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Trish Southard

Trish Southard

Tag Archives: simplify

Wisteria

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Posted by trishsouthard in cycling, Does God Speak to Us, God's best, Healing, Jesus, Places With God, walking

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Christianity, dogs, Faith, More time with Jesus, Neighborhood, Neighbors, Rain, simplify, Wisteria, Zoysia Lawn

After 100 degree temperatures all summer in Austin and very little rain, water poured from our big Texas sky all week. The neighborhood flowers and trees sprang back to life. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a violet flower and I caught a whiff of it’s intoxicating scent. I could not believe it, a wisteria was blooming in September. There were only a few cascades of the sweet fragrant purple blooms peaking out from a large tangerine trumpet vine. I pulled my bike hesitantly near the vine. This particular neighbor whipped open her front door ran across her lush emerald zoysia lawn and yelled one day when our 14 pound dog piddled on her lawn. Apparently all the dogs loved the spot and her grass was dying. I waived politely and for the last several years simply crossed the street and stayed away, even though our sweet Daisy has long since passed and even when I was on my bike. Since she is a couple blocks over, unfortunately, this was my last interaction. This is all I know of her.

“You answer us in righteousness, with awe-inspiring works” Psalm 65 verse 5.

This small sighting of great awe-inspiring beauty has me now bravely walking on her sidewalk and sniffing the wisteria on her wall. Maybe there will be another chance for us to meet. The wisteria had a second chance to bloom, so perhaps she and I will have a second chance.

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What Scares Me – Part 3

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Posted by trishsouthard in Comedy, Healing, Places With God, Uncategorized, Words That Heal, Work and Spirituality

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A Quiet Place With God, Bible, Christianity, Faith, God, Healing Words, Jesus, More time with Jesus, Organizational Tips, Religion and Spirituality, Restful enviroments, simplify, What Scares Me..., Words That Heal

Shoal Creek

Shoal Creek

Being cooped up.

I’m an outdoor girl.

Mothers Day or my birthday are usually a day of canoeing, hiking or horseback riding.

Studying for my big exam this spring I missed taking in the grape kool-aid (mountain laurel) air with honey suckle top notes.

The scent of flowers and birds singing all calm me.

My coursework of memorizing laws and regulations kept me from my daily visit to the creek to breathe in the fresh air-conditioner free air.

Stepping out for a few minutes this spring, a young gentlemen from the next building whistled out the mocking jay haunting melody making me laugh.

I must remind him of a much older Katniss Everdeen.

Getting out of the routine of being outside scares me. Spring seemed to rush by without me noticing.

Don’t be scared… go outside.

What Scares Me – Part 2

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Posted by trishsouthard in Healing, Places With God, Uncategorized, Words That Heal, Work and Spirituality

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A Quiet Place With God, Bible, Christianity, Faith, Healing Words, More time with Jesus, Office, Religion and Spirituality, Restful enviroments, simplify, Words That Heal

Every day I like to do something that scares me.

Choosing faith over fear, I went to work at a friends firm in Austin.

It scares me.

I’m scared in a good way.

Praying all day I can stay razor-sharp and accomplish as much as I can for our clients.

I am not commuting or working alone.

You have not to do it in your unaided strength: it is God who is all the while supplying the impulse, giving you the power to resolve, the strength to perform, the execution of His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

In a nut shell my work encompasses being a tenacious problem-solver for each person I meet throughout my day and doing it with excellence.

The Office

The Office

Healing – Part 10

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Posted by trishsouthard in Healing, Places With God, Restful Homes for Our Families, Uncategorized, Words That Heal

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A Quiet Place With God, Bible, Christianity, Church, Faith, family, God, Grief, More time with Jesus, Neighborhood, Radiance, Rejoice, Religion and Spirituality, Restful enviroments, simplify, Sorrow, Talmud, Texas, Tremble, Words That Heal

Go to Church

Find a bible-based church that’s not so large you get lost in the shuffle.

“See and be radiant and your heart will tremble and rejoice.”  (first half of Is. 59v.5)

Experience the transformative power of God’s Word.

Sorrow is better than laugher, for sadness has a refining influence on us.

Ecclesiastes 7:3

Just soak it all in.

Rest.

Worship.009

Teaching.

The old.

The young.

Cry.

Church is a safe place to weep.

The deeper the sorrow, the less the tongue has to say.

The Talmud

Healing – Part 5

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Posted by trishsouthard in Healing, Places With God, Restful Homes for Our Families, teens, Uncategorized, Words That Heal

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A Quiet Place With God, Be the hand of God, Bible, Christianity, eco-fashionable food prep, Faith, family, Food Pantry, God, HEB, Homemaking, Jesus, Lord, Moms, More time with Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, simplify, Southern Hospitality, Texas, Words That Heal

In line at the grocery store a young mom started setting items aside she could not pay for–

bananas, apples, and other veggies.  I handed the money to the cashier and she, with her many lovely long braids, and her sweet children were on their way.

I’ll never see this family again, but I assured her it was from God and He loves her.

Standing in line at the gas station one of our coaches from the high school was checking out.  It was less than $10.00 but it gave me the opportunity to thank him for all he does for the young people in our community and a simple God Bless you.

You are reading this and thinking I don’t have any extra.

Save a quarter a week till you have a dollar and give it away and bless another.

Perhaps one of my biggest adjustments to having an empty nest is the grocery store, mine is HEB.  Feeling blue grocery shopping alone one Saturday, two teen girls stood in front of me at the checkout counter with a giant bottle of chocolate syrup. The only thing I said as I slipped several dollars to the cashier on their behalf was “God Bless you” to the two smiling young faces. It ended up being on sale and just one dollar, but it was my small way of demonstrating God’s love toward others, and God lifted my spirits as I gave just a little away, my unexpected blessing from Him.

A young mom from our neighborhood texted me to see if she could pick up some food for her three small children from our churches pantry. I could not get there, but the owner of the preschool was there to help, and helped her carry the groceries to her car where she quietly handed the young mom an envelope with extra cash.  That mom called me later to say how she could not believe how God had met her need so quickly.  Sometimes our random acts of kindness are really divine appointments– God’s way of letting others know they are loved and not forgotten.

Feeling Sad?

Be the hand of God.

 

Healing – Part 3

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Posted by trishsouthard in Uncategorized

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A Quiet Place With God, Aunt Grace, Bible, Blessing, Blessing others, Christianity, Corolla Chapel, Faith, family, Favor, God, Healing, Healing Words, More time with Jesus, Outer Banks, Religion and Spirituality, Restful enviroments, Retreat, simplify, Unplug

 

A Holly Hobby stitching gently nudged my thoughts as I passed it each day.

Whenever you’re blue

Find something to do

For somebody else

Who is sadder than you

 

Blood Moon   Photo by Colleen Lienhard

Blood Moon
Photo by Colleen Lienhard

 

Fill your friends’ and families’ darkness with God’s spectacular paint brush.

Stopping off in Columbia to see Uncle Tom and Aunt Grace is always a powerful time of prayer.  Celebrating their 51st wedding anniversary they are blessed by God. Grace stayed up till 1 am with me, and we prayed big and bold and color-filled blessings and prayers on everyone in our families.

Praying the Word of God over each one individually.

At the beach we sunned and swam every day, just the three of us, and occasionally Rick and Laura after work at Corolla Chapel.

I missed the family that had sat beside me the 27 previous years –with our Lord, or off to college, college bound and others spending their vacation elsewhere.

North Carolina was our state.  My husband born in Chapel Hill, our daughter’s summers here at her grandparents’ beach house and my summers for 27 years.

Refreshed by salt air and my family’s laughter and constant teasing, God comforted me.

Fresh sun, vivid oranges and blue streaked memories.

We played new games and visited different spots rediscovering the Outer Banks.

I checked out of email, FB, text and all the rest.

The spaciousness of the ocean and expansion of my time with my family turned my attention upward Praising God and lifting everyone, many of you who are deeply hurting in intercession to our Lord.  I am certain He is going to change your situation or your struggle.

Have faith and believe.

Look up and enjoy His favor and blessing.

 

 

 

Healing – Part 2

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Posted by trishsouthard in Healing, Places With God, Restful Homes for Our Families, Uncategorized, Words That Heal

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A Quiet Place With God, Bible, Change, Christianity, Faith, family, Healing, Healing Words, Jesus, Lord, More time with Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, Restful enviroments, Running, simplify, Sorrow, Words That Heal

Doing the uncomfortable continually all day.

Remove sorrow from your heart, and put away pain from your flesh, because youth and the prime of life are fleeting.  Ecclesiastes 11:10 HCSB

Pain away from your flesh.

It hurts my fingers when I pull a burr from Daisy’s paw.

It hurts horribly when I pull jumping cholla off our daughter’s leg.

Remove or change to unburden your sorrow.

Teddy Bear Cholla

Teddy Bear Cholla

Change who you are, what you do and where you go.

One practical takeaway from grief group was to add a hobby or something we enjoy into our lives.

Running 3-4 times a week  began in November 2013.

I set my clothes out the night before and the decision is already made. Running has been an effective method to jump-start my morning and waken my mind to prayer and the study of God’s Word.

An almost new habit for me after a 25 year break from running.

I’ve stayed physically active biking, hiking, an occasional canoe trip on the river, and I really enjoy the stair climber at the gym.

Running forced me outside into the sunrise, singing birds and it was very uncomfortable.

The doing of the continually uncomfortable was the key to my healing.

 

A Quiet Place With God – Part 9

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Posted by trishsouthard in Places With God, Uncategorized

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A Quiet Place, A Quiet Place With God, Bible, Christianity, Faith, God, Jesus, Lord, More time with Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, simplify

My fingers snuggle into my fuzzy gloves.

His perfect peace settles my soul.

Crisp, cool morning air and the still darkness calm me. IMG_4930

Bluebonnets patiently await my notice.

A quiet where silence is unsettled only by the wind and bird songs.

Nature is deliberate and impatient.

I called to you Lord in my distress and you answered me and put me in a spacious place.

The Lord is with me I will not be afraid!
Psalm 118 v 5

Driving through a neighborhood near our home we noticed a young, pony-tailed mom plunked down on the sidewalk happily pulling weeds.

My husband  joked that she looks like she’s settled in for the long haul.

What led to her weed pulling?  Why on this cold, wet and dreary afternoon?

Maybe, just maybe, it’s as a good friend’s very active young son regularly tells her, in his moments of exasperation,

“I’m going outside to explode!”

We all need a little fresh air.

 

Quiet waiting before the Lord in prayer will give Him a chance to change your mood.

The situation may not change, but you will have changed for the better in spite of the situation.

Robert A. Cook

A Quiet Place with God – Part 8

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Posted by trishsouthard in Places With God, Restful Homes for Our Families, Uncategorized

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A Quiet Place, A Quiet Place With God, Abraham Lincoln, Bible, Blaise Pascal, Child's pose, Christianity, Crafts for Christ, Faith, family, Glue, Kneel, More time with Jesus, Psalm 59 verse 9, Restful enviroments, Retreat, simplify

The serene, silent beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world, next to the might of the Spirit of God.  

Blaise Pascal

Do you ever feel a bit unglued?

I do.

I teach sunday school, and  we made a project with glitter, rocks and massive amounts of glue.

We even added glue with glitter. The lid fell off and a river of sparkly navy glue flowed over the paper.

A beautiful river of deep blue glue.

All the children wanted on their papers was lots of sticky sparkly glue.

The kind of project that parents never take home.

It just stays in the craft closet at church.

Don’t take your unglued self out.

Kneel down.

Photo by Kelly Bryant

Photo by Kelly Bryant

A few call it child’s pose.

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.     Abraham Lincoln

Now that you are down there, say a simple prayer.

You are my strength, I wait for you to rescue me, for you O God, are my place of safety.

Psalm 59  v.9

Stay there and focus on Him.

A Quiet Place With God – Part 7

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Posted by trishsouthard in Comedy, Places With God, Restful Homes for Our Families, Uncategorized

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Christianity, Faith, God, Groomers, Jesus, Lord, More time with Jesus, Restful enviroments, Shitzu, simplify

I arrived home from a long day at work to find a strange, small, white dog staring at me in my foyer with a prison orange scarf tied around her neck.

I called my husband “The mobile groomers dropped the wrong dog at our home, it’s a Shitzu, but it’s not ours.”

It was 6pm, our groomers. closed.

All I could do was sit and think of our dog at someone else’s home.

The sun began to set into an array of pinks, lavender, and even orange.

Sighing in the dark the two big eyes stared up at me.

The prison escapee was ours!

What seemed like a disaster to me was great joy to her.

She ran around the house like batman on steroids, or a man freed from jail.

The groomers had completely shaved the hair on our dog, even the tail, face and whiskers were not spared the clippers. Pink skin was peeking out everywhere.  Our dogs hair was normally 6-8 inches over its whole body much like a miniature sheep dog.

Cutting things out of your life gives you instant space and freedom.

More Quiet.

Remove enough encumbrances, not just hair, and it changes who you are.

Throw back the prison doors you’ve closed on yourself.

Sit in Gods glory.

Soak  in His Word in the psalms praising Him.

Let Him transform you as you contemplate His wonders.

Thank Him for all He has done for you.

Space moved into your day allows time for God to cast his vision into your life.

His greater purpose for your day.

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