by Sharon O | Jun 8, 2011 | Uncategorized
I often think of the times when Jesus met with the women of the bible.
He had a soft spot for them… not in a bad way…
of course not… but in a way to give them honor and self worth.
Mary and Martha both loved him in their own ways and he allowed them to be individual and unique for they each had a purpose and relationship with him.
He met the woman at the well and spoke to her perhaps for the first time like she had value and hope. He told her the truth about her life and then said ‘go and sin no more.’
As if to say to her, “I believe you can change.”
Then there was the woman who came to him near the end of his life who poured the expensive perfume on his feet and washed them with her own tears and hair. He allowed her to give knowing it was from her heart. He allowed her time of ‘worship’ for him for he knew it was important to her and I believe he knew what the ‘perfume’ represented for his life. His death was near.
Remember the disciples were angry and not understanding the ‘cost’ of the giving of her valued gift?
He drew them to him because he was full of gentleness and love.
I understand that. I am drawn to someone who is gentle and kind.
I want to spend time with them.
A wonderful man by the name of Bruce Marchiano wrote a book called:
Jesus, the man who loved women.
Bruce portrayed Jesus in a movie and he learned to know Jesus through the process of making that movie. I loved the way he showed Jesus with compassion and laughter and love. It is a ‘unique’ style of acting and a wonderful example of ‘who’ our ‘Lord’ is and perhaps could have been. I don’t think he was always serious and grumpy as some portray him. I think he enjoyed life. I also think he was fun to be with as well as challenging. The movie is called, ‘The Gospel according to Matthew’ and it won’t disappoint you if you ever want to purchase it.
You can find it on the website: Bruce Marchiano ministries.
He started out as an actor and became a believer. He thought he could do the role and never let it ‘sink’ into his heart. But God had other plans for him. Now Bruce is a man who serves God on missions and is a dynamic voice for those who need to hear the Gospel. I really like him and I really like what he stands for. Click onto the link for more information. I have heard him speak and he is truly a man who loves Jesus. This is my next book to read for the summer and I am suggesting ‘others’ to read it too. Perhaps you are a woman who needs to know your value and worth ‘through the eyes of Jesus’.
http://www.brucemarchiano.com/about/bruces-story
Through indepth and dramatic exploring of Jesus’ encounters and relationships with women two thousand years ago, a revelation of his heart for women is revealed – the intimate depth of his love, compassion, respect, tenderness, hope and promise for… you, his precious and most cherished one.
by Sharon O | Jun 6, 2011 | Uncategorized
“Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option” ~ Unknown
I have placed this on my facebook page and I really think it has value in processing.
Sometimes we give and give and then all of a sudden we realize that in the big picture of life, it is better to let go.
Don’t do anymore. Be quiet.
This is a good reminder for us all.
Don’t give more of yourself than is necessary or needed.
Someone will always have a need and sometimes it is better to step back and say ‘no’.
It is not good for me to do this and it is not healthy for my bleeding heart to continue to give in such a way that I am make myself less than what I am.
It is like a draining of emotional and spiritual ’emptiness’.
In a new holy boldness…
I pray for someone who needs to read this little thought for the day.
You are valuable. You are loved. You are special.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you different.
by Sharon O | Jun 5, 2011 | Uncategorized
In the summer our courtyard which used to be just a piece of grass with no personality comes alive with flowers and beauty.
It is too hot most of the afternoon and into some of the evening, but in the early morning it is wonderful to have breakfast or just a cup of coffee and a little conversation.
It is quiet. It is private. It is peaceful. I find it refreshing to sit out and listen to the birds as the wind blows.
My best friend and I had a vision. We kept talking courtyard as a little space for flowers and an extension of the back yard but a bit different than the yard itself.
After the vision became a reality then my husband and my brother in law laid the bricks and stone and we then purchased the trees and plants and created a ‘private’ place where no one can see unless they know it is there.
My dad made me a metal gate that we use to separate the dogs from courtyard. I would prefer they are not allowed to hang out in there, they have a big back yard that is shaded just for them.
The courtyard was a dream and a vision. The flowers will become big and beautiful and we even brought in blueberries this year and a strawberry pot. Integrating flowers and fruit.
This summer we will have lots of fun with children making memories of roasting marshmallows in the fire pit or just listening to the angel fountain as the water bubbles up and down.
Our courtyard is a wonderful gift we gave to ourselves.
I hope you have a ‘special place’ to enjoy with your family and friends summertime is so different than fall and winter. The evenings are often warm enough to sit out way after dark till the night skies are full of stars and darkness.
~ Our courtyard ~
A place of angels and roses and remembering that Life is all about being together.
Our courtyard … A place of relaxation and rest and peace and family.
It holds many memories for us as we move into another summer.
by Sharon O | Jun 4, 2011 | Uncategorized
Today we went to the beach. My place of peace, relaxation, and restoration.
I stood in the wind. It blew my hair and I didn’t care if I had a bad hair day.
It was warm, 75 degrees and so refreshing after weeks of being so sick.
We ate outside at a restaurant and enjoyed chowder, and wine and fresh ‘fish and chips’.
It was a wonderful day to forget bills, phone calls and other assorted things to deal with.
I love the beach.
If I ever had a chance I think I could move there.
My only problem is my delightful grand children.
Grandma will just have to wait and purchase a motor home that way I can have the best of both worlds. My own bed and bathroom and my grandchildren too.
by Sharon O | Jun 2, 2011 | Uncategorized
As Oprah closed her last seasons show she ended with these words:
“I want you to know that what you have to say matters to me. I understand the manifestation of grace and God, so I know that there are no coincidences. There are none. Only divine order here.
I am truly amazed that I, who started out in rural Mississippi in 1954 when the vision for a black girl was limited to being either a maid or a teacher in a segregated school, could end up here.
It is no coincidence that a lonely little girl who felt not a lot of love, (this is when my throat got choked up and I could feel the tears relating so much to her words) even though my parents and my grandparents did the best they could, it is no coincidence that I grew up to feel the genuine kindness, affection, trust and validation from millions of you all all over the world.
From you whose names I will never know, I learned what love is. You and this show have been the great love of my life. Every single day I came down from my makeup room on our Harpo elevator, I would offer a prayer of gratitude for the delight and the privilege of doing this show. Gratitude is the single greatest treasure I will take with me from this experience.
The opportunity to have done this work, to be embraced by all of you who watched, is one of the greatest honors any human being could have. And I thank each of you for allowing me to speak in such a way that, no matter what was happening in your life, you could see the best in yourselves.*
For everything there is a season, we know and our time together on this platform is coming to a close. In a few moments when the final credits roll, I see it not as an ending, but as an extraordinary beginning. One chapter closed. The next chapter beginning for all of us.
I’ve been asked many times during this farewell season, ‘Is ending the show bittersweet?’
Well, I say all sweet. No bitter. And here is why: Many of us have been together for 25 years.
We have hooted and hollered together, had our aha! moments, we ugly-cried together and we did our gratitude journals. So I thank you for all your support and your trust in me. I thank you for sharing this yellow brick road of blessings. And I thank you for tuning in every day. I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I’ve tried to be for you.
I won’t say goodbye. I’ll just say…until we meet again.”
You might wonder why I have spent so many ‘days’ writing about Oprah and sharing her last closing time with the viewers. I guess it is because I see in her a ‘winner’~ someone who did not take her ‘lowly’ beginning and leave it to be ‘her lot in life’. She looked beyond what was known at the time and pressed forward into a new and more hopeful direction. She is a self made house hold name although she said, “God had his hand in it all the time.” So many times I remember watching her show and finding the courage after to press forward into my own healing, pressing forward in to what I knew I had to do to get better and be well. As a mom I listened to her and often was encouraged by her even though I was older than her by a few years. I do not worship her nor do I think more highly of her than needed. But I do see her as a ‘up and coming’ Maya Angelou with wisdom and strength clothing her every move. I think she is a real authentic person who is wonderful and I wish her great success in her ‘new direction.’
I think Oprah’s story of survival and success is a wonderful tribute to herself and to all women.
You can better yourself even if you start one day at at time.
She said ‘gratitude is a treasure’ and I believe when we become grateful and thankful for where we have started from and where we have ended.
Then the journey is worth every deep and dark and desolate hole we crawl out of to get well.
If we find wholeness and hope and realize gratitude is our treasure.
Then it is worth every step we have walked to get there.
