tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post4214212664253662470..comments2023-05-26T10:19:36.708-04:00Comments on Smooth Stones: Emptiness, ForgivenessBrandee Shaferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960175760263515363noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post-48176201542049241192016-04-19T15:22:58.263-04:002016-04-19T15:22:58.263-04:00Oh, you're doing good, beautiful work, Brandee...Oh, you're doing good, beautiful work, Brandee. Yes, you are.dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11991172981000479793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post-10675140610493895772016-03-31T21:19:26.815-04:002016-03-31T21:19:26.815-04:00I am thankful to be sick very rarely, although phy...I am thankful to be sick very rarely, although physical illness is really just one of many triggers for me. I have to be careful not to get too tired in any respect. And I have to be really careful to consciously and carefully think and pray my way through situations that involve loss, whether real (death/grief/severed relationships) or perceived (strained or troubled relationships). Because those situations can very easily spark my feelings of abandonment and emptiness, at which point I can very easily make poor choices.Brandee Shaferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08960175760263515363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post-86244659830448599122016-03-31T21:12:23.974-04:002016-03-31T21:12:23.974-04:00This has been a season of very hard work, and I do...This has been a season of very hard work, and I don't always feel like I've entered it willingly. I feel, instead, like things have happened continuously that have almost forced me to deal with my garbage. I try to receive that as God's mercy (even if it feels incredibly painful) because I don't believe He wants that garbage (or anything that hurts us) in there...also because I don't think He would bring us to the point of dealing if we weren't ready. Sometimes I feel frustrated that it's taken so long for me to start to see things (let alone recover from them), but I know that in all reality I wasn't ready, before.Brandee Shaferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08960175760263515363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post-73377580288844810322016-03-31T20:52:18.501-04:002016-03-31T20:52:18.501-04:00I am not surprised (and somewhat proud, to be hone...I am not surprised (and somewhat proud, to be honest) that I sound like you. I used to assume that everyone was like we are but know, now, that the attachments we form are different from those of most others. Our difficulty / flat refusal to let people go stems from early experiences with abandonment. I wasn't abandoned physically, as you were, but I was abandoned emotionally. It took more than forty years for me to see that, let alone begin to address it. Brandee Shaferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08960175760263515363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post-1258005908973571352016-03-31T20:45:06.039-04:002016-03-31T20:45:06.039-04:00Thank you for saying that I'm brave. There is ...Thank you for saying that I'm brave. There is a sort of bravery, I think, in doing something different instead of doing the things one has always done. Those things, no matter how destructive, are the things that feel normal/natural. And there is a sort of bravery in facing oneself and realizing/admitting that's one's normal isn't. Normal.Brandee Shaferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08960175760263515363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post-27745796727831861912016-03-31T18:08:39.681-04:002016-03-31T18:08:39.681-04:00I love what Christy said up there........YOU ARE B...I love what Christy said up there........YOU ARE BRAVE! WHy does being physically ill make one go to these deep dark places in their head? Maybe this is how the Lord can use this time to get us back on track for healing mentally and physically. You know how when you give advice and then BOOM the Lord brings something to your table that makes you 'practice what you preach'? Yip, I'm there...I just gave advice on forgiveness and now I'm having to turn around and forgive where I don't want to or feel like it, or think that it is deserved but (sigh) it's the right thing. I hate when that happens. So, no advice here darlin' just lots of love sent your way, think about you OFTEN. Love ya to pieces.marlecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00907684675991124095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post-8066135510529267682016-03-31T13:31:54.790-04:002016-03-31T13:31:54.790-04:00Wow. This is so timely for my heart. I am chewing ...Wow. This is so timely for my heart. I am chewing on what you said about seeking God's forgiveness for my unforgiveness of myself. And that is super amazing that you are able to recognize the empty feeling leading to the destructive wants. You're doing hard work, my friend. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Always blessed by your words.Jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14690409380485766239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post-64776941731242520672016-03-31T10:54:24.035-04:002016-03-31T10:54:24.035-04:00Oh, how you sound so much like me! I've been r...Oh, how you sound so much like me! I've been really struggling with my feelings about a friend who walked out of my life. Stormie Omartian's book has been my frequent re-read book when dealing with my wounded heart.elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06572872315082254364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330757098221229362.post-58532367670021483752016-03-31T07:29:58.077-04:002016-03-31T07:29:58.077-04:00All hard lessons to learn. Beautiful words. I love...All hard lessons to learn. Beautiful words. I love you sister! You are brave!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04805849725218376721noreply@blogger.com