Week Seven---Mind Control

It's hard to believe that this is the seventh week of the study. It's a great book with so much to think about and digest. This week was especially interesting and gave me lots to reflect upon.

The author said something that has struck me,"Emotions are a gift from God, but they were meant to enhance life, not rule it." She hit a chord with me. I have always been an emotional person and I realize that there were times that I let my emotions get away with me. I found the following so helpful.
Sometimes my emotions try to get the best of me. Thoughts that are negative and hurt me start filtering in. Anabel Gillham gives this thoughtful list for Managing Your Thoughts. It's the Five Rs: "Recognize the thought as sin, Refuse to accept the thought as yours and don't dwell on it. You know where it's coming from. Reckon yourself dead to the power of sin (Romans 6:7) Rest in knowing that you are in Christ and He is in you. Remind yourself of who you are in Christ and He is in you. Remind yourself of who you are in Christ, dust yourself off, confess that you listened to the Deceiver and actually believed his lies."

The author asks us: "Identify a negative thought that the enemy often uses against you."
I would have to say that since a little girl I have had a tape playing in my head that says, "You just aren't good enough." Although I realize that this is a lie from the Deceiver, I still struggle with this thought that floats into my mind whenever I am asked to take on a special project, give a presentation, anything that needs some extra self-confidence. I don't want to give the impression that I believe I should have all my confidence in myself. My confidence is in the Lord. I think though that a Christian should know that having the abilities to accomplish specific endeavors comes through the Lord. I believe this could be what the Lord is showing me I need to do, take the focus off Trish and put it solely in the Lord.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

In the sixth grade we had a substitute teacher and he went down the rows asking each one of us what we wanted to be when we grew up. I can remember how nearly all the children were focused on what each child said, watching intently to hear the choice. This man that came in for a few days was an older very wise man and I remember things that he said some 47 years ago. It was the first time I had ever heard the phrase, "Consider the source and ignore it." He told us how there will always be people that try to put us down and not want us to get ahead. I have thought of that saying hundreds of times.

My occupation of choice back on that day was to be a psychiatrist. I had no idea what it required and for years that's what I thought I wanted to be. That certainly didn't happen, but I did get to do counseling for years. I am so much happier in business management in the health care field.

I'm curious, what did you want to be when you grew up?

It's late and I need to get to bed, but I just wanted to say a little something. I have been feeling a bit melancholy this weekend. Events from the end of last week both at my job and to one of my blog friends has kind of left me feeling a little helpless. I realize God is still in control and He will work things out, but right now I feel like I don't understand why people make choices to hurt others.

I miss my friend in blogland. It just doesn't seem right that she is not around. I want her to know we love her and I sure hope she will come back. She was so uplifting to me and always left the sweetest comments. I learned things from her and I want her to know she is missed.

God is so good and I know He will provide, I just like to share my feelings with my friends.

Week Six "A Willing Spirit"

One of our questions this week was the following: " Imagine what it would have been like to be Mary--to have an angel tell you you're going to be the mother of the Son of God. How would you have felt when you heard Gabriel's announcement? What would you have said in response to the angel?"

Personally, I find this question fascinating. I believe that after being in shock I would have been in denial. I would have probably been questioning my sanity. Although I love the Lord and trust Him, being asked to take on such a huge undertaking would be overwhelming. I think I would think that He had asked the wrong person. Mary must have had such a sweet spirit and been so willing to submit no matter what. There have been times when I felt the Lord was leading me to do specific things and I took them on. But I did these things with much prayer and counsel from others that love the Lord. Thinking back now on these activities I should remember that He gave me the strength and guidance with those endeavors and I should not doubt myself so much. Total trust in the Lord seems to be the key to this question. If He wants us to do something, He will make a way.

The author brought out a story of a missionary to China, Gladys Aylward that was born in London in 1904. She dedicated her life to the Lord and believed she was supposed to preach in China. After failing her mission-board exam it would seem to many of us that maybe she really wasn't supposed to head to China. She was not a woman that gave up easy. Perhaps that's a prerequisite to following. She heard of an elderly missionary looking for someone to take on her work and she found out she could go if she could get there. So in October of 1930 she left for China with her passport, her Bible, and two pounds, nine pence to her name. She became one of the most famous missionaries of the twentieth century. Would we be so obedient?

Let's think of what God may be asking of us today. Is there something that He would have us do for Him, whether big or small? Do we have a willing spirit?

Do you ever need things to really look forward to?

I suppose I am like a little girl in that way. I need things to have on my mind to look forward to. My friend, Steviewren, is starting a post card swap and that sounds like such a cool thing. Click on her neat blue picture to the right. Several of us are going to start doing some art on some post card paper and send them to each other. I think that sounds fun.

If you would like to get details and join us just get with her at her blog. It will come up when you click on her picture. She's very artistic and always is coming up with neat ideas. As the summer draws to an end there will be the holidays to look forward to, but sometimes they make me a little blue. My mother died right before Christmas in 1978 and ever since then I can't help but think of my emotions that sad Christmas. When I went to clean out the things in her apartment she had her little Christmas tree up and had purchased my Christmas card. We loved watching all the Christmas specials together when I was growing up. I guess I shouldn't be sad. I believe that we'll be celebrating His birthday, but my mother will be worshipping Him in person.

Since I'm talking about looking forward to things, what could there be any better to look forward to then to know Our King is Coming!

What if Money was No Problem?

I sometimes wonder how different life would be if money were no object. How it would feel to have something break and you said, "Oh my, we must go shopping darling and get a new ........"?
You know, you could just grab the checkbook and ride off to any store you chose and get the just right ........

One of the things I would do is set up a schedule and travel around the world to visit my blog buddies. I'd go down to Florida, up to Canada, over to England, and all around the US. We could go out to eat and you could show me your favorite places in your city. We would share about all the fun we were having and I'd say, "Just tell your job you are on an adventure." Then we could go all around and visit all our blogland friends. Doesn't that sound fun?

That's one of the things I would do if money was absolutely no problem. What about you?

Thank You, Steviewren

Thanks so much, Steviewren. This is so sweet of you to award me with a friendship award. For those of you that don't know Stevie of A little birdie told me so, then you need to drop by. She is a very talented and warm person. I have been enjoying her blog for several months now and she has such interesting and fun things. She asked the following questions and I pass these along to the women I am awarding this to:

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Do you have the same friends since childhood? I have lost touch with my girlfriends since childhood, but I do have friends that I keep in touch with since high school. I enjoy going to the reunions and we talk and email during the in-between times.

Things you value most about your friends? I value their loyalty and honesty. I have some very sweet friends that I know I could ask them for anything and they would help me. I find that sort of rare in this day and age.

Are your friends sounding boards? Yes, definitely. Since I work away from home 5 days a week I can't talk that much to my husband and he doesn't want to hear about my 'stuff' anyway. By

'stuff' I mean issues at work, diet issues, clothes, books, etc.

What is your favorite activity to share with your friends? I would have to say shopping and eating and attending women's conferences. Actually though, I just love having a good cup of coffee with a friend and catching up on everything.

My daughter is one of my best friends and I love it that she is the age she is now. She's in her mid-30's and since she's grown and married we can talk all day about everything. Our recent trip was so much fun and I look forward to going on another trip with her.

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I am passing this award on to A Woman Who Is at In a Garden, she is very artistic and has such a way with people that she seems like she is always ministering to someone. She's a sweet friend that is far away, but makes me feel close with her sweet spirit. Also, I would like to pass this award to Ruth at Just Ruthie. She shares neat things and has the greatest pictures of your childhood in China. She is another loving Christian that has become a friend to me. Next will be Barb, at French Elements, she is creative with her own skin products company. She has all things French and that is so neat to me. She and her family have had health challenges and I pray that they will be completely healed and free from pain. Sherry from Edie Marie's Attic is another one of my friends that I enjoy visiting. She is upbeat and a real sweetheart. She's very open and I can imagine sitting down with her and feeling very much at home.

Please drop by and visit these gals. They are a just a small number of ladies that I now consider my friends. Again, thanks Stevie!!

Strolling Down Memory Lane Again

Here I am taking this stroll down memory lane yet again. It is just so much fun for me and I wanted to share some of our little trip to Indiana. This picture was Thursday night at Ritters. It's a frozen custard place and it was yummy. I had seen frozen custard shops on the Food Channel, but never actually been to one. My cousin was so excited for us to try it and believe me we enjoyed it. It was nice and cool and so different from the heat and humidity in Georgia. The place was packed and it was really fun to be with so much family.

Here's my cousin Marilyn's husband Darrell, cousin Judy, cousin Marilyn, Avery, and my daughter Jolie.

This was my elementary school. I attended there from Kindergarten through 8th grade. They tore down the actual building because it was probably 100 years old. They did leave the stone door frame from the original building. They made new buildings with Headstart in the brick area and a senior center on the right. It was sad that the school had moved, but I'm so glad they left a part of it.

Avery with her cousins, Olivia and Emily, and of course, the birthday girl, Aunt Jean. She was eighty last Saturday and her son and daughter in law had a great spread with lots of fried chicken, cole slaw, hush puppies, baked beans, pigs in the blanket, birthday cake and ice cream. Everyone made us feel so welcome.

We are planning on going back next summer and we want to stay longer and be able to take Avery to see the Children's Museum, the home of James Whitcomb Riley, the stadium where the Colts play, downtown Indianapolis,etc. We spent so much time just trying to catch up that before we knew it our time had flown by. I truly had sore stomach muscles from all the laughing. I know that had to be good for me. Jolie and Avery seemed to really enjoy themselves too. I have some more pictures that I'll share at another time.

This has been a fun weekend. Avery and I went to a Care Fair Saturday at the local college in Augusta. They had lots of exhibits and a fashion show and aerobics presentation. We loved it. Lots of door prizes, but we didn't win anything. Then we went to the mall and it was very crowded. I guess more schools are opening tomorrow and people were frantically getting last minute school clothes. Avery is liking third grade so far.

That's about all the update I have now. I pray everyone has a great week and I hope to be better about posting. I have had so much catch-up to do after vacation and extra reports. God is good and I am so blessed.

Having a Mary Spirit--Week Five

This week's study was called, "Dying to Live". This spoke to me in quite a few ways. The author, Joanna Weaver, does such a great job of digging deeper and deeper into the reason we do what we do. She refers to Anabel Gillham and explains it like this, "The patterns in your life become so deeply entrenched that you perform them habitually--not even recognizing that you are exhibiting un-Christlike behavior...or that you have a choice to resist." We become so ingrained in our behaviors that it seems to us that they are just a part of us.

Some of my habits are over fifty years old. I have carried them around for half a century. I think my Flesh Woman likes to remind me of those weaknesses and it is something she thrives on. I know these things are wrong, and I know Christ can do anything. I just tend to fall back into the habit and it becomes a cycle. I'm feeling guilty after I do these things, then I go back to the habit in order to drown myself and numb myself of the guilt. Then repeat. I especially do this with my habit of overeating. I have been to Weight Watchers over twenty times. I have tried all types of diets. I have gone to nutritionists. I know what to eat, it's just me making the choice to eat the right thing or seek the comfort of sweets or another type food that makes me feel better temporarily.

This study is helping me reach deep within to look at my reasons for my behaviors. In my heart I realize..."I can do all things through Christ!" Philippians 4:13, NKJV. But my mind must let the Holy Spirit saturate my psyche that He is able to help me make my choices when it comes to reacting to situations and food. We must stop trying to handle our situations and turn them completely over to Him.

Cynthia, Thanks for My Award!!!

I received an award today from Cynthia over at Muse Swings. I feel very honored and this is an award she created herself. Visit her blog and I think you'll really like it. This is for folks that are newcomers and I just realized today that this is my 76th post. Time has gone so fast. I would never have dreamed this activity could make me so happy.

Going back to work the first day after vacation has been so challenging. I didn't get out until 8:30pm and I feel like I need to get to bed early tonight. Did you ever go on a trip and you just didn't want it to end? That's how I felt. I will be talking about things from the trip from time to time and when I get the pictures ready I will be sharing them.

We got to go into the old church that I grew up in. It is now an Hispanic church and I went to the office and asked if we could look around. It was so thrilling. I felt like I was truly dreaming. My daddy's funeral was in that church. As a baby I was dedicated at the front of that church. My parents and I spent so much time there. Up until the time I was fourteen and we moved to Florida, I spent every Sunday morning, night and Wednesday night in that church. My basic belief system was developed at that church. I was so glad the church is still operating. The Good News is still being preached.

I will be happy to see how my pictures turned out and I will share as soon as possible. I hope everyone will have a wonderful week.

Back Home Again in Indiana

Here I am on 64East going through Kentucky trying to get to Knoxville to stop for the night. My daughter, Jo and Avery and I have been in Indiana for the last four days. I realize now that we should have blocked off more time for our little trip. We stayed with my cousin, Marilyn and her sister Judy came over from Columbus, Ohio to see us. We went out to eat at some wonderful restaurants and Friday night had a big fish dinner at a restaurant in Wanamaker. They had a guy playing the accordion and of course, Avery had to remind everyone that I had attempted this lovely instrument many years ago. We went for Sundaes on Thursday night. Needless to say, my new diet will begin Monday.

This was a great visit. I got to see one of my uncles that I hadn't seen since 1957. He is a sweetheart and we will be keeping in touch now. I find it has been a situation where so many of my family have gotten so busy in their lives that they just kept thinking they would do more than the annual Christmas card note, but time passed and we didn't get around to anymore than that. Today was my Aunt Jean's 80th birthday and one of her sons gave her a great party. We looked at old pictures and laughed about all the crazy times.

Why do we let our lives get so busy? Next to our relationship with the Lord, our family has got to come first. I have just been way too busy. I don't want another family member to pass away and not be sure of how many years it had been since I'd seen them. It's just 10 hours away and this has been so much fun. I have laughed so much that the muscles in my stomach hurt. I learned things about my family that I found so interesting. My grandfather was the director of the Red Cross at one time. Oh yes, and one of my cousins has been to Disney World 75 times. It seems like you would have seen all of it by now.

We are planning on coming back next summer and stay longer. I hadn't seen most of them for over twenty years and that's just too long. Don't wait so long to visit your family. It takes a long time to catch up. I realize I have missed so much. Sitting around the table with them made me realize I had been needing to talk about old times and getting all the loving hugs makes me smile now and probably will for a long time to come.

Having a Mary Spirit--Week Four

The study this week was called, "Fault Lines" The author, Joanna Weaver, brought us the story of king Croesus that ruled Sardis. He had amassed great wealth and had thought he had his city impenetrable. He and the whole of Sardis felt no one could get within. While the Persians watched, a Sardis guard dropped his helmet and went through a secret passage to retrieve it. This gave them the clue they needed and the Persians overtook the unwatched city.

The author said that, "we all have fault lines that run through our souls. Weak spots in our psyches that may go undetected-or simply ignored--for years." This brought to my mind how the Titanic was thought to be so strong and mighty that nothing could sink it. Men had boosted themselves up with the notion that they had built something perfect. We all know that it proved to be an imperfect design. In 1 Peter 5:8, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." NIV

"Jesus pointed to a weak spot in Martha's psyche, she had the need to succeed, and to the fear of failure which fed a demanding spirit." My question for study this week was:
Looking back on your life, to what sort of things have you looked for a sense of identity and self-worth? What do you think your core issue might be?

It didn't take me long to realize that I was driven for years to excel in my career and further my education. I began working on my bachelors degree in 1973 and didn't finish until 1998. Although I had jobs that required a degree, I had been hired without one and went around feeling less than adequate. I believe my core issue was insecurity. I felt hyper-sensitive when others started discussing their education. I now see that it was a pride and insecurity issue. I was ashamed. Now that I look back it is not something that I had to have for my Christian walk and that is my focus. Being insecure goes back to my childhood and never feeling good enough. Through years of walking with the Lord, I now realize He is the one that can work on the weak areas of Trish, my fault lines. He is my security.

You are invited to The Especial Tea Party

Welcome everyone..Here's Avery to play a few tunes for you. The tea party will begin later. We are so happy you decided to visit. There will be plenty of time for great food and fellowship. We are so looking forward to your visit

Hurry now, don't be late. It's August 5th 2008.

The tea is brewing and our friends are gathering now.

Welcome to the tea party. Please come along to a wonderful tea party hosted by my friend, Cynthia ,at Muse Swings. She was so kind to host such a lovely soiree. She gave us a darling invitation and we have all been anxiously awaiting the party.

I finally decided on my dress.


This is my table. You know how I love pretty sweet treats.

This reminds me of my Avery on the left.

Even the bunnies love a fancy party.

I always say, "So many tea parties....so little time."

Thank you, Cynthia for such a fun time.

Happy Monday!!

For Steviewren and A Woman who is

What a beautiful Monday morning! We have been busy this weekend visiting family in Savannah and then we brought my BIL and his family here for a few days then they will be with my other SIL. We had a great Sunday eating southern Barbecue for lunch and Chinese food for dinner. Yummy food and great conversation. My BIL Keith married the sweetest Vietnamese woman, Thanh, and they have an adorable daughter, Ruby, that turned two Saturday. We had birthday cake and balloons and my sister in law in Savannah had a cookout with hamburgers and hot dogs. It was lots of fun and great seeing relatives we haven't seen in several years.

I am so blessed to have family. There have been times in my life that I didn't have a lot of family and now I am blessed with a husband that has 5 siblings. Avery and I headed out Saturday morning towards Savannah and had a great trip. I don't know about any other seniors out there, but lately I have been having a little trouble with my sense of direction. I used to be great about finding my way around. But here I am admitting on the www that I kind of got lost when I got into Savannah. We found ourselves on River street on the cobblestones. We were bumping along and Avery said, "Nana, this is like riding a horse." I had to admit that it was challenging, but I drove up stone road and headed east towards the beach. I don't know what happened there, but I just choose to look at it as a memory. :0). Maybe I need a navigation system?!?!?!