by Sharon O | Sep 8, 2012 | Uncategorized
After reading the book “Saying it well” by Charles Swindoll.
It has left me with many things to process.
He tells the reader to find your calling.
Your place in life that gives you peace.
A calm heart’s condition.
A restful soul experience.
A knowing that you are right where you need to be right now.
In reading that I had to ask myself… have I found my call in life?
Is it possible to ever really find it?
This blog is three years old now.
Over 500 posts have been written and what can be said about it is this:
The heart and soul of why I sit before a screen and pound my thoughts out by the strokes of a key board
is to encourage others in the process of relationships.
Looking back into the writings that the Lord put on my heart the whole message is knowing one’s heart condition.
Creating an attitude of gratitude as I learned from the wonderful
Ann Voskamp and her book ‘A thousand Gifts’.
We have many things to be grateful for even when we feel we have nothing.
When we feel we have nothing then we need to start small just as Ann did and write down everything before us and around us and open our eyes to what we really have been given.
In the “Saying it well” book he tells the reader if one is going to write or speak
it has to be in such a way that when others hear your words
they will feel and be moved and be touched within
by the intensity and power of what they read.
Ann has done that by simply teaching others to be grateful.
Touching others with our words is not an easy task for a writer.
We have to reach in and find the right reason to share what is on our heart.
Charles Swindoll said, “whenever someone is reading your writings or listening to you
they are taking a part of their day to pay attention.
Make it worth their time.”
I am learning:
It is the character and the life of your writing that will help others to return.
We read favorite books because we enjoy their style and their personalities.
The same is true for this kind of writing.
More than anything I want this to be an authentic place where being real is the way it is and being honest and open is acceptable.
Today I am grateful and thankful for the readers who read this writing of mine and comment and encourage me in this process.
My prayer is that I can encourage you too
as we walk this journey called life together and perhaps in this process we can all find ‘something to think about’.
by Sharon O | Sep 4, 2012 | Uncategorized
It has been two weeks now since we lost our old black dog.
My heart is still heavy and sad.
I watch Emma my old red Australian cattle dog lay outside on her bed.
She is lonely.
I can tell she is not sure of what to do without ‘her buddy’ near her.
Change is hard.
How can we move towards change
We can put our foot down and resist it or
we open our hands and welcome it.
For me
change is hard.
I rarely move my furniture.
I drive a 1995 toyota corolla.
We have lived in the same house now for nearly 16 years.
(the longest I have ever lived anywhere)
When we find a church we love we don’t like to leave it.
Change brings grief and stomach upsets and fatigue.
Especially if we have to change and we didn’t want to.
Losing a buddy was not something Emma wanted.
None of us want to lose something close to us.
When we do
our choice is to feel it
acknowledge it and then move forward
taking one step at a time
one very small step at a time.
Emma is very sad.
I do believe dogs grieve.
In time she will be less sad.
In time she will know we are here for her.
In time she will understand she gets special attention
because it is only her now.
We all need to accept life as it changes
In a moment in time.
by Sharon O | Sep 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
Soft clouds awakening the day… the dark shadows representing
the quiet of the night.
We open our lives with anticipation of what is to come
in the newness of the morning.
A new day
A new beginning
A new chance to begin again.
Joining Deidra on jumping tandem with the Sunday community
{photo by Margo from Yamhill}
by Sharon O | Aug 27, 2012 | Uncategorized
When our hearts bleed from deep pain and grief
all we can do is trust in the one who gave us the feelings and
thank Him for the ability to cry.
To sit with another and say nothing
when their hearts are grieving…is a gift we can give them.
Our pastor taught today on Job.
The story of Job is in the Old testament about a man who loved God.
Who stayed firm and strong in his testimony in the midst of losing everything dear to him including his health.
Job lost many things and still he praised God.
I challenge you to read the book of Job.
He was a wealthy man and yet he was brought down to nothing.
Loss is part of life but we are never prepared when it happens.
Like a rug pulled out from under our feet we slam to the floor
unsure if we can get back up again.
When we reach up and ask another to be with us
we begin to realize we cannot do this walk alone.
Joining Deidra on jumping tandem with the Sunday community
{unsure of who took the photograph ~ found it in my picture file}
by Sharon O | Aug 24, 2012 | Uncategorized
The last blog post I did was about our old black dog.
It was my 500th blog post.
I can’t believe it has been that many times of sitting here
pounding out
thoughts and questions.
Isn’t that interesting?
A significant mile post and also a significant loss.
This month has been a really hard one and losing our old dog
was just another reminder for me that we must stay strong
and focused.
I was reading something by John Eldredge from
www.ransomed heart.com
in the letter he said something I need to think about
on many levels.
How do you want me to be looking at this Lord?
It is a simple question.
It is also a really hard one.
My first blog year was full of grief… each writing
seemed like a pouring out of my heart and spirit.
Losing a family pet is really hard too.
We have been here before with each one of those who went before him.
None of them are easy to let go and say goodbye.
Our yard is different right now.
My dog Emma is quiet and I believe she is missing our old black dog who was her friend.
She seems a little lost.
Not too different from any of us when grief strikes our hearts.
