thehereandafter

Dear God, I have a problem and I need your help. You know that my art is my love. An idea comes into my mind and away I go with it. When I am working on a project you know it brings me soooo much joy. I get into my creative world and time just flies. But while I am concentrating and working someone is breaking into my house and making a big old mess! There is someone piling up dirty clothes in the bathrooms and in the laundry room. I have found myself stopping for a snack break and the kitchen is a awful mess. I am pretty sure I take out meat to thaw for dinner (God, you know I am very organized), but late in the afternoon I find no meat out thawing...everything is back in the freezer. This is what I was thinking..maybe hidden cameras to catch the culprit? I have seen that done on TV...or maybe you have a suggestion...I won't put in the cameras until I hear from you...hurry with some help...we are running out of clean clothes! Love you forever and ever, Trina

How are your “waiting” skills?   I remember some years ago, when I was in California visiting my sister and her family, we all went to LA to see Bob Barker and the “Price Is Right”. I grew up on that game show and had watched Bob Barker for…let’s just say many (many) years.   I loved Bob Barker and had a lot of fun playing a long. So, when I went to visit my sister she made it possible for us to go to LA to get tickets to a taping of the show.   I didn’t know it at the time but it didn’t take us long to find out that you have to line up along the sidewalk on the street, spend the night, and go through an all day process the next day to get tickets and a good seat for the taping that afternoon.   But, it was worth it to me and I had faith that I was going to be in that audience and be able to see Bob Barker in person.   It took faith, time, and patience but we all got tickets and front row at that. During the decade my daughter was born natural childbirth was thought to be the best a

Today I have good news for you and maybe proof that I can write a shorter post with some substance…hahaha..   Let me ask you a question…. What do you own as far as material possessions? Do you own your own home and maybe a vacation condo?   Maybe your house is 4,000-5,000 square feet and there is you, your spouse, and two children. Maybe you own two or more cars that are less than five years old? And then there are the toys…boat, motor home, pool, motorcycle, jet skis? Are you blessed in the material possessions category? Now let’s go to category #2….do you consider yourself a person of status? Is your job one of considerable pay? Are you a manager or CEO? Do you rub elbows with the “important” people? Do you feel like you are in a position of some power? Do you get the privilege of traveling and having an expenses account…maybe even going 1 st class most of the time? Category #3 is education…Did you go to one of the best colleges? Do you have a bachelor’s degree, maybe a master’s de

Sunday’s Letter to God… Dear God, Since you know all that is going on you know I have to loose quite a lot of weight before the wedding. Could you just tell me why you make food taste so good? It is within your power to make it taste something like dirt or bugs but instead it tastes so yummy! Steak grilled to perfection, lemon Cajun encrusted chicken breasts, lemon thyme grilled salmon steaks…oh me…then there are double stuffed potatoes, herb seasoned rice with bacon (everything needs a little bacon), creamy noodles with herbs…yum! Even the vegetables you make sprout up from the ground are delicious…lemon butter carrots, chilled asparagus with cream sauce, a big green salad like the Olive Garden kind…and please don’t get me started on the deserts. Lord, you have provided much and so tasty and you have provided loving and talented hands that are willing to serve by cooking (you are a great cook Amanda). You have even provided a visual exhibit of your goodness…ME! So I guess you w

Over the past four years, since my daughter's terrible accident, I have relied on my family for a lot. How truly blessed I am!..God really does cover us in every way. Today I was thinking over the last couple days and another one of God's lessons hit me right smack in the face. I love it when God refreshes his teachings for me and makes an impression again in my life. It is usually the same lesson just for a different reason. Today it is for praise! My parents are ROCKS! Oh, they have many, many important gifts but today I was reminded how sturdy, strong, and steadfast they are. It doesn't matter what problem you are having they are that rock in the middle of the swirling, twirling, fast-moving rapids that you grab a hold to when the canoe tips over and climb to safety. Then there are my sisters...again all my sisters have many gifts. Today what comes to mind is how cheerful my oldest sister is. When we talk on the weekend she gives me a "happy boost".  When I

Part of June and July, my father was admitted into the VA’s blind unit here in our hometown. This was my father’s second trip to the rehab. His first trip to the rehab was around fifteen years ago when he first lost his sight. The losing of his sight was very hard for him. I could only imagine what it is and what is was like to be in the dark. But my dad is very strong and he is a real bulldog. He has fought very hard to carve out a life full of service, meaning, and direction. His eyes may not see light but He is a light that shines very bright! Thinking about my daddy and watching him fight not to stay in the “dark” made me think about spiritual darkness. In the dark there is a certain level of fear. You don’t have to be blind to know that…just be at my house in the country at night during a thunderstorm! If you take a minute and think, going hand in hand with fear is confusion. When you can’t see and are afraid it is hard to take or find direction. I remember the first time my da

I was watching a preacher on television yesterday and this is my take on his topic. I hope it encourages you and brings you a measure of peace! As a Christian my parents have taught me that our God is a Sovereign God.   So what does a “Sovereign   God” mean? First of all it means God is supreme, for by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians: 1:16) To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that God is God, that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can hold back His hand or say unto Him what have you done? (Dan. 4:35). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsel or thwart His purpo

Everyone is gearing up for the big Fourth of July fireworks tonight. It is on this day of celebration that we remember that by the middle of the 1700s, the 13 colonies that made up part of England's empire in the New World were finding it difficult to be ruled by a king 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. They were tired of the taxes and other rules imposed upon them. Our ancestors needed and wanted freedom. Freedom was hard to attain but worth the fight. I started to think about the fight for freedom…we want freedom from so many things. From the time we are infants, we want freedom from the confines of our mother’s womb. We want freedom to walk, to talk, to eat by ourselves with our own spoon and fork…if any of you have a one year old you know what I’m talking about! As we continue through life our freedom becomes increasingly more important. Every teenager can hardly wait for the freedom to drive, to go away to college, to move out on their own…oh the freedom of youth! As a

Last night I was watching a movie, Facing the Giants , about a high school football coach that inspired his team with his faith in God. It is a great movie and I recommend watching it. The movie came out in 2006 so many of you have seen it but rent it and watch it again…it certainly will lift you up! There are so many wonderful tidbits throughout the movie but one in particular stood out to me. The coach had been struggling with what God wanted from him as far as his life…nothing seemed to be going right…boy, can I relate to that! He had been doing some deep praying asking for direction. There was a man, Mr. Bridges, who would walk the hallways of the school praying for the students. After the coach asked the Lord for direction, Mr. Bridges came into his office and had a word from God for the coach. As Mr. Bridges left the coach’s office, the coach followed him into the hallway and asked Mr. Bridges if he believed God told him to come to him with that word. Mr. Bridges replied that

Today is Mother's Day. I am one of those fortunate women whose mother is still living. I love my mother but also respect, admire, value, and adore her. My mama is my best friend and I love being with her. She is the strongest christian and prayer warrior that I know. My mama truly loves the Lord with all her heart and all her soul. She lives each day for Christ and strives to make him a part of every breath she breathes. Mama has worked hard all her life to be the kind of mother and woman that God wants her to be and seeks His guidance in all things. My mother is talented, strong, independent, fair, honest, compassionate, loving, selfless, hard-working, funny, and beautiful. She has selflessly cared for and been a part of the lives of  a husband, five children and their spouses, fifteen grandchildren, and now eleven great-grands with one on the way! Let me draw you a very small mental picture of my mama...just a couple of weeks ago she was in the bed after having spent the day in

“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 &q

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 has been a

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 probably

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 his direction