Brene’ Brown ~The anatomy of Trust

by Sharon O | Jul 11, 2017 | Uncategorized

This is a Ted talk, it is about 30 minutes long and really good. I challenge you, to listen and take notes.
I could listen to it again.

Learning to confide

by Sharon O | Jul 10, 2017 | Uncategorized

“If I make my bed in the depths, you are there…if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there…your right hand will hold me.” Psalm 139:8-10
As a survivor of childhood trauma it has been very hard for me to trust.
It has been even harder to share matters of the heart with anyone.
Have you ever had someone share something that was fragile to you and they nonchalantly shared it not thinking of confidentiality?
Yeah, it is hard to learn to confide when one has had a history of ‘non-trust’.
I have had to dig deep and learn to choose who is worthy or who has shown me their ability to keep confidences.
When I was in counseling I knew that whatever I told my therapist HE could not and would not share it to anyone.
The only way they can legally share, is if there is a life threatening issue or abuse that must be shared with authorities.
I knew that my ability to share was conditioned by HIS ability to listen and keep quiet.
In the book Whispers of Rest, Bonnie challenges us to share matters of the heart with the Lord.
To confide the deepest places so that it can be not hidden anymore.
The Holy Spirit is a good listener.
Bonnie challenges us to take a walk physically and talk to the Lord.
I find myself talking throughout the day, not in a prayer with my eyes shut, just an ‘I am here and I know you are here listening.’
As the verse says, YOU are HERE wherever I am and you hold me, you are present.
When we touch another one, it is says “I am with you.”
Your right hand will hold me.
Sometimes when we are sharing deep matters of our hearts, it is comforting to have someone lean in and show us they truly are in the moment with us.
I heard a wonderful Ted talk the other day I am going to post here.
It is about trust, confidence and truth telling. It is about choosing to confide and making a right choice.
It is incredibly challenging. Learning to confide is a gift we can give to ourselves, it is freeing.
So long as we confide to the right person.
Do you try to be that type of listener? Non judging, caring and sympathetic to the words?
Learning to confide is a gift. Let’s do our best to make it worth it to be a good listener.

Learning to move forward

by Sharon O | Jun 30, 2017 | Uncategorized

The next word Bonnie uses in her book “Whispers of Rest” is come.
It is an invitation to move in a new direction and to take a risk.
“Come to me, all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?
Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.
I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me…watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you.
Keep company with me, and you will learn to live freely and lightly.
For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
The word come means to arrive by movement.
It is purposeful, with the intention of moving forward.
Bonnie challenges us to enter into a quiet space, so that we can be restored and rested.
I love the line ” learn the unforced rhythms” reminding me of a teachable moment.
In order to do anything well and often we must learn it.
Let us find rest for our souls as we learn to breathe and move forward.

Learning to breathe

by Sharon O | Jun 29, 2017 | Uncategorized

In Bonnie’s book Whispers of rest, she said, “If we turned back to only what we know, we would miss out on the beautiful journey God has for us.”
I don’t know about you but I thrive in familiar places. I do not like to be out of my comfort zone.
I find safety in what is known, and what I am sure of. But agree with me that sometimes staying in that rut of familiarity hampers our ability to see things new or different.
When we went up to Seattle it was new, and noisy and I felt out of ‘my zone’ for sure.
Some of it was pretty but it was not home for me.  I was not familiar with the town.
The same for when we flew to Hawaii. I learned to breathe and breathe more as our plane entered the air space.
I was not familiar with anything in Hawaii, but I allowed the journey to teach me lessons that needed to be learned.
As I ventured into the ‘not sure’ places such as wearing a swimsuit on a public beach.
Walking gently into the warm tropical water, and allowing it to be felt even if it was for a short amount of time.
I felt comfortable for the first time in years. Comfortable in who I was, as a middle age grandma, comfortable in my suit. I did not feel like I had to hide or withdraw.
I noticed other people had them on and no one was looking at me, in fact everyone was in their own space caring about nothing.  That is the way it is, in Hawaii.
I felt comfortable as I quietly learned to breathe, and experience the tropical breezes and bird noises.
“Be Still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
I did not let fear remove me from what was to be enjoyed.
Be STILL as you move away from your responsibilities and breathe in the calm.
I did not let my to do list get in the way of what was to be experienced.
Be Still as you trust in the process of what is ahead rather than what your imagination brings to you.
I can be my worst enemy with imaginings of what could or might happen that is possibly unsafe.
Be still as you look around right where you are and see the beauty that is all around you.
I can focus on the sinking sand under my feet or look up and be blessed by the beauty of the tropics.
It is all about choice and learning to breathe. Learning to enjoy the moments.
Last year I wrote about our journey in our trailer exploring many different places we were not familiar with.
It is good to step away from our chores and our responsibilities and just rest in God’s love for us.
Mark 6:31 “Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”

Whispers of Rest by Bonnie Gray

by Sharon O | Jun 28, 2017 | Uncategorized

This book is life changing. Challenging. Truth telling and wonderful.
Author of “Whispers of Rest”, “Finding Spiritual Whitespace”, speaker & friend. TheBonnieGray.com

I challenge you to get the book and follow the guided videos.
You will be challenged and blessed.

The words of a whisperer

by Sharon O | Jun 27, 2017 | Uncategorized

To whisper is to speak without using vocal chords, in soft hushed sounds using breathe and lips.
Another definition is to talk softly and privately.
Do you get the word picture that is being drawn from this?
God speaks in soft hush tones and even leans in towards us so it can be a private conversation.
Just between Him and us.
Have you ever had a private conversation between yourself and someone else?
It was not for everyone to hear, it’s intention was for a chosen reason, and a chosen person.
That is what God does for us. I Kings 19:11-13
11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.
13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
(The sound of a low whisper)
Did you see it? AFTER the loud comes a whisper.
After the storms, after the force, that tried to knock us down. After we have seen the power, comes the calm.
We must be ready to hear it and pay attention.
It was private. Intimate. Questioning matters of the heart. The intention of the heart.
“What are you doing? Elijah?”
Doesn’t God do that to us sometimes too?
He reaches out to us using breath, and soft hushed tones so we can be STILL and listen.
If He were to yell would we listen more? I don’t think so.
If someone yells at me I bristle and shut down.
God questioned Elijah with a whisper, just as HE does for us.
Within that quiet space we can then enter into a RESTING space.
The refreshing quiet, to be at ease from trouble or weariness from anything that disturbs us.
To have tranquility and peace. To be quiet or still, the dictionary called it ‘refreshing quiet.’
Doesn’t it sound wonderful? Proverbs 18:8
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
Remember the movie the horse whisperer? They would train a horse by being gentle and quiet.
Allowing it to trust the process and direction of the one whispering.
As we explore the book I am reading called, ‘Whispers of rest.’
I pray we come away grasping a better understanding and awareness within the quiet.

Learning to slow down and listen

by Sharon O | Jun 22, 2017 | Uncategorized

I have been slowly moving through a book called “whispers of rest” by Bonnie Gray.
40 days of God’s love to revitalize your soul.
It has been amazing and good. Challenging us to a new transformation of slowing down and listening.
It is a gift to give oneself.
To stop and hear God’s whispers. In order to do that we must be quiet enough to listen,
In everything I do I strive to be available and open to God’s prompting through the Holy Spirit.
It is amazing when it is a free open arms, open heart decision.
To say if there is anything in my spirit, my attitude, my witness that is not for your Glory.
Remove it. Restore me into a new awareness of love and kindness, so that those who hear me, never doubt my intentions.
We love to go to the beach in fact that is where I am writing from right now.
It refreshes my spirit to walk along the waters edge and as I listen, I hear less of the noisy world and more of the simple nature sounds. The camp where we go is a safe place for me. It is peaceful and quiet unlike a lot of camping parks.
It is a Christian camp where many people meet. They have summer camps for kids and adult meetings too.
It reminds me of beauty and the reason we need to get away just to relax.
Bonnies book teaches all that. How to do simple soul care.
When the day ends it is peaceful to see the sunset and feel the coolness in the air. To breathe in the final moments till another day begins. Like my word of the year, BREATHE … whispers of rest is helping me to do that.

Saying good bye and more time

by Sharon O | Jun 15, 2017 | Uncategorized

We took the girls and Sarah to the airport on Monday, it was a sad good-bye.
Our time on the Island was fun and I do believe the girls enjoyed it a lot.
That afternoon we drove around the Island exploring other parts of it that we have not seen. The sides of the Island each look different and seem to have a personality of their own.
There is a rain forest side, a drier desert looking side and then where we were staying was a combination of both.
This was taken off our balcony or lanai. It was pretty private we didn’t have a beach view point but we were very close to it.
The green palm trees and the other ‘greenery’ was really tropical.
We loved to sit outside and listen to the birds and feel the cool winds. It quickly became our favorite place.
The tropical island feeling was everywhere. I loved it.
I had purchased a few things to bring home from this trip.
This was from the aquarium where a Hawaiian was painting on tiles. It should be a coaster but I like it as a ‘picture.’
I found a very cool carved turtle and wanted it for my ‘display’ at home.
Then I wanted some shells to create a ‘Hawaiian theme’ in the collection.
The shells came from Hawaii and the gold dish came from our local Fred Meyer store.
The plate I picked up at the airport as well as the turtle cups for myself and my daughter and the carved turtle.
We found ourselves in a maui brew company for lunch one day and it was surprisingly wonderful. I had the best little slider hamburger I have ever had. I highly recommend it.
Had to bring home a ‘gift’ for myself and my sister in law. It is a very nice little glass for beer or wine or icy drink of choice. I loved the etched turtle on the side of it. It was a very nice reminder of a very nice vacation for us.
I also purchased five summer dresses from a wonderful little Hawaiian vendor.

Hawaii day’s four and five

by Sharon O | Jun 14, 2017 | Uncategorized

We only had six days with the girls in Hawaii with us.
We flew in on Wednesday so that really didn’t count as it was a long 5 1/2 hour flight.
They were flying out on a Monday so again that day really didn’t count much.
On the fourth day we let them swim and have fun at the beach.
We shopped a few times and ate meals both in the condo and out.
They were leaving on Monday at noon and the morning only allowed a small meal time, clean up time and one more quick visit to the beach.
After we left them at the airport we returned the mini van to the car rental place and exchanged it for a small Nissan versa.
I wanted to rent a Kia Soul as that is the car I am thinking of purchasing but there was not one available.
We had such a nice time in our condo and on the trip.
I would recommend it to anyone who is wanting to go and explore the Island of Maui.
The rest of the week we had time to explore and rest and enjoy the paradise life.

Hawaii day’s three and four

by Sharon O | Jun 10, 2017 | Uncategorized

The third day we were in Hawaii we played at the pools, mostly the girls and grandpa and we scouted out some places for shopping.
We also had to get a few more grocery items at a local Safeway store, and find the atm for cash.
It was fun to drive around the local places and to see the small beaches they had.
Saturday night was the ‘special’ event for Faith’s graduation, the Luau in Lahaina.

We had a plan to get new dresses for the Luau and we knew it would be a nice ‘long evening’ for us all.

The Hawaiian’s were amazing and the dancers with the all the island outfits and festivities of the ‘show’ was really wonderful along with our dinner.
The Luau entertainment told us the ‘story’ of how Hawaii was found and how the traditions were started.
It was pretty fascinating, and of course the girls enjoyed not only the lady dancers but the guys weren’t too bad either when you are teenagers.

The Hawaiian Mai Tai is always a wonderful cool drink on a hot day.

The meal was a mixture of Hawaiian meats and fruits with rice and some vegetables.
It was what we call a smorgasbord of food. Where we could dish out our choices.
In case you didn’t want raw fish or other kind of foods that are not on our ‘normal’ list, the items were nicely marked for you.

The dessert tray was beautiful, full of all kinds of different cookies and treats to try.

The scenery was amazing and with the tropical breeze and trees we really enjoyed the whole event.
We were very close to the stage so we had a very good view of the dancers and the program.

The girls really enjoyed the Luau and I think it was a highlight of our trip along with the warm ocean waters and pools.
They enjoyed the pictures with our waiter, who was very entertaining and cute.

Then the birthday girl got a special picture with him too.

She also got a picture of grandpa and her as we waited for dinner to start.

The sunsets were beautiful and I was fascinated at the banana trees. Something we don’t see where we live.

It was a beautiful setting to end the evening of food, fun stories and music.

Sunset pictures and Hawaiian music left us with a wonderful relaxing feeling as we headed back to our condo.