at myself, and how I was scared I am at possibly losing my joy again. She was a great listener and with a lot of heart and good advice I came away from the call feeling encouraged. Since around Thanksgiving my daughter has been experiencing migraines. If you have ever suffered from migraines, and I do, you know how debilitating they are. Add to that having no insurance and the cost of doctor visits, trips to the prompt care and medicines….well, it’s enough to give a person migraines.   The last two months have been long days and nights trying to figure out how to care for her, take away her pain, encourage her, and most of all not panic. We finally discovered she has slipped disks in her jaw and she is going to get some treatment…again at a pretty substantial cost.   I am grateful to God for ...