Listen

by Sharon O | Jun 14, 2013 | Uncategorized

The Friday challenge is to write for five minutes on one word with no editing and no corrections.

The word for the day is: Listen
When I thought of the word of the year as with other years I waited to see what the Lord was going to reveal to me.
After prayer and waiting the word that came was Quiet.
Now the first things that come to mind are the beach, alone or almost alone, waves crashing and wind blowing softly.
A time of reflection and meditation and just enjoying the silence of the word Quiet.
This last month another ‘type’ of meaning for the word has come to my attention.
Sometimes the best thing one can do is LISTEN.
BE still.
Do not give an opinion.
Listen… listen to words shared by others and also to behavior through what is not shared.
With our grand children living here with us it has proven to be wonderful and challenging.
The reason they are here was not easy, peaceful or safe.
I have needed to be quiet and LISTEN.
To matters of the heart and matters of the soul.
When some one hurts another through insensitive behavior or words.
Matters of the heart become necessary to open up and heal.
The words sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me.
Are wrong.
Words cut to the core and wound on many levels.
The key to sharing and loving another in crisis is Listening.
Without hearing the words of the wounded one there is no solid change or chance of healing.
Listen.
The hardest six letter word we can ever challenge ourselves to do.
Do not give opinions. Do not instruct.
Just listen.

Life

by Sharon O | Jun 4, 2013 | Uncategorized

Life has been a bit crazy lately.
Our daughter and her three daughters are living with us for a season and it has been both wonderful and challenging.
The biggest challenge has been driving the girls to school every day.
It is a 35 mile drive each way from our home.
That equals 140 miles per day.
Driving… driving… driving which also includes munching on snacks,
waiting…for school to get out and driving more.
When it is my turn to drive I leave at 6:45 am dropping the 3rd graders off  before 8 am then I drive the 8th grader to her school and we wait till 8:20 and then I head back home arriving at 9:20 on a good driving day.
Then I have to leave near 1:10 to pick the little girls up at 2:30 and then we drive back to the middle school for a 3:30 pick up (which means we wait) then we head home and arrive near 4:30. Last week there were auditions for the talent show and I got home around 6:00 pm.
We only have to do this till June 12th at that point we will celebrate.
If you wondered where my blogging has gone this grandma is a tad busy and will return after the 12th.
(Oh I will return before that but it won’t be intense writing my brain is not ready for that yet)
We are happy to have them here with us.
We are even more happy they are safe and protected.
We are learning to adjust and be flexible.
What are you learning these days?

We need each other

by Sharon O | May 26, 2013 | Uncategorized

Wednesday was the last meeting of our ladies bible study.
It has been a good season.
A challenge but also a great time of sharing and of worship.
What I witnessed the most was this fact:
Women need each other.
Our lives are not to be spent alone hibernating in our homes as a young mom or even as an old mom as I am in that category.
The first day arriving the room was full of women and very few were people I knew.
As the voices mingled together in a roaring chatter I felt the first lump in my throat begin to form and then the tears dripped down my cheeks and immediately I felt overwhelmed.
Over load and overwhelm would be the words to describe my feelings.
It was a challenge to take each step into the sanctuary and then to sit down.
Alone.
I wanted to run and to bolt and to never return.
After being home for four years mostly alone or with a few little children this study would be a challenge and a stretching experience and I would have to share with others out of my comfort zone.
The music began along with the soft angelic voices singing high with melodious tunes I sat in the room and listened and sometimes entered into the time of worship.
It seems like the last ‘season’ of life grief had followed me and sat next to me on many occasions.
At times I have had to be wise when I didn’t want to and to think quickly and be a comfort for those who are broken.
It is good to be stretched beyond our capacity for God knows what we need and what we can do far more than we ever thought.
During the meeting I shared with one and she listened as my heart opened and the concerns were formed into words that she could grasp.
She took my hand and encouraged me.
Allowing me to see that we need each other.
We are not to live this life alone or walk our journeys alone.
The age differences in the room didn’t matter.
The struggles from a mom of a newborn who wouldn’t sleep and the struggles of a seventy plus senior were real and true and honest and from the heart.
The cute little senior with her bright yellow boots on and her aged skin showing me she has lived a long life and she would have many stories to tell if I were to get to know her.
We need each other.
Lord help us to know that we are not to live our lives alone and isolated.
Where friendships form and encouragement comes as lives are changed.
As one of the last ladies to share said,
“this is the most uncomfortable settings for me for so many reasons.”
Yet she challenged herself to go every week and make that commitment to not let isolation win.
I pray that today as you go about your journey you can stop and reflect on those who you know and realize how much you need in your life.
Perhaps even take time to call and say to them,
“I have been thinking of you today.”
It is only when we reach out we will realize how much we do need each other.

We don’t have the answers

by Sharon O | May 21, 2013 | Uncategorized

At this time of nations and personal tragedies I feel it is a time for prayer.
For quiet and silence.
For reflection and meditation.
For giving thanks and also for asking the hard questions of 
why… and how come and how can we go on?
God has not promised our life will be simple or easy or even peaceful.
Perhaps that is why he talked about the ‘peace that passes’ all understanding.
We so often don’t understand why things happen.
Why tornado’s hit and terror happens.
Why shootings and mass destruction of bombs take place.
We don’t have the answers.
But we do know who does and HE does not have to explain himself.
We just need to trust even when the answers don’t come to us.
{And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.}
(OR)
{And God’s’ peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus}. Philippians 4:7
WE don’t have the answers.
We just have to trust in the process of receiving the deep peace we can have within us from God at a time when we need it the most.