by Sharon O | May 7, 2026 | Uncategorized
It’s almost Mother’s day.
Always a Sunday and always busy with brunches, flowers, cards and other things.
I told my husband years ago, do not do anything fancy or public for me.
I don’t really care for the Hallmark idea of mother’s day.
Anyone who has ever been through the process of delivering a baby, knows what mother’s day is about.
It is hard work, it is every day, it is thankless giving and working.
I did not have the rosy warm fuzzy experience with my mother.
It is OK it is what it was and that is fine.
When our children came, I tried to be a fair mom and a warm mom.
YES, I made mistakes.
I was young.
I was not in therapy yet and I had a lot to overcome because of how I was brought up.
We tend to repeat what we learn, and I learned a lot of disfunction.
(yes, that is a buzz word, and it really means not functioning well)
I was 20 when our son arrived. Young, without experience. Then our daughter arrived when I was 23.
Our children grew up and balanced with me and my issues and our parenting styles they did good.
Both of them became adults who also became parents.
Our son has three boys, and our daughter has three girls.
I learned to be a mom of an adult, and I learned to pray accordingly.
They didn’t need me like they did when they were young.
That is the design of God for parents to raise them and then let them go.
Think of Mary, as she watched her son grow and move away from her.
He still cared emotionally and that showed up when he was on the cross and told John to take care of her.
Still loving. Still caring.
I watch my own daughter become a mother of three daughters and now I see one of them become mommy to a little girl.
Generational disfunction is done. Healed. A new era of love and caring is taking place.
It’s almost mother’s day and I will treasure the moments with new generations.
by Sharon O | Apr 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Another month is flying by.
I finished my Physical Therapy for my knee.
It was good for me to do it, but I have to admit it was pretty boring although it was VERY hard to do. I pushed myself to get done and it hurt every time for days after.
The next phase I will enter will be recovery then move into a knee replacement season. That really scares me, but I know they do them all the time and the doctor is very skilled. It’s just the concept of ‘removing my knee.’ My husband has had two done and he recovered just fine; it’s really no big deal now adays.
I will be brave when the time comes.
The other new thing is our little grand baby, and her parents are moving to another state, and they won’t be just an hour drive away. It is sad.
She is almost two and oh so cute. MY FAVORITE age.
Great grandma will just have to get some cards and start a letter writing process for all of them. We will be able to fly there; it’s a two-hour flight or a two-day drive.
They will be with his grandma and aunt, and baby will be very loved.
We have been very spoiled having all of our grandchildren within an hour of us. One of our grandsons decided he wanted to try missions.
He is just barely 18 and he flew to Nepal all by himself and he is studying the bible at a college for three months. Way too far for this grandma. Especially with the way the world is currently.
I don’t like to be faraway.
I’m a home body and do not like to travel far from my home.
Easter came and I was going to write more on the topic but just didn’t get it done.
Soon the weather outside will be calling us out to plant flowers and garden produce.
It is something to look forward to as another month is flying by.
by Sharon O | Mar 30, 2026 | Uncategorized
I remember this season with little children, Palm Sunday was the time of making palm leaves and acting out the ‘waving of the leaves’, for Jesus.
The children would get so excited in Sunday school singing and prepping their dances down the aisles.
I miss those innocent little ones sometimes.
Not knowing the fullness of what Easter would mean in the days to come.
Oh, it was fun. And the candy baskets for us to look forward to giving
In our house, we didn’t do a great deal of candy, we tried to do books and socks and oh so boring gifts for little people.
We would look for pretty dresses or nice shirts and pants for their Easter day. On Sunday morning.
I have a picture of my childhood, with my sisters and I outside dressed in Easter kind of clothes, three little girls about ages 6, 8 and 10.
Our dresses were alike maybe our grandma made them, white ankle socks with patten shoes, little purses that matched and smiles that said, ‘we are happy.’
Well, we know the real story of that one, but the picture is sweet and very much childhood in its ‘cuteness.’
Easter has a lot of heaviness to it, the story of Jesus and his coming here to die for us. You cannot have Christmas without Easter. They go together. Both had pain and moments of sorrow. The purpose of HIM coming was to save us. We often forget the baby in the manger was grown up and now is the man on the cross. It’s hard to grasp.
As a mom I often wonder how on earth did Mary hold it all together.
It is a serious, sad time for everyone.
I will try to write more as the days move closer.
Easter is not just cute dresses and patten shoes, it is trauma with love stamped all over it.
I remember this season with the little children, and we tried so hard to protect them from the intensity of the story.
by Sharon O | Mar 23, 2026 | Uncategorized
I have to share a funny story.
In our church we have what we call ‘the classic’ group.
Which is basically anyone over the age of 55.
Last Saturday was our gathering time to get together for games and snacks. It started at 4:00 and ended at 6:00.
Then we clean up the room and go home.
Our table decided to play the dice game called Farkle.
It is a low-key game of dice and there are specific rules on how to play it, the table was a good mix of men and women.
It should have been an easy night.
One lady was in her 80’s and she had her self-assigned position of knowing the game (even though we were not sure if she did).
We played according to the rules and then she would say, “Oh you know sometimes the rules can change, if you need them to do that.”
Surprising most of us who had played the game before.
She would role her dice and then… oh a rule change, we all were quiet some kicking each other under the table as if to say, “shush just let her play.”
She was a strong force to contend with and one of the ladies asked if she was a schoolteacher, “Oh yes for many years.”
We could tell.
You know how you instantly feel small.
She was not mean or hard to deal with just funny because the rules of the game changed many times during the short time we played.
I had to think of what it might be like to be in your 80’s and possibly in a room of people you don’t know for the first time in a long time.
It took courage for her to speak up.
To show her control, to allow others to listen to her.
We were like her students one more time.
When we left to go home, I realized she was just trying to fit in, and she was doing a pretty good job of it.
I will always think of her whenever I see her from now on.
A courageous widow lady just trying to help us along on game night.
I just had to share this funny story.
by Sharon O | Feb 19, 2026 | Uncategorized
Our pastor has been teaching a series on the word abide, as well as other concepts.
He is a fabulous teacher, encourager and challenges us always in our walk with the Lord.
To abide: to bear patiently; to endure without yielding; Withstand; to await; to remain stable; to continue in a place
and another form of the word is to dwell or remain.
I choose to abide in the comfort of the Lord.
There has been many other words he has chosen to teach on, each have power and consequence in our lives.
Each day we are given the choice to do what is right, what is true and good.
If we choose to abide in Him, we choose to be stable and strong and even if we are not feeling like that,
there is hope in the direction we are going.
He gives us strength to withstand many things that perhaps could have knocked us down.
There is a song we sing that says, “he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high, shall abide under the shadow of the almighty.”
It is a promise.
I hold onto it and choose to abide in his presence. Always.
These are just a few thoughts as I continue into my evening, for His glory always.
