by Sharon O | Dec 5, 2013 | Uncategorized
The deep questions and thoughts of Mary came in a normal life changing way.
I love the part where the word says,
“Mary tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”
(Going back to the conversation when the angel Gabriel said
“Greetings oh favored one, the Lord is with you.”)
I would think it is acceptable to wonder what that was supposed to mean.
Especially if one is a teenager not expecting anything life changing to happen.
It makes sense to me that in order for her to believe quickly the angel told her.
(Not only are you going to be expecting but you are not alone.)
Luke1:
36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.
38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
And the angel departed from her.
After the angel left I wonder what was the first thing she did.
If it was me, I think I would be crying.
The story continues to tell us she sang.
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”
Luke 1:46-47
That kind of adoration comes from moving from a place of fear and uncertainty to a place of trust and worship.
The place of acceptance is a gift we give ourselves.
I think Mary knew in her heart that was all she could really do.
Acceptance and adoration.
When the angel said “do not fear Mary” we need to remember that God’s love casts all fear away.
It must happen in order for us to move towards the direction of worship and acceptance.
It was important for Mary to hear, “do not fear, just listen and trust.”
(my revised version)
Worship like this is seeing God from a top down point of view and not a bottom up viewpoint.
As our Pastor said, “looking at something from God’s perspective instead of our own.”
Mary could have been very frightened over the reality of her situation.
God chose her to play a very important role forever in time.
When the spirit over shadowed her I believe it also placed within her an internal peace.
In the same way you and I can say, “I don’t understand it but I accept.”
If you have time today, read Mary’s song of acceptance.
Luke 1:47-55 ~ the song known as the magnificat.
by Sharon O | Dec 4, 2013 | Uncategorized
I cannot even imagine Mary and the condition of her heart when she heard the words from the angel.
I am sure as any young ‘mom to be’ she had concerns as to how to tell her ‘family’.
So many questions and thoughts would press upon her heart.
How she would present herself to Joseph.
How would anyone accept her.
It was a very serious thing to be carrying a baby and not be married.
Most mothers to be are excited.
Even in a crisis pregnancy one can come to a place of acceptance.
They are also nauseated and tired and all the other things that come with carrying a child within.
The difference is this little girl was chosen to be a very special mother and the news for her is a life altering moment.
She asked the angel Gabriel, “how can this be? as I am a virgin”
The angel told her, “the spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will over shadow you. Therefore the child to be born shall be called Holy – the Son of God.”
The SON of God.
Mary was afraid and confused.
She feared the news but then slowly moved to a place of acceptance in her heart.
The angel told her that her relative Elizabeth was also expecting a child.
The impossibility of that fact was true as Mary knew Elizabeth was old and not able to have a child.
Elizabeth had been in hiding for five months purposely not showing her rounding self and when the sixth month came the angel appeared to tell Mary about her baby to be and Elizabeth’s also in case she had a hard time believing.
I wonder if that was helpful for Mary to believe in her own miracle.
Sometimes we can believe in a miracle for others much easier than for ourselves.
It was all being orchestrated by God and his master plan.
I find it amazing and exciting that God has a plan for our lives way before we are born.
Mary’s heart needed to share with someone.
She needed someone with a kindred spirit to understand the seriousness of the words spoken.
“You will have a son and you will name him Jesus and he will be called the Son of God.”
Elizabeth would be the perfect person to share with.
If anyone would understand the miracle she certainly would.
Mary’s heart needed a friend and soon she would go see her.
by Sharon O | Dec 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
When God looked down and decided to choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus.
The silence was broken.
For five hundred years God had been quiet.
The anticipation of a ‘coming king’ was always in the teachings
and it was part of a divine plan but never fully understood.
In Luke 1:26-33
The encounter would take place just between the angel Gabriel and Mary.
In order to understand the seriousness of the moment.
One has to know the laws of the land.
If anyone is caught being with a child and not being ‘married’ it was cause for great shame and also death.
The rule was to stone them.
So this encounter with Mary would be very life changing.
One also has to understand she was only a teen between the ages of thirteen or fourteen.
(that really hits home to me as I have a fourteen year old grand daughter)
Mary was also a virgin.
Never knowing a loving intimate relationship with a man.
So not only was it a life changing miracle for her it was potentially life threatening too.
Can you even imagine with me the moment?
A young teen all of a sudden noticing the brightest ANGEL
entering into the same room where she was standing.
Then in that moment the angel said to her :
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Can you even imagine with me the thoughts and feelings Mary must have had at that very moment?
How can this be? What shall I do? Who can I tell?
In this very special moment between the Angel and Mary the silence was broken between God and man.
In this very special moment Mary became the chosen one.
Forever in history in a moment in time.
A miracle was taking place and lives would forever be changed.
by Sharon O | Nov 29, 2013 | Uncategorized
Thanksgiving is over now.
Today I saw cars with Christmas trees on the top.
The people inside them already planning on
Christmas decorating when they got home.
I would rather take a few days and reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for.
This has been a season of thanks.
Gratitude is the highest form of praise.
Thanksgiving is so over looked and ignored.
Thanksgiving day is over but we can still remain thankful in all things and for all things.
We can reflect on the past months and see
where God has had his hands on our lives.
We notice the passing of time more as we age.
It seems we just had Christmas and now we are here again.
Soon we will begin to move into the holiday spirit.
Ready for the carols, and cocoa in steaming hot mugs.
Ready for the fire in the fireplace with the crackling wood.
Ready for the nativity to be set in a good and wonderful place.
Ready for a marathon shopping day then a marathon wrapping day.
Reflections of days so long ago when life seemed a bit easier.
When the passing of time seemed slower and the season could just be a time of reflection.
by Sharon O | Nov 28, 2013 | Uncategorized
May you all have a memory filled and wonderful thanksgiving day.
May you begin to realize we have many things to be thankful for.
May we praise God for whom all blessings flow.
Happy Thanksgiving… from our house to yours.
{not sure where I found this picture but I totally love it}
by Sharon O | Nov 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
In September I said good bye to my buddy, my computer/writing partner and my sweet Smudge.
She was sixteen and it was time for her to leave us.
When I took her to the vet to have him put her down I said through many tears, I will never do this again.
It is too hard and too painful.
Well that was then and this is now.
We now have Miss Molly.
She is near eight or nine weeks old.
As my husband says “good golly miss Molly”
You are very cute.
Yes I must be losing my mind to begin one more time.
To learn to love and protect and care for a baby again.
She will be indoors only.
She is settling in very well.
She is pretty cute when she sits on the heat vent.
Or finds a cozy spot to sleep in.
She is our newest family member.
by Sharon O | Nov 21, 2013 | Uncategorized
It is one week from Thanksgiving.
The day we stop and for once hopefully become thankful for what we are abundantly blessed with in our lives.
So many have so little and even if we have the large table full of assorted dishes that will fill ourselves to a comfortable fullness.
I pray we stop and say thank you to the one who blesses us with all that we have.
It is no accident that we set a day aside for ‘giving thanks’.
In fact it is something we should do more often than our once a year gathering.
It is good to become grateful for many blessings given to us.
I remember as a young person we would go to our grandparents house for a day of food and desserts.
The thanksgiving day parade on the console tv was part of the tradition too.
We would fuss with rollers in our hair or later a hot curler to make ourselves more presentable.
It was considered a dress up day.
No jeans or a casual look.
When we were small we wore dresses and tights with shiny shoes.
The table was set with beautiful china, cloth napkins and crystal goblets.
The candles with flames that flickered and the light above the table would reflect a beautiful display of color on the cream colored ceiling.
The ladies would gather in the kitchen as our grandmother would stir the pots and prepare the food.
The men would gather in the living room away from the women and children chattering.
It was always traditional in style and recipes.
Always predictable.
I love the memory I have of the beautiful table and the time shared.
It wasn’t always a warm fuzzy feeling but it was a memory.
Sometimes it would be nice to go back in time and do it once more.
To see my grandmother busy in her kitchen stirring the pots on her simple stove.
But that is not possible she has been gone many years now.
So we create our own memories and traditions.
Only ours is more relational and more relaxed.
We will have the fire in the fireplace and the children playing.
It all adds to the family atmosphere.
One week from now we will be busy in the kitchen preparing a meal and we will stop and
for a few minutes share together what we are thankful for.
In that process I pray we will remember
it is always good to say ‘thank-you.’
by Sharon O | Nov 17, 2013 | Uncategorized
The excitement in the air
The surf roaring and a gentle wind
The call of the ocean and
The sand welcoming three little boys
Anticipation and wonder await them
Three little boys imagining what it would be like to feel the soft sand between toes.
Three little boys waiting and wondering what kind of sand castles could they build.
I love the beach for children there is never a dull moment.
There is time to run and jump and play and for all the children a time to relax and for grandma’s and grandpa’s it is a time to make memories.
There is no better place for the wonderful picture of childhood.
by Sharon O | Nov 14, 2013 | Uncategorized
I was going through some of my old pictures on line and found this one.
It is my grandson walking the fence.
When you can’t see what you want to see.
Or visit with who you want to visit with.
The best choice is to get a new perspective and go higher.
It is a very definite way of looking beyond your view point.
If he stayed lower than the fence he could only see ‘so much’.
He remains limited by the walls around him and the lack of vision.
We stay that way too many times.
We can’t focus on what is out there because we remain behind the walls and fences of our lives and we can’t problem solve enough to see it through new eyes and with a new perspective.
How can we see the problem from a new viewpoint and a new position.
I love this picture because is shows us ‘boys’ and their desire to climb.
It also gives me something to write about and to share.
Something to think about.
by Sharon O | Nov 8, 2013 | Uncategorized
Sunday we went to the beach to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.
Yes I said ’40th’.
I can hardly imagine or believe it has been that long.
We were 18 and 19 and very much believing in the fairy tale life.
When you are young all you have is your parents to follow as examples
or the Walton’s on TV.
We played house for the first few years not really knowing how to do it or what that even meant.
Not ever understanding the hard work it would take throughout the years ahead of us
to remain faithful through the good times and the bad.
To encourage and believe in each other.
To be cheerleaders for each other when others pulled us down or under and to pray for each other when we just couldn’t pray for ourselves.
To face life together with one goal and one direction and that was forward.
 |
| The blessing and prayer |
At the altar we bent down in the posture of prayer in front of all those who were invited and we prayed the prayer that all newly married couples should pray.
Lord help us.
On the afternoon of November 3rd many years ago.
We entered the room alone and left as a family.
Life changed in new and different ways for each of us.
We chose after a few months of being married to start a family.
Our son came first then our daughter a few years later.
Our family of four grew and changed and so did we.
Throughout the challenging and difficult times of being young and married.
We chose to to remain faithful through the good and not so good.
There were health issues and heart issues we worked on and through.
Each one of them brought us over again and again to the decision to remain together.
I won’t tell you it has always been easy.
But I will say we sought counsel and guidance when we couldn’t figure out the issues between us.
No one told us it would be easy to share life together.
Sometimes life is messy and difficult and hard and confusing.
But through all that we made it.
It has been a blessing to walk together each year and see how our lives have changed.
We are grandparents now and we are growing old together.
We are blessed beyond all that we could ever imagine.
Living life together has been good and hard and stretching and peaceful.
Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?
We’ve been through it all ~ the good, the bad, the very good, the very bad, and the inspiring moments that make it all worth while ~ and you have been there with me every step of the way.
No one else could be such a loving and wonderful partner.
God knew ahead of time that we needed to be with each other.
Happy Anniversary… to us.
~ Happy 40th ~
