Fridays word prompt

by Sharon O | Jul 3, 2015 | Uncategorized

The word chosen to write about this week turned out to be favorite.
Dictionary.com says: it is regarded as a special favor or preference.
When I think of favorite I tend to think of things that make us happy.
Feeling safe, comfortable and warm is a favorite of mine, although right now in the midst of a heat wave we don’t need to be warm.
It reminds me of the song in the Sound of music movie when Julie Andrews sings, these are a few of my ‘favorite’ things.
In the fall my choice of clothing is sweat pants or jeans with no elastic around the waist.
Then I add a v-neck 3/4 sleeved pull on shirt and warm socks.
If given the choice of desserts my favorite is warm marionberry pie.
If given the choice of what I would like to do, my favorite place is to go to the beach.
If given a dish of ice cream my favorite is pure chocolate by haggen dazz made with few ingredients and deep rich chocolate.
If someone knows me they know and realize I am a one who likes to stay at home.
My favorite place to relax in.
I love the fall and the cool autumn days mixed with the beauty of turning leaves.
I love Christmas and the festivities and traditions.
We can have favorite songs, cars or animals.
It is just a simple choice for us.
To say, these are a few of my favorite things.

Fridays word prompt

by Sharon O | Jun 28, 2015 | Uncategorized

The word for the day was Dream.
Dictionary.com says to dream is an aspiration or goal, a wild or vain fancy, most desirable; ideal.
It also means in a dream state as in sleep; a succession of visions or images or memories while in a sleeping state.
Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real when you woke up you had to look around and get your self re-oriented as to where you are and who you are with?
The first definition is a real one for me as we are making plans for retirement.
We dream of a vacation at the beach without a time limit to come home, where we are able to relax and explore unseen areas of the coast range in a newly purchased motor home.
We dream of a cruise to Alaska or a trip to England where we can wander the hillsides and explore the castles, enjoy the gardens and delicate foods.
Dream is such a big word.
It can also be a hurtful one carrying intense power, in the past I have had terrible bad dreams on the level of nightmare. They were very disturbing and very upsetting.
Sometimes with an intense theme.
I didn’t want to sleep the next few nights after those horrible scenes.
I would go to bed with quiet music playing by my bed so I could sleep with ‘gentle’ thoughts.
When thinking about this word, I also think of Martin Luther King, saying, “I have a dream”.
In this time and age of ‘uncertainty’ and intense drama, maybe his dream for peace and quiet is a very much needed one right now for all of us.
The word for the day is dream.
What does that word stir within your heart and spirit?
A question to think about on this ‘challenging word prompt’.

Fridays word prompt

by Sharon O | Jun 19, 2015 | Uncategorized

Fear: dictionary.com says it is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger.
To feel apprehensive or uneasy.
We have all had those moments of fear.
Where your heart pounds, and your emotions go all crazy and you are on high alert, I had that intense feeling one time when someone came to my front door.
As a rule I do not open the front door when my husband is not home.
On this day, it was clear to me there was a man outside the door and he was knocking and I was beginning to feel the anxiety and the fear of his hard pounding on the door.
He rang the door bell and then I could tell he was trying to talk to me as I stood right close on the the other side of the front door. 
I waited and watched for the knob to turn telling me he might be trying to come in, I could feel my heart pounding and the ‘fear’ rising within me.
As he kept talking outside the door, I ignored the words garbled through a metal thickness.
Feeling somewhat safe but also feeling very anxious as I wished for him to leave. 
Earlier in the day I had gone shopping and apparently shut the door before taking my keys out of the key holes. He apparently was trying to tell me the keys were still in the door.
After I figured that out, I realized my false ‘feeling of safety’ and my real fear of him walking in.
When we are really fearful we must trust in the process and stay calm, because sometimes the problem is bigger or different than we can even imagine. 
It is distressing, yes, it is a feeling of uneasy emotions. 
Fear, just the mention of the word brings feelings and emotions. 
This week I heard of my oldest grand daughter going to the river and swimming without anyone knowing about it, not a wise thing to do for a teenager. 
Immediately I felt fear for her, for us and for the potential dangerous situation.
We had no idea she was even near a river and we didn’t even know who she was with.
I called her mom and told her I was fearful of this situation and upset that we didn’t know.
I have to trust in the process of letting go and yet I also have to know my fears are real for her.
The word for the day is Fear: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” ~ Psalm 56:3 ~
Sometimes that is the only thing we can do in this very dangerous world we live in.

Anniversary

by Sharon O | Jun 17, 2015 | Uncategorized

Today is the one year anniversary of my mother’s passing.
It seems very strange to not have parents.
It is not that I was very close to either one of them, but they were still ‘my parents’.
The last time I left my dad’s hospital room it felt to me, like I would never see him again this side of heaven.
I was in peace with that thought.
I didn’t say good bye as he was resting, but I do know he knew I was there and I also know he cared for me in the best way he knew how.
A few days later I got the call that he was gone and his spirit moved to a more simpler and wonderful place.
The same thing happened with my mom, the last day I saw her.
I left knowing she was on the way to another place that would bring healing to her.
As I looked around the room and allowed the visual of her tiny frame of body, wrapped up in a blanket of love, I knew she would be gone soon.
In the early morning hour when the phone rang, it was the call telling me she had passed away.
My grandparents have been gone a long time now, but even that is a great loss.
To have generations missing and gone is sad.
I have often thought about those days of our childhood when our mom was raising three little girls alone.
Our dad left when we were little and when he did it was hard for us.
I have very little good memories of growing up, as it was a crazy and sometimes confusing time of life.
The constant things were a clean house, rules and hidden emotions.
The non constant were hugs and emotional talking.
Not one time do I remember being asked, “how are you?”
Not one time do I remember being told,
“you are valuable in this family.”
She didn’t know how to do that.
I am not bashing her or blaming her.
I am just saying she didn’t know how to give what she didn’t ever learn herself, and you can’t give what you don’t know.
As my maturity has come and through therapy, I have learned the ways we are raised and taught, becomes critical in our thinking and processing as adults.
In our home of origin life was not easy.
When our dad left we were all struggling with big emotional holes and no one was there to fill them.
It was like we all knew things were different but we were not allowed to talk about it.
What an unfair thing to do to a child.
The emotional damage of non verbal expression is hard to explain.
I am positive we never processed our dad’s leaving.
I am also positive we were instructed to ‘let it go’ and be good.
Today is the one year anniversary of my mother’s passing.
Our parents are gone now. It is a quiet and strange feeling to be an adult orphan
Mothers day and Fathers day are just Hallmark card moments for others to share in.
I no longer stand long at the card aisle wondering what to pick out and send.
Our parents are gone now.

Five minute Friday word prompt

by Sharon O | Jun 13, 2015 | Uncategorized

The word for the day is world.
At first I couldn’t think of what I would write about, then I had two thoughts come forward.
The song, “He’s got the whole world, in his hands…”
Then I thought of the blog world.
When I first started to write I was pretty clueless how it all worked together me writing and others reading or me reading others writing.
One day I started a search and ended up visiting a few ‘blog sights’.
Then I read more and then I added a few comments and soon the blog authors and I were friends.
Even though we had never met, we were knitted together by a blog world of people.
Yes safe, wonderful caring people.
I know it sounds strange to be a friend to someone you have never met in person.
Again it pulls itself back to the authentic real me.
I had to ask the question, could I really be a friend to someone I might not ever meet?
Some are living in spaces I will most likely never travel to.
But God can make us friends and we are drawn together by other friends who know each other in mutual friendships.
It is a circle of wonderful people who fit together with a common goal, he’s got the whole world in his hands because he is almighty.
We can have authentic real relationships, because we are on common ground with each other.
Some may ask, ‘is it risky or dangerous’ to be friends with someone you never met?
I say, no, because I trust in the process and do believe if we ever met we would be best of friends.
He has the whole world in his hands, that means everyone.
In my little den which is a very small world, I open the screen to miles of friendships.
Two are in England, One is in New Zealand, many are all around the United States.
The word for the day is world.
I opened my life and took a risk to open up to the world.
In doing that, I found abundance of wise and wonderful people.
  

Authentic Grace

by Sharon O | Jun 8, 2015 | Uncategorized

Our church is starting a new idea for women.
It is challenging us to think about as women, how do we present ourselves to others.
The thought around this ‘concept is this’, when we visit with others do we hide our ‘real selves’ and present to them our ‘best selves’, or are we able to be real with them right from the start.
We hide for many reasons.
We feel shame because of what was done to us in our early years?
We feel inadequate or not worthy?
We feel less than authentic and loved because of what was told to us as we were growing up.
The challenge sounds wonderful and hard, for to be real is actually to be very transparent
and for some of us that means our ‘hurt and pain’ must be shared.
It is easy for us to give grace to some but very difficult to give to ourselves.
To be authentic is very important when it comes to relationships.
Dictionary.com says authentic means nothing false or copied, as in original, genuine or real, it says it is trustworthy and reliable.
Then I looked up grace to see what the dictionary would say about that, it said it is elegance, pleasing or attractive, beauty or favor, mercy or pardon.
It said it is also an allowance of time between when something is due, as in a thirty day grace period.
That time is not counted until it is late, I understand this concept because of bill paying experience.
Authentic grace.
Most of those who know me would tell you I am authentic.
My feelings are real and to the point, as much as possible without hurting someone.
If you are a friend of mine and you have done me no wrong, I will be faithful to you to the end of our friendship or lives which ever comes first for us.
There are some people who have been in my life since we were in junior high, we are close friends because we care for each other in a mutual way, we pray for and hope for the best for each other.
There is no agenda of ‘me or I’ it is about us, as friends in a very special friendship.
I value that greatly.
We all need at least one or two people who we can call our genuine authentic friend.
There is a risk to being real. There is also strength in being honest.
Sometimes being real and honest can also be hurtful.
That is where discernment comes into the story.
Relationships that are filled with authentic grace are the most ‘healthy’ kind.
In my home growing up the lessons we learned were not relational.
In fact it was not even safe to share what was really going on inside your heart.
The best thing to do was be quiet and follow the rules.
For me now, as I am sixty and finally at a mature ‘space’.
Authentic grace means I can be real with you and you with me
and if we don’t agree, we can learn to give grace to each other and agree to disagree.
It is kind of like that allowance of time we call a grace period.
Where nothing is required of you, other than to be yourself.
Relationships are like that in many ways.
They must be authentic and real and trustworthy and reliable.
Very much like the love we receive from our Lord when he tells us,
“I have loved you with an ever lasting love.”
Authentic and real, full of  life giving hope.
Authentic grace… I pray it is something you have found.

Friday word prompt

by Sharon O | May 23, 2015 | Uncategorized

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him.
Isaiah 30:15
I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:147
Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises, he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains.
like the spring rains that water the earth.
Hosea 6:3
The word prompt for the day is Rise.
I will rise to start the morning.
I will rise up when they bring the flag out… we rise when the judge walks into the room. 
All rise. It is a sign of honor.
When we sing in church a lot of times we stand and rise to let others know, we love him and long to sing praises to his name.
I love these verses and many more that include the word, rise.
It even makes me think of dough when it has been pounded and kneaded… it begins to rise again.
Ever thought of that in a spiritual way? Pounding and kneading until all the air is out of us.
Then we rise… we rise slowly and deliberately and it is good.
VERY good when it is finished.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
Isaiah 60:1