by Sharon O | May 1, 2020 | Uncategorized
He taught us how to pray to Him.
It was a simple teaching; not full of words to impress anyone especially those who were listening, it was a teachable moment.
It was about perspective and position. He is God.
We are praying to Him… a Holy God.
When you think of the magnitude; the very thought that we can even begin to get close to the throne of a Holy God;
it stretches ones imagination we desire to want more.
To learn more, listen more and walk with him more; just as the disciples did.
These are His words:
Matthew 6: vs 7-13
When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do.
They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
May your kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
And don’t let us yield into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
I like the simple words. Read them again. Slowly.
Our Father… relationship
In Heaven… His place
May your name be kept Holy… reverence and respect
May your will be done… His will NOT ours
On earth, as it is in heaven… For HE is a holy God
Give us today the food we need… remember the people of Israel wandering in the wilderness, HE provided fresh manna for them every day.
(notice it says the food we need, NOT the food we want)
and forgive us our sins… I think this refers to attitude of grumbling; the people of Israel didn’t like what He provided.
as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us… He actually does a much better job.
And don’t let us yield into temptation… when we grumble we think we can solve our own problems
but rescue us from the evil one… the enemy will tempt us and torment us until we give in.
He taught us how to pray to Him.
There were other things He said but it would be too long of a post.
Matthew 6 is a teaching about prayer and fasting. It is a good reminder for us.
by Sharon O | Apr 28, 2020 | Uncategorized
A promise given to us that HE will be with us
Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
When I think of this Psalm I read it in a personal ‘1st person’ towards me version.
The Lord is MY shepherd. I shall not want.
(meaning I need nothing else since I have a shepherd to look after me. In the old country a shepherd watched the sheep for hours and hours risking his own life for their safety.)
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
(He wants me rested and not weary, and green grass tends to be soft.)
He leadeth me beside still waters.
(bringing refreshment to my spirit and coolness to my parched way)
He restoreth my soul.
(He helps me to feel new and revived.)
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
(He keeps me going in the right path, the right direction as I follow him.)
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
(When I was diagnosed with cancer. It was not scary but it did make me think)
I will fear no evil: for thou are with me
(there is safety in knowing evil cannot take His love away from me and I am not alone.)
Thy rod and they staff they comfort me.
(when I walk in the trails I often will take a walking stick to balance me and keep me safe; it is in the knowing that it is a help to me.)
Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
(He provides food for endurance and strength so I can go forward.)
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over
(It is like a healing balm, oil for protection and health; He gives me more than I need)
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
(comforters, helpers to walk alongside me)
All the days of my life
(I am not ever alone. No matter how I feel)
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever
(what a wonderful promise to be given to us, in the house as family, with our father)
Amen and Amen
A promise given to us that HE will be with us no matter what.
by Sharon O | Apr 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
This season of waiting is the most surreal season I have ever experienced.
At age 65 you would think I have dealt with a lot of stuff and I think I have, but this is very strange.
A virus putting the entire United States and even beyond that in a weird sort of quarantine phase.
It is a deadly virus. Many have died and many have survived and no one really knows how it arrived here.
I personally feel this ‘pause’ is kind of good for us all; but I really miss family and friends.
The not being able to go out when you want is kind of hard but it’s for a good reason.
Togetherness is weighing heavy on many children’s hearts and even parent’s who are weary of the entrapment feeling.
Not that they don’t love or want to be with their children but all the time, 24-7 is hard.
I cannot imagine being a parent of a small child or two and having to stay inside all the time.
In Oregon we are allowed outside to walk or do some social distancing; exercise or shopping for essentials but some states are not open.
Some states it is mandated to stay inside.
Even here if one is caught trespassing on a path for walking it is a $1200 fine.
The days of going to the beach, park or camping are not here.
Not now, not yet. Not for several months.
I think when it all breaks open I still will move with caution; since I am considered a ‘cancer patient’ with a fragile radiation history.
We do most of our social visiting over the phone using a zoom call or a family video call or our church is even doing services over the internet.
It is changing many things for many people.
Some companies are allowing employees to work from home.
Some companies are laying off or letting people go… and some are never returning.
It is a strange time for sure.
I often think of the scripture verse, “hope deferred makes a heart faint.”
Wishing to go somewhere. Wanting to do something other than staying home.
I guess it means I must be patient.
I can go to the beach again someday. I can stay in our trailer again. someday.
The season of waiting is hard but ever so necessary.
Let’s be still and KNOW HE is GOD in this.
by Sharon O | Apr 16, 2020 | Uncategorized
An idea to help you through this time that we are in.
I have often thought of the old fashioned way of handwriting letters again.
It is a way of returning to the old ‘ways’.
Not typed, or email but an actual hand written note or card.
I am a keeper of things, such as these notes and cards.
Ask my husband and he will tell you I have boxes of words written to me by others.
They are keep sakes that I cannot throw away.
Someone took their time and spent minutes of their day, thinking of me, of us and our friendship.
The gift of words is a connection. Within ourselves and with others.
It’s really hard to spend time with others right now since we are in a required restrictive rule around our land.
I so want to go to the beach, or find a lake, or sit in a restaurant with family or friends again.
I want to see and spend time with my grand kids and not have social distancing be the normal way.
When I think I cannot stay home another day, I have to remind myself what I have survived already.
Looking back on the 65 years of my life, some of those years were not that easy.
Even though times were hard growing up as a little girl; the resilience and fortitude that I learned through it all; prepared me for a time such as this.
I think it would be good and thought provoking to sit down with a pen and paper and write down the moments that we remember.
The times what were frustrating and difficult and how we made it out of those moments.
When we (me too) thought it would not end, we could not go further, we could not make it; and we did.
Write down everything. Don’t over plan the words; just write them.
It validates the inner strength we have within us.
I read another quote one time and I firmly believe it.
“The longest journey you will ever take is from your head to your heart.” Katy Perry from American Idol.
My heart tells me I am struggling somewhat with this ‘isolation’ time.
My head tells me that soon we can go places and once again be normal.
The journey becomes my choice on how I will choose to react.
An idea to help you through this time that we are in, is write it down.
Replace negative with positive and know that it’s going to be alright.
We are in this together. 
A lonely path going somewhere.
by Sharon O | Apr 10, 2020 | Uncategorized
The days between Good Friday and Easter were only three.
The followers of Jesus didn’t know what to do.
They had seen the glorious entry on Palm Sunday and they had seen the chaos and turmoil surrounding his death.
It was too much for them. They couldn’t understand and they couldn’t sit with the knowing that HE told them this would happen.
Peter said, “I will never deny you.” Yet when it came down to the pressure and self preservation of the moment. He did and he did it more than once.
We can understand the self preservation mode, we have seen it with this new virus that has attacked our land.
People buying unusual and crazy things, people making unwise choices.
Because for some people; there would be a cost if they did not, self preserve.
The followers of Jesus did the same.
I can’t even imagine what Mary felt like, and the women who loved Jesus.
The quiet… the waiting. The wondering. The deep sorrow breaking and shattering their hearts.
What is next? No one really knew.
Even His closest friends had no idea that HE would indeed be buried and HE would rise as HE was appointed to do.
I would imagine the followers also felt betrayed a little bit.
They never thought HE would actually be killed.
So much to process for them. So much to think about just as anyone who is in a grieving mode, remembering back on conversations and moments.
The days between Good Friday and Easter were a time of waiting, deep loss and misunderstanding.
We only have to wait for what is to come… for every one.
by Sharon O | Apr 3, 2020 | Uncategorized
The first week of April and I am remembering this time last year we were moving.
Our older home we lived in for nearly 25 years 2 story and it was becoming more of an issue with stairs.
We started to talk about moving, then we started to look at our options and then we started to work with a realtor.
The homes we saw were very nice, very fresh looking and single level.
We quickly became convinced that we should in fact put our home on the market and sell.
So we did that and it was on the market about a month; and we received and offer from a young couple.
This made our process even more of an urgent issue since we had a buyer and we had a contingent agreement that we needed to find suitable housing.
After many days of looking we finally found one in a senior development and for a very good price.
We prayed and asked for direction and we really do feel this little ‘small’ home is the right one for us.
It was a huge task to move.
We gave away or sold at least 10 pieces of furniture. Boxes of stuff were in a storage unit in the beginning and the single garage at the new place was full.
The couple who purchased our home was a first time buyer, and the lady who we purchased from was a senior moving to a care facility.
It was a win/win for everyone.
It’s been a process for sure during this first year.
The process of unpacking has taken a longer time than I thought it would.
Just this last week I have been going through old photo’s and old boxes of memories.
It is good to move slowly through this stuff.
Oh and now we are on a ‘quarantine’ because of the virus that is over everywhere.
It is a good time for digging through and in old boxes. Why not?
The first week of April and I am remembering that new things take place and new adventures await us someday.
For now, we will clean and unpack more until we are done and until the quarantine is over.
by Sharon O | Mar 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
Yesterday was our daughters birthday.
Hard to believe she is now age 42, where has time gone?
I remember so clearly the days when she was a tiny one, joining our family and completing it.
Our son was 3 years and 6 days older when she was born and he was ever so glad she didn’t interrupt his birthday.
In fact she came early.
I was having contractions all day long but I thought nothing of it.
I have a high pain tolerance and unlike my son’s birth I knew I was having surgery with her.
When I began to realize they were coming closer and more frequent; I remember waking my husband up in the middle of the night and saying to him, “we need to go.”
I had a ultrasound picture in my purse that had just been taken a day before and she was definitely in a breech position.
Her head was completely up and her bottom was down. Her back was to my front and her feet was against her head.
She was as the doctor called it, ‘snug as a bug in a rug.’
My mom arrived at the house and we rushed to the hospital.
I was really feeling it by then and letting the attendants know, she is breech.
They wheeled me in the elevator and told my husband the baby may be born in there.
It was a fast paced rush to get her and I to the point of surgery.
She was born at 5:13am and she was beautiful.
I looked pretty rough but mom’s often do look pretty worked over.
And you have to remember this was 42 years ago.
Not like it is nowadays where everything is more modern and smooth.
Our little baby Sarah was born.
Yesterday was our daughters birthday.
Her name means: Princess and her middle name is Kathleen: which means dear to my heart.
We had a son and now a daughter and we didn’t need anything else.
God blessed us and provided us with safe deliveries and healthy babies.
by Sharon O | Mar 13, 2020 | Uncategorized
The cancer journey continues long after the surgeries are over and the doctors appointments and radiation is done.
They gave me notice that the radiation stays in your system for some time and the fatigue will be with me for months.
I am not as bad as I was early on in the journey but I could still rest quite often and feel the need to nap.
It’s hard to stop and tell myself I need to nap, or rest or just be still.
Naps are not easy for me but I soon will learn to stop and rest as I need to, believe me, the body will let me know.
The after affects are definitely here, along with rashes and some pain and discomfort.
Kind of like the war is continuing.
Then we have a quarantine because of the virus that is creating great turmoil in our world.
I have to stay away from crowds as I am considered fragile in health since radiation.
It really doesn’t bother me as a ‘introvert’ by nature staying home is a gift, and a joy.
I don’t like to be around large crowds.
The biggest disappointment is the NBA cancelling the basketball games.
I am a huge fan of our Portland Trailblazers and now they are not playing.
What will I do with my time now? one can only watch so much HGTV shows.
Soon the spring weather will kick in and we can do a bit of walking.
Today it dusted very light snow in our area. Nothing sticking just a dusting in the air.
Crazy days with crazy weather.
The cancer journey continues and will continue up to six months to a year.
The residual will be with me: so I adapt and I move through each day and enjoy it.
As a gift from God. One more time.
by Sharon O | Mar 11, 2020 | Uncategorized
Yesterday was our son’s birthday.
All day long I remembered back 45 years ago when I was young and so new to this parenting role.
Growing a baby is hard work and when you are little like I was it was a big deal for me.
I started out at about 88 pounds and ended up around 108 pounds when I delivered.
He was a beautiful baby. Our first born.
The hospital was an old one and after our son was born they closed it down for ever.
There were three babies and they were the last to be born in that setting.
My day began as a planned induced birth. The doctor did not want me any bigger.
So after we got there and settled in our room, they set up the IV drip to start labor.
I didn’t do anything most of the day. Just hanging out in the bed and visiting with my husband.
When the shift changed I do remember a new nurse coming into the room.
She reminded me of an army nurse who was always taking charge of things.
Her first reaction when seeing me was, “why are you not in labor?”.
I of course knew nothing as a young mom who never had a baby before.
She said, “well I think you need to have this baby sooner than later and on my shift.”
So she turned to IV drip UP.
Imagine yourself on a bed, moving from no contractions, NO labor to movement every few minutes.
I was fully in labor and had him in less than two hours.
From no labor at all to full labor and pushing.
She came into the room on her shift at 3:00 and our son was born at 5:35 pm.
YES now that I’m older I realize how crazy that was for her to do that.
She wanted that baby born before dinner.
And of course even though he was; I was not in any mood for food at that time.
Our son, Christopher was born and he weighed 6 pounds 3 3/4 ounces.
A beautiful little guy we both fell in love with.
Yesterday was our son’s birthday. A lot has changed since that first ‘birth’ day.
He has three boys of his own now. He’s a dad, a husband and a professional man.
We are super proud of him and we are very blessed to call him our son.
by Sharon O | Mar 5, 2020 | Uncategorized
The other day I was thinking about this crazy journey we have been on.
I checked my calendar dates and wrote them down.
Beginning in December 2019
Dec 9th, mammogram extended plus ultrasound
Dec 12th biopsy
Dec 16th cancer diagnosis
Dec 19th first visit with surgeon
Dec 20th MRI
Dec 26th sick with upper bronchial illness
Dec 30th 2nd visit with surgeon
Jan 7th new year surgery day
Jan 16th told the margins were clear
Jan 20th two week check up
Jan 21st radiation appointment
Jan 29th oncologist appointment
Feb 3rd CT scan and tattoo’s
Feb 5th bone scan
Feb 10th radiation began for 16 days ending
March 2nd
No wonder I have been tired.
Actually we both have been very tired; it takes a lot out of someone to do so much and even though I was the patient my husband was the driver and doing a lot of waiting.
The other day I was doing some thinking and although the journey is not over; the hard parts of the beginning phase is.
When you first drive up to a cancer center, it makes you feel changed.
You are at that moment entering into a new phase, a new chapter, a new set of experiences.
The world of radiation. (as I jokingly shared on my facebook page, beam me up scotty)
This room, this machine, not only creates change within you for good, it will also change you forever
I am not the same as I was in the beginning.
This room is a bit scary and also a bit overwhelming.
There is no relaxing. It is a choice to breathe and trust in this process.
This is how it is when the radiation is given; only in the treatment time I did not have a gown on.
It is YOU and this big machine. Alone in your thoughts, for just about 6 minutes.
There are large steel doors and lights that flash telling others the radiation is on.
For 16 days I was here, doing this treatment.
And then the day came and I was able to leave earlier than planned.
The doctor released me 4 days early.
When this happens you thank God for the blessing of a shorter session time but you are going to miss the technicians.
I honestly could be friends with them they were so kind and nice.
I wanted to show the man in this picture standing beside me, his smile is amazing; but I don’t have permission and I don’t feel like I can put him on my public blog without him knowing it.
At first I tapped it very carefully and it didn’t ring so then I really hit it and it set off a glorious sound telling me I was done.
Recovery is not finished but that part of my work is done.
The other day I was doing some thinking about this long and different journey.
And I promised myself that I will help another one who enters into this so they are not alone.
