by Sharon O | Feb 13, 2022 | Uncategorized
I remember it clearly, the day I was at work and the phone rang.
That was part of my customer service job at the pharmacy where I was working.
I heard my daughter’s voice on the other end, asking if I was sitting down?
I remember saying, should I be?
“Well mom, I’m having twins.”
Now I have to give a little background because 4 years earlier she had a tiny preemie baby,
our first granddaughter, weighing only 2 pounds 11 ounces.
Then add that history to the twin surprise.
This mom started praying.
I was able to go to many appointments and see the ‘babies’ labeled baby A and baby B.
I remember one ultrasound appointment the babies were very clear, and Hannah opened her eyes and looked right at us.
I almost jumped out of the chair; it was so amazing. Then Alexis gave us the thumbs up sign, as if to say, WE are ok.
They were born weighing 4.6 and 4.10 and very healthy. Alexis had a small stay in Nicu but she is a fighter and didn’t
stay there very long. They are identical in looks although we can tell them apart MOST of the time.
It was an exciting time. Yes, I worried, we also had another grandbaby coming from our son and his wife.
Three new little ones to love.
Now we have three who are graduating and talking about going to College.
I am not ready for them to grow into adults, but it is a part of life.
They are all wonderful, finishing their high school years, working at jobs, and today the girls turn 18.
It has been such a joyful time for us as grandparents.
Change is coming for us. They won’t be ‘just down the road’ the college might be a few hours away.
It is good for them but not necessarily good for grandparents.
Today is their birthday.
I remember it clearly, the day I was at work.
by Sharon O | Feb 10, 2022 | Uncategorized
Another birthday to remember.
My sister passed away in June of 2019, but her birthday was February 11th.
I remember the many moments we shared together, both good and bad.
It was not all rosy, but we were always close.
In one season of time, I had not seen her for over a few years and I really missed her.
So, I sent her a plane ticket to fly home.
I picked her up at the airport and she stayed at our house for a few days, then I drove her down to our parents.
Meeting them halfway then they drove to their home, and I stayed in a bed and breakfast place alone.
She enjoyed the trip and later I found out she was so out of her comfort zone it was a miracle she flew.
Not long after that she went back to Arkansas and told the family, “I’m going home.”
They loaded up the truck like the Beverly hillbilly’s and drove back to Oregon.
Our driveway had their ‘belongings’ for a few months until they could get settled.
The journey back to Oregon was a good one.
She had many rough moments and many hard times, but she tried her best to make it.
Her husband found a job and they found an apartment and it all worked out.
Her story is hard. Our story together was hard. Our life growing up was hard.
At one point, she was on hospice and dying. The four of us, my older sister and her husband and me and my husband.
Tag teamed to take care of her. We did such a good job of helping her along with her doctor, she lived from 2006 to 2019.
Way longer than I would ever have imagined her to live and survive and thrive.
She was a miracle in many ways.
Although we were tested and it was not often easy, I would never regret our investment in her.
Happy Birthday Mary, I will share a doughnut and remember how much you loved them. 
by Sharon O | Feb 4, 2022 | Uncategorized
Today is National Wear Red Day.
It represents the many women diagnosed and suffering from heart attack or strokes.
It is a silent killer.
Often times you hear of men having heart attacks not so much about women.
The heart is critical to life.
The bible talks about the heart 439 times.
It is fundamental to our faith and our life.
We breathe because our hearts beat, and our lungs give us air.
[God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I’m alert to God’s ways; I don’t take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.] Psalm 18:20,21
[The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.] Psalm 16:7,8
Have you ever had a serious issue follow you around and you didn’t get a resolve for it till the next morning?
Our sleeping heart is working and teaching us not only to rest but to figure out the issues.
So many nights I start out sleeping peaceful then I wake up with a spirit that needs something.
It is the mind, body and heart working together.
[God, you did everything you promised, and I’m thanking you with all my heart.
You pulled me from the brink of death, my feet from the cliff-edge of doom.
Now I stroll at leisure with God in the sunlit fields of life.] Psalm 56:12,13
[Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself.
Don’t take such a gift for granted.] Ephesians 4:30
Being saved from something that should have or could have been your death is something to be grateful for.
I know some who have been restored after a heart attack.
I don’t know any women though, it is interesting.
As we move through this ‘day’ of red may we remember that our hearts condition sets the stage for our life.
Today is National Wear Red Day
.
by Sharon O | Jan 27, 2022 | Uncategorized
Keep being brave are words on a card I have on my bulletin board above my computer.
It is a wonderful reminder for me to continually do more than I think I can, and to challenge myself.
Life is funny because sometimes you get to a point of wonder or worry about what could you manage, should you have to.
It’s not logical to think about that but I have to remind myself to be brave, to push forward and to believe in myself.
When I was going through radiation, I had to tell myself about every day for 16 days, I could do it.
It’s not easy to go in and be exposed to massive radiation waves, but it was necessary.
The final result is no cancer. No returning for scans for a year.
That is awesome and exciting.
I have friends who are dealing with cancer and the thought of what is to come for them.
It brings up fear even if one is a strong believer.
The unknown is hard. I wasn’t sure what to expect when the biopsy had to be done.
Then the lumpectomy to follow.
I suppose I could say that whole experience was life altering for me.
I will never be the same person I was before this time in my life.
Medical things are often hard, cold and uncomfortable, we often find ourselves praying for another way.
When I see commercials about little kids with cancer it just makes me mad.
They should not have to deal with it.
My daughter’s best friend had leukemia for years.
My best friend is dealing with cancer, and another friend is also.
Keep being brave is a mantra we all can say in those times of distress.
I don’t know the future for any of my friends, but I do know that God is in control.
Those who are dealing with changes are the strong ones.
Those who walk through the doors with conviction that all will be well.
They are the strong ones.
But sometimes you can’t be strong. Sometimes you have to let it go.
Keep being brave will always be my reminder to face each day with hope, with prayer and the promises of God.
by Sharon O | Jan 24, 2022 | Uncategorized
A way of keeping busy, I suppose.
When I woke up the other morning from a deep sleep, I remembered how I used to play with this little box.
As a child it kept me busy for hours and my goals were to either try to create pictures or go back and forth until the screen showed the inside.
I know …a weird kid, but I stayed out of the range of ‘issues’, and it could keep me busy for hours.
Kids now adays don’t know how to entertain themselves other than what is electronically put in front of them.
For Christmas my husband bought me a few color books for adults. Actually, a good friend sent me the first one.
I started off with colored pencils then moved to using colored pens that go on like a paint brush.
It is relaxing, challenging and doesn’t take much brain power, which is good at my age.
I am not sure I would actually go back into doing art, in high school I took Art four years and junior high I believe it was for two years.
Plus, I trained in graphic arts in high school, doing all the lay out and printing and typesetting for many projects, plus I ran a printing press.
When we were getting married, I created our wedding invitations and thank you notes as a class project.
Received the invitations free, received triple A’s, because it was a final project, so it was a win-win for sure.
This is going back many years, but I don’t think it is easy to forget.
They don’t do things like that anymore.
Modern technology sometimes is wonderful although I do think kids need to learn skills.
In high school the place I went to was called occupational skills center, and it was similar to a community college.
It offered many different life skills that students could take and learn.
Many never went on further to college because it wasn’t needed.
As a child I always found things to keep me out of the home ‘chaos’ at times.
A way of keeping busy I suppose and checking out for a few hours.
by Sharon O | Jan 8, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Friday link up online is the word: IMPORTANT
In the last two weeks I have seen a few doctors for regular checkups or follow up tests.
It is so IMPORTANT to do these things.
As we age, we can miss something serious by avoiding something uncomfortable.
I had mammograms, ultrasounds with great results.
I had a meeting with my surgeon with great results.
Because I am a breast cancer survivor who was caught very early, and it was removed.
I had sessions of radiation after surgery, and I still have to follow up on all testing.
I had a colon test with all the fasting and prepping and a little bit of anxiety.
With GREAT results. Don’t have to do that for ten more years.
None of us like dental work but it’s IMPORTANT to keep up on the care of our teeth.
None of us like blood draws or other uncomfortable things, but we have no other way to see if we are healthy.
It is so important to follow up and do what is needed.
Now that I am in my mid-sixties it is even MORE important to follow the guidelines.
It was very exciting to hear three good news results in a short amount of time.
You can imagine how it was for me to go through the knowledge of breast cancer.
But I walk by faith and not by sight and I know and knew that nothing is without a purpose.
All that is needed for me, is to walk more, shed a little bit of weight and try to get a bit more organized.
Not going to get too crazy with all that, just enough to keep healthy.
The Friday link up is a group of writers who are given a word for the week.
The word is what is the focus for our writing.
I found this word. IMPORTANT so right with where I am in life in this new year.
The Friday link up online is the word: Important
