by Sharon O | Mar 16, 2015 | Uncategorized
It was thirty seven years ago… our son was three years old and looking forward to being a big brother.
I was so glad the new baby came later than his birthday, as he really wanted his party first and even though she came early it was after his big day of turning three and becoming a big boy.
Six days later I delivered a beautiful baby girl, after four hours of labor.
She was five pounds and a few ounces and very tiny, with a sweet round head and darker hair than I ever imagined. I had to have an emergency C-section because she was in the wrong position.
It was fine with me as long as we were both fine and healthy.
We named her Sarah Kathleen meaning “Princess, dear to my heart.”
She changed our family of three to four and immediately brought so much completion to our family.
We were young and didn’t really know what we were doing with two little ones, but we managed and we grew together as a family.
Sweet baby bringing so many sweet memories.
So long ago.
We have been so blessed to watch her grow from a little girl,
to a young girl, to a teen and than to a mom.
It is both amazing and a blessing to say, “Happy 37th birthday,”
God gave us a beautiful daughter, a sister for her brother,
and years later a mommy to her beautiful daughters.
A tiny daughter was born to you, then twins joined your world.
They all were preemies, Faith was 2 lbs 11oz and Hannh and Alexis
were 4.6 and 4.10 all were so tiny and so precious.
Three sisters hand in hand walking together in this journey you provided for them.
A daughter was born.
Then three more joined the story.
The circle of life continues and we rejoice in their beauty.
We are proud of all of you.
I am proud to be your mom, and especially proud to be their grandma.
We will always be here for you and always remind you how much God is blessing you.
A daughter was born and we are so very thankful.
by Sharon O | Mar 16, 2015 | Uncategorized
Our grand daughter Faith Elizabeth got baptized today.
It was sweet. Of course grandma cried.
She looked so happy and peaceful and so cute.
Her dad was there, her mom was there and of course grandpa and I.
She is almost age sixteen which is an ideal time in her life to make important decisions like, following Jesus.
I am proud of her and have been praying for her since she was pre-born.
Then as a tiny two pound intensive care baby, I prayed.
Then as a little one growing up, I prayed.
She has always had a heart for the Lord.
I do believe teens have influence over other teens.
She invited six to eight young people to youth group, and asked her grandpa to be the driver picking them all up in time for the youth group session.
They all came, because she asked and because teens are looking for something positive and real, and people who care for them.
We have prayed for her for the longest time.
One time when she was a tiny one, around age two we witnessed an outside baptism and she watched each young person get in the tub and then be baptized. After a dad had baptized his two children, she stood up in the chair and yelled with her tiny ‘little girl voice’,
“Do it again, God’s in the water.”
Yes she has always had a heart for the Lord and we could not be any more proud.
Such a sweet proud moment for grand parents.
by Sharon O | Mar 11, 2015 | Uncategorized
My son… turned 40 yesterday.
I said 40… wow I cannot believe it is here.
I turned 60 in December so it is true.
We were young, inexperienced parents barely out of our teen years.
I so remember the first time holding this tiny little boy.
I didn’t know what to do.
I loved and cuddled and sang and rocked.
His daddy wasn’t really sure either.
Pretty scary for first time parents.
To realize you are the key people in the life of this one tiny baby boy.
Christopher you are and have been always a blessing to us.
You amazed us with your joy, your sweetness and your ability to keep us very busy.
I sewed that shirt you were wearing, your dad had one too.
Yep dad and son look alike outfits, too cute.
You had a huge vocabulary by the time you were age three.
You talked and talked and talked, and sang and entertained us always.
Today you are 40.
I am proud of you, and I am so blessed to be your ‘mom’.
Our Son…
A uniformed officer.
A son, a brother, a husband and father of three little boys.
Happy Birthday Son… you make us very proud.
by Sharon O | Mar 8, 2015 | Uncategorized
The rule is to write with no editing or over processing for five minutes.
The word given was gather.
Matthew 23:37
“how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”
Dictionary. com says gather is to: to pick up piece by piece, to scoop up or collect or accumulate.
When we think of the word gather it doesn’t sound too important yet in the Bible it is mentioned two hundred and sixty nine times.
That is pretty impressive.
What do you think of when you hear the word?
Gather, collecting together. The image of a mother hovering over her babies suggests protection, and safety.
That is what God is trying to tell us here.
We gather together to be safe, unified and to be less alone.
I think of the word in an old song we used to sing, “we gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing.”
It is a hymn and a wonderful little tune.
The first part of the Matthew verse has “Oh Jerusalem.” God addressing the people.
The verse seems so fitting right now with the unrest and disharmony over in the land of God’s people.
Many wars and rumors of wars. God is asking a coming together. In safety and in protection.
The verse could also imply we refuse to move and draw near to him.
In order for someone or something to gather, within a group there must be co-operation.
The verse said, “you were not willing.”
That is a powerful line as I cannot imagine telling God, the maker of everything, No, I don’t want to.
Sometimes our independence can cause us great harm or even death if we don’t listen to the warning.
Let us choose with a ‘firm decision to encourage each other,”
Let us choose to gather together in prayer and in compassion.
Let us gather together to ask his blessing over all that we do.
by Sharon O | Mar 4, 2015 | Uncategorized
No these are not blooming yet in our yard but the weather has been incredibly warm in fact the weather man has stated we might even be getting a seventy degree day soon.
I am not ready for this warmth. Although it is nice.
We didn’t really have a cold winter and you know how bad the bugs are going to be since they didn’t get frozen during the cold spell?
Yeah I am not sure I will enjoy it.
Spring is pretty. It is cheerful.
It is almost my favorite time of year as it creates beauty and newness all around as leaves and buds are forming new ‘flowers’.
I say almost because my most favorite time of the year is the fall.
Now you can see the dead fall like ‘leaves’ begin to bloom into a new blossoms, daffodils are emerging from cold and damp grounds along with the crocus bulbs.
I remember as a young person one house we used to always drive by had placed the crocus bulbs in the context of the words, “It’s spring”. So when they bloomed one could see and read those words.
It’s spring where new life is taking place and birds begin to build nests and baby lambs are born.
Found this photo on google as a free stock photo and it shows so much sweetness.
Spring really shouldn’t be here yet, it seems way too soon for bulbs growing and baby animals being born.
I love the awakening from the dark of the earth to the fresh sunny skies of blue and soft clouds.
The master plan of our master gardener created seasons for life and abundance,
after a time of winter rest and darkness.
Just as our hearts and souls need the rest in winter, and a time for hunkering down under blankets, good books and hot cups of coffee.
We also need the freshness spring brings with new awareness that life again begins at a new level.
That hope of new adventures and experiences will take place and we will be warmed by the warmth of the sun and crisp breezes.
I am not ready for this warmth but I am ready for some change.
While we watch flowers growing and little lambs with wobbly legs, let us be reminded that we are in a new season for a new time and hope brings a new sense of anticipation.
Are you anticipating anything fun or exciting in this season of change? Spring is almost here.
Let us wait with great patience for new adventures to begin.
by Sharon O | Feb 27, 2015 | Uncategorized
My husband is getting better slowly.
Recovering from major surgery is always hard on the body.
It is challenging on many levels.
He has done well within the midst of a few set backs… he is back to work part time.
He is also driving now, which I am sure he is happy about.
Any time we recover from any trauma it is a hard painstaking journey.
Physically and mentally it is a relearning of what was once ‘easy’.
A full knee replacement requires a major ‘amputation’ of the leg on the upper and lower with a knee removal, then a new knee is fitted in and around the old ‘space’.
The doctor has done many and knows what he is doing but it still sounds awful.
Yes it sounds horrible and the scar is really rough it is close to 14 inches long.
He was bruised from hip to ankle then we had a trip to the ultrasound room for blood clot checks.
We all know how serious that is.
His surgery was on January 20th and he is very tired.
We both are and it has been draining and hard and worrisome for me, to watch him struggle to stand, then walk and navigate the stairs going up to our room.
He is getting better slowly.
He is trying to do what the doctor tells him and yet they might have to go in for more ‘adjustment’.
Meaning he will be knocked out with loopy drugs and they will realign the leg and shake loose the tightness.
It has been hard. One step forward and then a few back.
Some day we will look back on this and know it was worth it.
For now we are not over this ‘recovery hump.’
by Sharon O | Feb 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
The word for today is open.
You write for five minutes with little editing and deep thought.
Random writing about the word open…
it is deep and wide and we can do this.
With arms open wide… and hearts ready to receive we ‘open’ ourselves to what the Lord can do for and with us.
He is strength and song. he is our salvation and he is OUR God and our father.
We will praise him and extol him… worship and proclaim his love to all who will hear, and all who will listen with an open attitude and a willing heart.
We stand in silence ready to receive.
We raise our hands to worship. To give honor.
To adore and thank our Lord God.
When we are open we are ready to accept, we are ready to find something new and exciting.
The doors are not shut to our hearts, or spirits or emotions.
With arms open wide.
We wait with anticipation to receive of ‘our Lords’ gift to us.
by Sharon O | Feb 15, 2015 | Uncategorized
The new word of the day is When.
We write for five minutes with no editing and no proof reading.
Spontaneous, word choosing, thought provoking five minutes.
When:
To my husband.
We always talk about the future as if it will come, I pray it does but we talk in terms of ‘when we retire’ we are going to get the motor home, pay off bills, re-do the house, then sell it.
We talk of plans to England and to other places of unknown new ‘memories’ to share for us.
We talk of times of relaxation and little rules.
We share what we would like to do when the time is free and there are no obligations to tie us down.
I often wonder would we really like to be free with no accountability.
Will we enjoy visiting different places on different day of the month.
Will we like driving and chatting and finding new restaurants or hiking trails, new adventures to take pictures of for photo albums.
Will we like sleeping in and not having to worry as much.
Will we enjoy the freedom that retirement gives.
I often wonder how will you do when you have no yard to mow and few things to tinker with in the garage.
Will you be totally bored or will you be able to relax and enjoy the carefree life.
I wonder what our new hobbies will be or will we just walk and talk and enjoy our days together.
When we retire it will be very different on many levels.
Insurance will be on us, that is scary. The checks every two weeks will not be as predictable.
Scary too.
But the flip side is the time we can spend together.
It will be good, and sweet and maybe sometimes boring but that is ok, I like being bored with someone I care for.
When we retire it will be us together with our kitties.
And that will be good.
by Sharon O | Feb 11, 2015 | Uncategorized
February 11th is my sister’s birthday.
This year will be her 62nd… this picture was of her 60th.
Every year I wish her happy birthday knowing in my heart,
it is a miracle we thought would never happen.
In 2006 after visiting with her on many occasions, consulting with the doctor, and pleading my case, she was put on hospice.
The diagnosis was death pending, within six months or sooner.
She had liver failure, hepatitis C and starvation.
She was wheelchair bound with her 90 pound frame barely fitting into the leather seat.
The pictures stored in her photo album paint a picture of her reality in ways that words never could.
No one can grasp the depth of the situation unless one was there to witness it, like we were.
Her husband died in the early morning hours on July 26th, 2006.
He was her caregiver.
It was shocking, sad, numbing, unexpected and a very horrible day for all of us in the family, when I received the phone call in the early morning hour telling me, he was dead.
My sister, who was dying just became a widow.
When I heard the news I knew I could never leave her there to die alone, they lived in a small ‘5th wheel trailer’ and I knew I had to move her to a safer and more caring environment for her last days.
When my husband and I arrived at their home, 14 miles from ours, there were police, and coroner car, fire truck and chaos all around the surrounding area.
When I saw her, she looked so fragile and broken and scared and maybe not even understanding.
He was gone.
We loaded her into our car and drove in silence with my husband and I in our own thoughts, as she slept in the back seat with her head pressed against the car window.
The hours ahead of us seemed surreal, what we were experiencing was like a very bad dream, only it was real and we were awake.
There were many things to do when we brought her home. I had to call my work and let my boss know I would not be back till she passed away, then call hospice, and family.
Our family room would become a resting place for the dying and we would sit with her as we watched and waited for her to die.
We started her out in a loveseat hideabed then moved her into a hospital bed for the final journey of her hospice care. The hospice team told us she had just a few weeks left so we were just keeping her comfortable.
We began a journey none of us would ever want to repeat.
She was drowning in a sea of alcoholism and like life guards, we jumped in and rescued her.
For me it was especially exhausting as I didn’t know how to swim or navigate this care taking process.
There were many things to deal with and it was physically and emotionally taxing on all who were involved.
The care taking team consisted of my husband and I, our older sister and her husband, the hospice team and most important the doctor who helped us. I will forever be grateful to him for his patience.
Days moved into weeks as we gave her round the clock care, as her thin body laid on the sheet of the hospital bed.
Detoxing the demons out of her was a balance between medications every two hours, monitoring the seizures and praying the hallucinations would leave.
You cannot believe the horrible effects detox has on a person.
She had to have specific drugs to ease the discomfort and chaos inside her body and brain.
In the midst of the really hard, there were a few really funny moments of comedy relief.
Remembering the middle of the night when I was so exhausted to take her outside for a smoke, I gave her one that was unlit and told her to smoke it.
This was breaking my rule to never have cigarettes in my home, but she had no idea it wasn’t lit and I would hold the ash tray near her bed telling her to dump the ashes and she would.
I would watch her inhale and exhale pretend smoke, while feeling relieved I didn’t have to get her in her chair to go outside. She smoked the same cigarette for four days before I had to start over with a new one.
The hospice team was amazed and we all laughed about my crazy idea of an unlit cigarette.
Everyone involved in the process with us was amazed at our ability to work together on this very difficult journey.
We realized her tolerance was very high, she was drinking a fifth of vodka daily, so in order for that to be removed one has to taper down slowly, or the body will crash in a violent way.
The doctor was amazing along with the hospice team and especially the chaplain, who helped us create a memorial service for her husband out in our courtyard, as she was too ill to go anywhere outside of our home.
Day in and day out we took care of her and loved her through her wrecked life.
Soon her strength began to come back to her as we removed the alcohol from her system.
We were giving her three oz doses of vodka two times daily and that seemed to keep the detox process comfortable for her.
She had to have help to eat, walk and move around the house.
She slowly began to wall walk holding onto the walls for stability and a bit of independence.
In seven weeks were able to move her out of our home and into an adult foster home setting.
When that setting didn’t work well, we were able to move her into an assisted living facility not far from my home.
The day she chose to live was the day she quit dying.
The journey was long, hard and would we ever do it again?
No, I have told her many times. It was very hard.
Today she is alive and living in an assisted living home.
Her brain is slowly coming back to her and she is thriving.
It is a story of love, sacrifice, sisterhood and hope.
It is a story of family, a journey of life and death and then life again.
It is a story of sisters.
There is so much more to this story I could share and someday I will when the time is right.
We brought her home to die in a safe and loving place.
By caring for her, praying for her, and giving hope, her life was restored from a wrecked life going no where to a place of healing with a new future.
Each year I am thankful she can have another birthday.
Because I will always remember the year she almost didn’t.
by Sharon O | Feb 8, 2015 | Uncategorized
When my oldest grand daughter was in pre-school I would take her to school and pick her up every day.
She was with me all the time as her mom worked.
One day we were running a bit late, and we got in to the car, she was buckled in to the car seat and I drove down the road.
After coming to a stop, I turned left and began driving while I noticed blinking lights behind me.
Wondering what that was about I pulled over and the officers car pulled over behind me.
Now I couldn’t believe anything could have gone wrong having been in the car less than five minutes.
I rolled down my window and the officer said to me, “do you know why I pulled you over?”
I honestly could not so I told him I had no idea.
He said that I pulled out in front of him.
Anyone who knows me and knows how I drive, also knows I would not ever ‘pull’ out in front of a police car.
At this point while he was talking to me my grand daughter in the back seat lost her patience.
She said, “I am going to be late for school. We need to get going.”
I calmly told her to let the nice gentlemen talk to us.
She again reminded me it was a school day and she was going to be late and she didn’t like to be late for school.
I tried my best to get her to be more quiet, while not looking to obvious with a police man standing by my window.
He then said to her, “let me talk to your mommy and then you can leave for school,”
I thanked him and let him know I was grandma.
He then looked at my license and told me to be more careful before he walked away.
A verbal warning was wonderful and I was free to continue driving.
It was a crazy morning and even more crazy to be stopped.
Then I as we walked her into the pre-school room she excitedly told everyone about grandma and the police and how they stopped us and the lights were flashing and it was so exciting.
Another funny moment in the small town in Oregon.
