by Sharon O | Mar 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
On Sunday we said good bye for a final time to my husbands dad.
He was a dad to all of us.
He was 90 years and six months old exactly.
His heart was tired and it was time to go home.
It has been a journey since mom died three year ago.
She wanted the ‘children’ to take care of him and they did their best to do that and honor her wish.
He was loved by many who knew him.
He left a legacy of life and hope and compassion and most of all
a love for His God.
He met mom and married her then they had five boys and a daughter then years later they had the joy of meeting many grand children and one great grand child.
They almost made it to 61 years of marriage.
At first it was really hard for him when she left I think it made him feel kind of lost and even a little alone.
They were together on many levels and it was a difficult change for him when she passed.
We said good bye for a final time here on earth but we know that someday we will hear him say.
“what took you so long I have been waiting for you”.
Dad O you were loved and respected and we will always remember you and miss the times we spent with you.
You are finally together in a wonderful reunion …
on palm Sunday 2013.
by Sharon O | Mar 25, 2013 | Uncategorized
I have given birth to two children.
In each experience there was stretching and churning and contracting and breathing.
It was all a part of bringing life to these children.
It is the preparing of the body for the passing of newness from the inside to the out.
It is hour by hour and then minute to minute.
For some it is a long wait, for others it comes quickly.
I have also been in the presence of two people dying.
The same happens when one is leaving from this world to the next.
Each movement of stretching and churning important to the final moments of passing away.
The process is not too different than the process of birth.
Each agonizing hour passes as one hopes and prays for the final end.
Life comes after the breathing and the pushing takes place and
the words form from physicians lips, “you are ready to deliver”.
Death is the same process.
Death comes with contractions and breathing in and out as the body tires of the process and gives up and the love one is told,
“you can go home now”.
The beginning and the end are opposite forces with different results.
The journey into life and the journey out of it is the same.
The lungs expand as life is pushed towards us.
The lungs expand as life is removed from us.
Breath is all a part of it.
When one is pronounced alive the breath is checked and the vitals are recorded
and the words are spoken,”life is here”.
When one is pronounced dead the breath is monitored and the vitals are recorded
and the words are spoken, “it is over”.
It is all about the breath.
The inhaling and the exhaling saturating the lungs causing them to expand as they pour oxygen into the one arriving.
The process of dying is the opposite.
It is the shutting down and the slowing of one laboring to leave.
We watch for color in the skin and signs of change.
It is all about the breath.
Expectant mom’s are instructed to breathe through the contractions so the pain is minimized.
The dying one does the same.
The body knows and the anticipation and anxiety of leaving is minimized with medication.
One is told to work hard and push it through.
One is calmed and kept comfortable as the end nears for the one passing.
Each journey is so similar yet so very different.
Life and death.
It is all about the breath.
by Sharon O | Mar 18, 2013 | Uncategorized
At one point in time we had an old black dog named Samson and a grandson named Samuel.
One day when they were goofing around grandpa said in a very firm tone, “Sam sit down”.
And they both did.
From that moment on Samuel stayed the same and the dog was named Old black dog. (Obd)
It is just a sweet memory from a grandpa and grandma’s point of view.
A boy and a dog… spending some time together.
This last summer our old black dog went to doggie heaven.
He lived a good long life and he was happy and loved.
He was a pound dog and he knew he was rescued.
Joining Diedra on jumping tandem with the Sunday community.
by Sharon O | Mar 16, 2013 | Uncategorized
Thirty five years ago God blessed us with a precious new baby girl.
We were amazed at her round head of dark hair and olive skin.
She surprised us as we had gone to a birthday party that evening and the tightness and mild contractions were not really unusual for me.
Waking up in the middle of the night I remember asking the question,
“Are these supposed to be every few minutes?”
We both realized this must be labor.
We also knew she was head up and bottom down as I had just gone to the doctor that day and had the ultrasound picture to prove it.
We waited for grandma to come be with our son and I remember saying, “We will be back soon it is too early by a few weeks”.
We arrived at the hospital and they noticed how far the labor had progressed.
The doctors were surprised when we told them our son was born in two hours it seemed to create a concern for them.
Rushing me to surgery with a breech birth was a scare to us.
The contractions had done their job and I was ready to deliver in the elevator.
As young parents we had no clue what to expect in a surgery room and we were not anticipating the anxious doctors rushing to get this little one out.
When they held her tiny body up for us to see we both cried with joy.
A baby girl was born.
We had a son and now a daughter.
Sarah (princess) Kathleen (dear to my heart) was the name chosen.
Thirty five years later she is a beautiful woman and a wonderful mom.
Our daughter was born.
We love you Sarah and always pray for you and your three daughters.
We have enjoyed watching you grow and mature and
become the woman you are today.
You are strong, confident and you will always be dear to our hearts.
When you look in the mirror always remember you are beautiful and you are loved.
by Sharon O | Mar 15, 2013 | Uncategorized
Today’s Friday challenge is to write about the word Rest in five minutes:
No editing and No over thinking. Just free writing and free thinking.
Begin:
The words Rest brings many things to me.
I think of flannel pants and warm shirts.
I think of warm blankets and pajamas.
I think of sleeping in when everything in you yells get up.
I think of taking a weekend a way and driving to the beach.
Listening to the water crash against the sandy beaches.
I think of slowing down.
I think of being still.
My word of the year has been quiet and I do feel rest can walk alongside that word.
Be still. Be quiet. Be calm. Rest in the situation and listen instead of talk.
So much is yelling at us and clamoring for our attention.
Find rest for your soul then you can be restored and renewed and
able to give again.
Rest… Restore, energize, still, trust
Restore
Energize
Still
Trust
All equal REST.
End.
