Kim Merrick , God's Country Photography

04/05/2026

07/05/2025

Enjoying some much needed time doing photography at Clifty Falls State Park with my fiancé, Brad.

09/25/2024

It seems a lot of us are in the season of “OVERWHELMNESS”.

I most certainly have been and as I have had to pray upon it, alot of times just taking a deep breath and putting my hand on my chest as I lay on my couch. Feel my 💓 beating and know I have purpose and it will be ok. As YES tears somes days roll down my face.

An excerpt from a book 📚 reads :

“I’m overwhelmed!!!!”

“UGHHHH!!!! “

How often do we both women and men feel this? Yet, we keep that thought so deep inside. Keeping the thoughts from forming into actual words that pass our parted lips.

“WHY?????? “

Most of us….at least for me anyway; DO NOT want to let anyone down nor feel like a burden, failure, not meeting the criteria.

NOR do we want labeled, criticized or belittled.

So instead….. silently the feeling is shoved down or perhaps as I often do hide it behind a door and throw a lock on it. Hopefully the lock holds.

See, we have been the doers, the mediators, the people pleasers, the super parents, the trying to prove our worth, saying SORRY’s for everything and anything. You know layer upon layer we just keep going until it hits us.

That sudden, intense feeling of “OVERWHELMNESS” !!!!

Now before we or others start tryng to say we are depressed. It is far from that. A person can be the happiest person and still feel this way.

This world truly is a busy world and society and media both electronic, paper,media platforms and digital devices has made it harder to get away from.

So the next time that I, YOU FAMILY or FRIEND even appears that way. OR You feel them words trying to form on them parted lips. DON’T swallow them down, lock them away or layer them with more things to do.

Instead say the words, “I’M OVERWHELMED”!

Just saying them out loud carries some weight of emotional baggage with it.

Sometimes unfortunately we can’t do anything about our circumstances HOWEVER there is some we can.

THAT is where our power is and where we start taking our power back.

Something to think 🤔 upon! Isn’t it. Much love, prayers, encouragement to you all.

09/19/2024

LOST IN SPACE

Is there such a thing of lost in space?!? Perplexed at my own questioning of such an idea was rather a bit odd!

Yet in my frazzled, non existent at times, nor the right workings of brain was asking of such. As I see myself questioning where the minutes went that had gotten swallowed up by the life clock, as well time clock of mine.

Situated on the couch with a mystified gaze of both sadness and confusion. Both emotions though only two……seemed to really cover it all.

How???? Why????

For someone who know what I mean by this, they too understand completely.
In a saddening departure of the momentum of where you was. The reality of prior and then the sinking realization of loss of life minutes as you don’t recognize your surroundings afterwards. In a twilight of agonizingly loss of consciousness and awakening.

As well the smack of the numbers of time have fast forwarded in a millisecond somehow. Yet truly you know the answer. A seizure or seizures has played roulette once again with your brain and body.

Till you truly wonder can you be…… lost in space?

The inability to comprehend or rather grasp how one moment your joyfully in the moment of the day……..the next your own being, is defrauded, defragmented, defeated by such a breakdown within the synopsis’s job of the mother board….your electrical system. That your whole body depends on to function.

Itself being bombarded with shorts in the wiring that seem to cause an electrical storm raining hell. Leaving you in the wake mystified, confused and exhausted.

Even trying to understand it doesn’t do any good and honestly only stresses out the body even more so.

Inability to bring forth words.. no matter how hard you try to speak. You just have to let it all run its course. Postdictal they call it
The one caught in the cage of the misfiring is not their own. Truthfully we are only at the mercy of the disease that greedily and unequivocally takes over said body.

Leaving……. a trail of………stolen time, memory, brain power and body movements behind.

As the left side draws up.

When did this happen???? I remember saying I’m tired.

After it happens the mind is a shuffle board. I imagine little men like in the, “Wizard of Oz” shuffling quickly rebooting and repairing wiring. As they sing “Ooompah Ooompah” !

Parts go in and out. Again, I am loosing sections. Neck, part of head and tongue mouth start going numb. My eye feels …….thoughts clippy. Blackness!

The day, is of laying and being used up for the day. So so bone tired. Petals of my life slip gently, slowly almost in a caught swirl of life changing energy.

Mere act of going through the basics of life’s movements is enough to make my body be unbalanced Internally and outwardly. Where standing though the brace is cinched snug around upper leg it does nothing for the lazed turned in foot. Leg that has a mind to do what it wants somedays. Along with other parts.

Is like being back to parenting my firstborn at the two and three year old stage. A newbie, and a very young momma at that. Lost in space.

Sometimes I can’t even fantom how the sam hell I got to this point. I don’t focus to much on it though. One reason of course, truth be told….. “DAMMIT the HELL!!!! I can’t run!” another in order to face things good or bad.

ME, YOU, EVERYONE MUST FACE THEM!!!!

You don’t think Columbus figured the world was round by taking short cuts or not facing his fears do yah???

Neither shall we who with seizures, neurological disorders, disease(s) or both. That takes pure pleasure ravaging our bodies.

We shall grab a flashlight. Tape it to our cane, walker, wheelchair or whatever if we must.

We shall write one note or a million as reminders for the bad days that throttles us to the milky ways of the atmosphere.

Yet each day we will take a step. To what?!?!? So many may ask!!!!

To find the cord that stops the clocks that swallows the seconds, minutes, hours away that we a lot of times don’t even know got lost ! To try to get our time back so we have more time we deserve.

Unlike what some people might believe foolishly!

We WILL NEVER take it lightly!

Written By:
Kim Merrick ©️

LINK DisAbility Magazine Neurology Journal Chicago Health Magazine

09/04/2024

HIDDEN BOX

Such a fleeting moment that intricately incased the box,
Set forlorn and forgotten in darkened shadows without a second thought;

Musty smells, cob webs protected it’s identity,
While it set tucked away in the overfloweth’ attic among the other things;

In hopes it might not be found perhaps at least this generation you see,
For something unspoken of an quiet of laid in that hidden box for one day to be found by family;

Oohhh yes the attic held many a memory and a treasure or two indeed,
Mysterious thing of all lies tucked deep hidden within the rafters close to the eaves;

Generations came and gone two-fold within the farmhouse on the hill,
While things had changed some except the treasures and the little box in the forgotten attic still;

Light shimmered slowly as dust particles and other danced in the stifled air,
For the attic had finally been open by someone in the family who was curious of their family’s history and truly cared;

Breathe suddenly took a standstill as the light hit different oddities, treasures, boxes and paintings,
It was like all her past family was telling stories and showing of all their things;

Spend more than a week sifting and enjoying it all,
When a light ray cast light on the most unique box they could recall;

It took some work to figure out a way,
To open the box to see what this small box surely would display;

Finally with a gentle push of a hidden slide upon the left,
It opened up just enough to be opened up the rest;

Inside of such a box covered with garnet colored velvet what could it be,
Laid in a bundle was a men’s and women’s handkerchief, a skeleton key, a note penned to thee;

For whom finds this we now know,
Will love this family farm, our belongings, in which this attic holds;

Skeleton key you hold within your hand,
Is the first official key when we built this house on our land;

Read our history, pass it on, to be remembered,
Let this box and contents be loved as our life and love was treasured;

Written By:
Kim Merrick ©️

08/23/2024

GOD gave me words this morning. Thoughts as well. So sorry for long post . Much love 💕

SAVED

Away from world stress and utter defeat,
Sounds of peoples cries and their falling in streets;

Noises of fighting and screaming bellows in thee air,
Evilness creeps along the streets without a thought nor a care;

Policeman putting their life on the line,
As shots from the wrongdoers ricochet from building to street and kill the innocent the blind;

Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers too,
Clasping to each other getting to safety the best they can do;

Satan he thinks he has won this round you see,
When he sees the muckery going around among the streets;

Yet, he doesn’t realize the churches are full,
Safe haven to all eventually each area is a roomful;

They pray to GOD and lift their hands,
Rebuke Satan to get out of their town and off their land;

Over and over they do this you see,
For they have faith stronger than the evil that is on the streets;

Shooting gets closer and so does the policeman screams,
As they yell put down your guns your the only two left let’s not end this with killing you is that what we need;

Suddenly the doors open within our church,
Two young men with guns suddenly lurch;

People who were safe, praying now stopped and looked,
Seen two young men who Satan had used to do his work;

Instead of getting angry, or thrashing them with fist and words,
They surrounded them each, prayed upon them and spoke things the young men had never heard;

These two young men walked out different when they came out of the church,
They walked up to the policeman, turned theirselves in ……Gave their heart to GOD did their jail time and a new life began;

Written By:
Kim Merrick ©️

Something people of all backgrounds and religions need to remember is this:

One of Jesus disciples Apostle Paul
one of the greatest founding fathers of the Christian faith.

Apostle Paul, was a murderer? Paul was first known as Saul of Tarsus.

He persecuted, hated and even murdered Christians.

However, he was forgiven and he as well set at the last supper.

We need to remember we all sin! No sin is greater than or less than in GODs eyes.

Although, these here :

Exodus 20

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

07/03/2024

As I set and try to finish homework…. Yes homework from my Cognitive/Speech Therapist! I am drawing a blank.

I know longer get frustrated at myself, nor the very existence of said situation. For that just causes more stress on my body, in which I do not need.

It’s funny 😆! How I could do these homework sheets without a second thought. Now I need help, hints, to get them done.

Reality of loss of short term memory smacks me semi kindly each day. As well my whole cognitive, cognition, and sensory perception and processing.

However, we are working on it. I went from while I was in Encompass Rehab not being able to remember 2 things or follow directions after the cognitive therapist said them.

To being able on good days with some help remember 3 words.

I told my therapist yesterday, I absolutely loved the variety puzzle book/ magazine that you could get at Walmart, Dollar Store.

It has so many different puzzles and it really did make you think.

She said things like that would be awesome.

That and word math problems, math, reading comprehension at a low level, spelling, fractions.

I wonder how a brain 🧠 can hold so much information and know so much and then it is taken away. You have to relearn and rebuild.

Kind of like, “Hide and Seek” you know it’s up there inside the cranium walls NOW where……?

Aweeeee! That is the question?

It isn’t like I didn’t have files stacked in pretty, colorful piles already mind you. Each gingerly balanced and you dare not to get to rambunctious or they would surely spring from the neat tower and spread upon the floor of my file room aka memory room and smother me for sure.

I usually am in the center anymore trying to find the manual on the hard drive of my brain 🧠.

However!!!!!!!

Such as life when a strong storm/tornado, hurricane comes and tears your house 🏡 apart or totally destroys it. You must rebuild.

Sometimes there is some foundation left. A footprint of sorts of your once standing house. So it is easier to rebuild.

Other times nothing is left or worth using so you have to totally rebuild ground up.

Just remember NO MATTER WHAT!

YOU CAN and YOU WILL rebuild!

Patience, Determination, Grace, Gratitude, Peace, Grit, and most of all Total Belief in GOD! Love and Prayers from your significant other, family, and friends.

This is your power pack!

The one thing I was taught is try to do alittle then stop for awhile and give my brain a rest.

I have the best team and that in itself makes this whole thing better!

#

06/12/2024

Why??? Did others whom never walked the walk in which are feet or body traveled or was traveling. Think in any perpendicular way they knew or could say with such confidence.

For what we should feel, do or NOT do, believe, etc.

It is like a Machinist being told how to work or build of such by a carpenter. Not gonna work!

See….. it is feeling these things, having proof of such (both medically, videos, witnesses, etc) yet you always have a few that second guess you.

Leading you to shut down. Being frustrated as a whole! Resolve to climb within your ownself to deal with the scrutiny of information.

Then I almost in a comical superwoman pose, “right hand in air hear 👂, “I WILL NOT stop 🛑 advocating! “

As things come more clear. Things out in the light!

A mixture of pure exhaustion, sadness, frustration, yet on top.

“ FAITH, DETERMINATION, WILL, TRUTHFULNESS, and ADVOCACY!”

So before we judge, misassume, don’t believe, don’t support, don’t understand NOR want to ones who are or have been struggling with any illness/illnesses, diseases, chronic or acute, challenges remember to look 👀 down and ask yourself.

“AM I in their shoes?” “AM I in their bodies?”

We each just want to live a happy, peaceful, life.
To love and to love others.

Written By:
Kim Merrick ©️

05/21/2024

I keep looking at my clock in my room……..

A mixture of sorts of emotions are welling and swirling inside. Tears are burning my eyes but I don’t want them to fall.

I am sooo excited to be going home. It has been almost a month in a hospital and rehabilitation setting.

I as well was diagnosed with a rare disease that few have but it isn’t fun to have. I was told this morning that it can be misdiagnosed as MS. As a lot of symptoms are very similar.

It is called: FND Disease (Functional Neurological Disorder)

A large pill to swallow. I am now very very slowly learning about this. As it is through great help of my sister, Lisa and BIL Ron who found this lady on you tube and said you have to watch her. Her issues are what yours is. I as well had some great information sent from my friend PattiAnn.

This explains so much…… Yet……. It is tough. However, this gives me hope!!!

This YouTube video explains a lot from a young lady whom actually has it.

hopefully this teaches you something about living with functional neurological disorder, and the symptoms and disruptions it can cause with peoples lives and...

05/19/2024

When a dream, that you never knew you had becomes a reality, your a happy blessed girl! 💕📸📷