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.
by Sharon O | Mar 10, 2013 | Uncategorized
To our son, Christopher.
Today is your birthday.
Thirty eight years ago at 5:29 pm we became first time parents.
We were young.
We were not sure what we were doing.
We learned as we faced the life changes a little baby can create
and we adapted to our new normal.
Our home at the time was a tiny three room cottage that included a small bathroom with a claw foot bathtub and your bedroom was
a crib length wide and two crib lengths long.
It was our beginning.
The start of our family.
That was many years ago and we have seen many changes since then.
You grew up and left high school and then headed to college where you met and you married your college sweetheart.
It has been a thrill and a blessing to meet your three sons.
As the generations continue we remain amazed and thankful at God’s faithfulness and beauty.
Happy Birthday son.
It has been great to watch you become the man you are today.
Always remember you have our prayers and our love.
by Sharon O | Mar 9, 2013 | Uncategorized
Speaking of heart issues following up on my last writing.
It leads me to the wondering of ‘how is your heart condition?’
After the stress test I was to meet with the cardiologist for the reading of the results.
Not anticipating any bad news I went into his office with a hope that all was good.
Although it did leave me with an uncertain feeling since the test was ordered and in my health history there has been high blood pressure and cholesterol issues.
I did wonder what would it feel like to have him tell me,
“your heart has major issues”.
All of us have heart issues to a point if we are human.
We have lack of forgiveness sometimes.
We have broken relationships and bitterness sometimes.
We have deep grief sometimes.
We have wounded spirits sometimes.
Each of these have the potential to create ‘heart issues for us’.
Years ago when I went through a serious depression my heart ached and it felt very dark and heavy.
Heart issues can mask themselves and unless one goes to a physician who can diagnose the problem
they have the potential to shorten life expectancy.
As I sat across the room with the cardiologist he said to me in a very serious tone,
“Why are you in here?”
My heart was fine according to everything he saw on the readings
in fact he even went so far as to say the test wasn’t even needed and
he hoped it didn’t come out of my pocket.
It is good to hear the confirmation from a specialist just as it is good to hear from the Holy Spirit that our heart is in good shape if we are believers.
We don’t know the condition of our heart until we make the effort to find out.
The doctor proceeded to talk to me about diet and supplements giving me the permission to begin an exercise program that would not only strengthen my heart but give more years to my life.
He said for me to start at thirty minutes a day and work up to a weight loss of ten to fifteen pounds.
Just as we need the Holy Spirit to share with us and reveal to us ‘the condition of our heart’
this doctor needed to confirm for me the realization that I was fine and ready to exercise.
So how are you feeling these days about the condition of your own heart?
Is there something that needs to be fixed or changed or addressed emotionally?
I think it is something for all of us to think about.
