At about the same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach.
In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat.
Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.
Joining Deidra on jumping tandem and the Sunday Community.
The word for this Friday’s five minute challenge is Lonely.
You write for five minutes with no editing and no revisions.
As I walked into the lobby I noticed the men and women just sitting.
Some were in a chair or love seat waiting… as if in anticipation
of a visitor coming.
There were others who leaned around a piano played by wrinkled hands
and memories that are blurred of songs and of notes that were easy so long ago.
The keys playing
some in tune and some not.
In a loud force as if to say by golly ‘I am here and I can do it again’.
If I stop and look at the faces I see a desperate loneliness.
It is an empty space.
Where hollowed eyes and empty souls sit and wait.
We are uncomfortable when we think of what they are waiting for.
The home is not filled often unless those from the outside choose to come inside
to visit.
I see this in a care home where my sister lives.
I also see it the care home where my parents live.
We will all face this kind of loneliness someday
where months and days run together
and doctor appointments will tell us when it’s time to go out of the doors.
It is a different kind of loneliness.
A heart and soul kind.
Where aging souls sit in reclined chairs and stare at televisions
set on one channel.
Lonely.
It is a quiet and hard place to deal with.
Even when we are together we can feel the lonely.
The last few months have been rather busy with grand children and other assorted things.
At one point in time when it was really quiet… and calm
I felt a nudge from the Lord.
Now I am not saying I had a ‘real’ audible conversation with the Lord but it is a knowing…an internal conviction.
Ever had one of those?
The conversation went a bit like this.
“Do you remember when you received the word Quiet for the word of the year?”
I said, “Yes.”
“Well sometime the meaning of Quiet is not so obvious.
You were anticipating solitude. Silence.
Moments where you just take in the goodness and beauty in a complete peaceful space.”
“Yeah that was the idea. You know. Be still and know that I am God.”
There was silence.
Then the revelation came to me.
Sometimes Quiet is also keeping your mouth and your opinions closed.
Saying nothing when you really want to say something.
Making an opinion when it is not needed or wanted.
Quiet… Be STILL… and know…
That I am God.
It was as if He was telling me:
I can take care of those moments where you want to take over the control. You have the drive inside you to make things change and move in a direction of your choice.
Be Still… means to do nothing.
Quiet… is not just a moment of silent meditation and studying of the word.
Quiet can be a form of worship.
It is in the process of saying nothing where you will learn and allow me to teach you.
The other meaning of Quiet.
It is then that you will have a teachable moment.
I am not sure what to think about the statistics on this blog.
It is extremely confusing.
One week it will tell me 18,000 readers from Germany read it.
Really?
The next week it will say 12… I really don’t care it is just not something I worry about or care to lose sleep over. I just don’t understand how they ‘record it’ in blog land.
Then it shows I had 57 readers and now I have 28… if it is not interesting that is OK.
I am not always ready or in a space where I can write something.
A few years ago when I started this blog my heart was full of many things to share.
Perhaps the sharing is not as deep or not as often but it is a goal to write at least a few times a week.
Will try a lot harder to do that and to be more disciplined in finding topics and words that flow in a good way for the readers out there who do like this place.
Some have shared with me they appreciate it.
That is good and I am thankful for their faithfulness.
Here are a few new things I can share.
My parents are settling into their foster home and doing well for now.
All of our children and grand children are healthy and doing well.
I am becoming more clear about what I need to do with all the stuff in the den, spare room and even our master bedroom.
There are many items that need to be purged and taken away.
It is something only I can do for when we choose for ourselves and do the hard work we become empowered by our new ‘clarity of heart and mind’.
So the fall goal is to purge and clean and donate all usable items to a good cause.
I am not a hoarder but there is stuff I have have had stored and in boxes and when it is not remembered or needed it is time to move it out.
Do you have something you have been needing to do and have been putting it off?
Let us encourage and stir each other to press on and purge the things that weigh us down.
Let us roll up our sleeves and get busy.
After a week of being alone with no husband at home I realized a few things.
HE is supposed to kill big black spiders…not me.
HE is supposed to fix the leaking coffee pot… not me.
HE is the reason I iron most of the time… I can wear wrinkly clothes at home and press them if I am going somewhere.
Cooking for one is interesting.
Last night it was baked chicken legs from the stores deli section and corn on the cob.
I am not sad to be alone.
As a child growing up that was my safe place.
During the day I have had two nine year grand daughters and an almost four year old great niece.
So it hasn’t been too bad although it will be nice to have my husband home.
Even if he is asleep in the chair… he is here.
—————————-
Called my doctors office to get my lab reports and they think they lost them.
Not happy to give blood again and don’t want to pay twice.
I always like to read the doctor’s report.
She said I was groomed well but appeared to be inactive and obese.
That did not make my day.
I have seen obese people.
Definition
It is a challenge to stay positive when one is receiving conflicting reports.
I am healthy but… I need medication for a ‘past’ blood pressure issue.
I need medication for a thyroid that doesn’t work so well.
I need medication for cholesterol that seems a bit high.
I need medication for an inflammatory issue in my joints that sometimes hurt.
I am healthy but…
At nearing age 59 I feel fortunate things are not worse.
Survived many things in life and have many more things to share and experience.
According to the doctor’s opinion losing weight is part of that new journey.
My cardiologist said to not lose more than 10-12 pounds and no more than two pounds a month.
So that is a good goal and something I can manage for the next four months.
What kinds of random things are you dealing with these days?
You change your life by changing your heart.
It is a choice.
Sometimes for some people it is a very hard choice.
But in order to change…
the condition of our heart
we must decide what needs to be done then do it.
It is a choice.
We all have to make sometime.
Joining Deidra on jumping tandem with the Sunday community.
The five minute Friday challenge is to write for five minutes with no editing.
The word today is: Broken
A long time ago there was a man who was strong, able and independent.
He was an auctioneer in rodeo settings and also a well known sheep shearer.
Nationally known in the rodeo circuits and also known as a man of all trades.
That was a long time ago.
Now he sits in a recliner chair or wheelchair.
With oxygen tanks nearby holding the air inside that keep his lungs and heart alive.
Alongside him is the pill caddie and the inhalers to help him breathe.
In the small refrigerator there is insulin which keeps his blood sugars stable.
He is limited with congestive heart failure and leaking valves.
Leukemia of the blood and diabetes cause his legs to be swollen and sore.
The lungs are tired and full of water that shouldn’t be there.
The heart inside him is tired.
HE waits for breath as he coughs and coughs and we pray as we listen.
Sitting beside him is his wife.
A long time ago she was able to drive and be social and have friends.
She was a hospital auxiliary president who did many charitable functions.
She worked full time and raised three daughters to her best ability.
That was a long time ago.
Now she sits in a recliner or wheel chair clinging to her blanket and a stuffed monkey or two.
She is unable to hold much of a conversation and she cannot feed or dress herself.
Dementia of the mind and Parkinson’s of the body has taken away who she once was.
They are now Broken.
Broken bodies with broken minds.
Broken hands and broken hearts.
The ability to do what was once done is no longer a choice.
It is sad.
Very sad to watch and remember when he was strong.
Very sad to remember when she cleaned her house impeccably always.
Along with the beautiful counted cross stitch pictures that she doesn’t remember.
Now they are old together and can’t do anything.
They sit holding hands in the foster home hoping for at least another day.
We will remember.
They were our parents.
Age 86 and 81 sitting hand in hand growing old together until that day ends for them.
Our grand daughters are wonderful too.
Faith Elizabeth is fourteen. Heading into high school and growing way too fast for this grandma’s heart.
Following her are our surprise twins. Hannah Kay and Alexis Marie who are age nine.
Having twins is challenging enough but when they are identical it makes it way more of a challenge when trying to feed them as a baby or caring for them.
I still get confused at times if they have their back to me and I am not paying attention to what they are wearing.
I have learned to be patient with them.
I have also learned how to amuse them or challenge them and allow them to amuse and challenge me.
I have also learned that they don’t want things as much as they want time spent with us.
The beach is always a fun time of making memories.
We have spent hours and hours there together.
It is a time for us to listen to them.
To slow down.
To really hear what they are saying with their words or not.
Grand children teach us to think they way they think and to enjoy their kind of humor.
They are joyful and tiring both at the same time.
They bring us to our knees more times than we can count.
They also give us pictures for our photo albums and our hearts.
Grand children teach us so many things as long as we remain teachable.
Lord I pray we remain teachable.
I have been trying to think of a blog writing lately.
My brain often is a bit tired and I can’t focus intensely the way I used to when this blog first began.
I was saying out loud today,
“Oh I do need to think of another blog writing and I don’t know what to share.”
One of our grand daughters suggested that I write about them.
The grand children.
Now that is a good topic and often times entertaining too.
We are grandparents to six ranging in ages two to fourteen.
The two year old is almost three, and I also do day care with my nieces little one who is almost age four.
The children keep me busy and keep me listening and on task to the day’s activities.
We have three grand sons and three grand daughters.
Our daughter had the girls and our son had the boys.
Last weekend we watched the boys.
They are Samuel age nine, Josiah age five and Seth almost three.
One of the rules at their house is no one gets out of bed till seven in the morning.
It was a wonderful ‘waiting’ time for grandma.
Of course Seth didn’t abide by that time frame.
The first morning he was awake yelling at the door at six-thirty am.
In fact the second day he was awake early too.
The difference was the first one the he woke up ‘crying’ for mommy.
The second day he woke up singing the ABC song.
I could hear him singing as I entered the room very quietly and stood there for the longest time just listening.
He laid in his bed singing the precious little song not knowing anyone was with him.
When he saw me he just said ‘hi’ and wanted out of bed.
I think God was very wise when he made grand parents.
We play a special role and we are blessed to pray for each one of these little ones.
I feel honored and challenged by the responsibility and the privilege of loving these little people.
Grandchildren are a blessing in our old age.
I pray that as we watch them and listen to them our wisdom and prayers will make a difference for many years to come for them.
I have been trying to change the picture on my side bar as it is about five years old.
Sometimes this computer stuff is way more complicated than I can master.
SO … I will add my updated look another way.
Welcome to my blog. My name is Sharon O…
I am a mom. Grandma and follower of Jesus.
Oh and I have been married almost 40 years…too.
Simplicity
my blog button
