Thursday, January 24, 2019

Celebrating a wonderful life update to Raw Emotion

I just wanted to update. Sadly my friend's wonderful mother passed away in December. A few blogs back I talked about hearing for the first time of her battle with cancer. This wonderful lady was very instrumental in my life helping me to work through some emotional things and do some inner healing. She was a wonderful intercessor and I enjoyed my time in her home, as well as praying with her at the church. Her son is a great friend and I am so sad for him to lose not only his mom but one of his best friends. Thankful for her life on this earth although it was cut short.  Although I haven't attended church with her in over 4 years or talked to her in a while I will miss her. To my friend Matt as he mourns his mom, I wish you blessings and healing throughout this next season of life.  Love you friend! Glady heading down tomorrow for her celebration of life!

Christine Valladao you will be missed!

Am I authentic in my relationships?

First off I cannot get enough of this song!
https://youtu.be/nuLcXw7B5lQ

Secondly, I miss my social media! I currently am doing a media fast and while it is helpful, I find myself missing the daily musings of my so-called friends on Facebook. I miss Instagram friends as well but more their pictures and glimpses of how they do life. I enjoy peering into other peoples lives even if we are not close or see each other in person.  There is something about social media that seems to connect and divide us at the same time. Without it, I feel very disconnected from the outside world. I do not watch or read the news and have no idea what is going on in the world at the moment other than a few articles on yahoo.com about the government shut down.  I have no idea what is going on in several peoples lives and that is okay. I feel like it has shown me who my true friends are. People who have taken the time to text, call or message me have shown that they care about me outside of social media. In reality, it is a very small select few and that makes me a little sad but at the same time happy for the ones who are in my life. It makes me question whether I am a good friend? Do I take the time to contact people outside of Facebook and Instagram? I had coffee or a meal with four people in the last 3 weeks that I haven't seen in a while or gone out with before. It was refreshing to meet with friends face to face.  My goal is to nurture those relationships in 2019. To stop being on the surface and connect with people. Just right now I thought of someone I should see and texted her! Face to face relationships should mean more to me than virtual ones.

Third and last, I loved my life in Medford, my friends, families I nannied for, church family, and fellow classmates. I have lived in the Portland metro area for over four years. The first two were the hardest and I missed my life so much but now I do not yearn for anything other than what I have now. I have a hard time transitioning from one are to the next because I want to be in relationship with people and enjoy my time. Cultivating friendships is hard, especially without a stable church life. I have gone to my church for almost a year and enjoyed it so much more than I thought I could. It has taken time and effort but I am content at the moment. I craved having good friends for a long time. I have a few here and it has felt like home for about 6 months. I am so thankful to be in such a good place in life at the moment.