I Am on a Snow Path

In the state that we live in, we are able to experience all four of the seasons. Fall is my favorite season. I love the feel of the weather changing, the slight crispness in the morning to the warm afternoons. I love the colorful changes in the leaves and the way they fall to the ground so gracefully when they are done.


Right now we are in the winter season. Winters here can be cold and bare. If we are lucky we have a few snow days from school. The typical snow day from school usually amounts to a few flurries, ice, or some scattered snow that doesn't leave much to even make a small snowman. Every once in a while we have an exception. Yesterday was an exception. I would estimate we have at least 5-7 inches of snow. I love the way the snow illuminates everything in the darkness. The snow is pure and fresh looking. In its beauty you can also see every flaw. You can see every foot step that stepped upon it. Nothing is hidden from sight.

This made me think about our lives and our hearts. I think people are good at covering up or hiding the "foot prints" that have marked our lives. I know I have been in the past. It's like a protective wall.  I have to remind myself that my past does not dictate who I am today. It has always made me cringe a bit when I meet someone and they assume that I have had (and currently have) a picture perfect life. WOW! That is so far from the truth!

I am in a place now where I have put myself on a completely snow/ice filled path. Everything is illuminated. I would like to say it’s completely my choice but to be honest it hasn't been. It was God directing and leading me to this point. It has been at times very scary for me because I feel so vulnerable. It seems when I feel this way God in His perfect timing places someone right in my path to encourage me or tell me how my story has encouraged them and given them HOPE.

Its time to stop allowing our scarlet cords of guilt, shame, and fear to dictate how we can live for today. It’s never too late. Take it one step at a time. One moment at a time. Be pro-active and don't be afraid to march forward and hold tight to HOPE. Not everyone is called to the "snow path" but I can promise you there is freedom if you are. Sometimes it might mean sharing with only one person. Other times it might mean sharing with many people. Sometimes it may mean asking forgiveness or forgiving someone.  There is freedom in truth. There is freedom in acknowledging something and then moving forward. 

Today is a new day! Yesterday does not mean today will be the same.

One day at a time, one moment at a time, there is always HOPE!

(*to order a copy of A Scarlet Cord of Hope please see the profile information on the left side or email me at Sheryl@SherylGrififn.com)

Feeling Like Moses

I had my first official book signing Friday January 15, 2010. I am still in a state of awe that I was actually at a book signing-signing copies of my book! If someone would have told me two years ago that I would write a book, I would have laughed at them.


I was an average student in school. While I loved reading, writing was not an area of strength for me. I did not plan to write a book but God apparently had a plan and I am going along for the ride. It’s not about me or my story. It’s all about God and how He can take the puzzle pieces of our life put them together and use all of our "stuff" for His glory.  Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).


I still find myself saying to God "are you sure God? "Really God, you can use ME?” I feel a bit like Moses did, he did not feel qualified for the purpose God had for him. Moses had guilt and shame in his past (Exodus 2:12-15), he had doubt (Exodus 3:12, 4:1), Moses did not feel he was qualified to lead or speak (Exodus 4:10), and in spite of all of this God continued to affirm, use, and lead Moses. I am no where near Moses status but I do understand his shame, guilt and doubt.


I have no idea what God's ultimate plan and purpose is for this book and the ministry that is being birthed through it. I do know I want to trust and not lean on my own understanding. I want to spread the good news of the Gospel and tell everyone who is wearing a Scarlet Cord of guilt, shame, and fear that they can "exchange" it for a Scarlet Cord of Hope!


There is always HOPE!

To order a copy of A Scarlet Cord of Hope please send a check for $15.00 plus $3.00 shipping to Sheryl Griffin P.O. Box 680522 Franklin, TN 37068 Please include a note with your name, address, and email. If you are interested in having me speak at an upcoming event please email me at Sheryl@sherylgriffin.com


 

Book Signing Event

Please join me for my first official book signing on
A Scarlet Cord of Hope...My Journey Through Guilt, Shame, and Fear to Hope

Friday January 15th from 5:00pm-8:00 pm at The Coffee Beanery in Franklin, TN

The Coffee Beanery is located at 1010 Murfreesboro Rd, Franklin, Tn (in The Maples Center near Stein Mart and Papa Johns Pizza). They will offer their signature coffee drink Café Caramel or Hot Chocolate (medium) for $2.00 (regular $3.55).

If you have not pre-ordered your book you can purchase your book during the event for $15.00 (cash or check)

For more information on A Scarlet Cord of Hope or to request information for a speaking engagement please email me at Sheryl@SherylGriffin.com

I hope to see you on January 15th at The Coffee Beanery! 

If you are unable to make the event and would like to purchase a copy of A Scarlet Cord of Hope please send me a check for $15.00 plus $3.00 for shipping to:

Sheryl Griffin
P.O. Box 680522
Franklin, Tn 37068

Please clearly write your name, address and email.  Thank you!

One day at a time, one moment at a time, there is always HOPE!

A Scarlet Cord of Hope Book Order

My book A Scarlet Cord of Hope is almost here!  A year ago October, God clearly opened the door for me to write a book and share my testimony.  I continue to say, as I have said all along, I am not a writer, but simply a woman with a story.  What a journey it has been for me! As of today, December 12, 2009, we are offering a special pre-order price of $10.00 (plus $3.00 shipping) until December 31, 2009. 

The anticipated arrival of the book is January 15, 2010.  January 1, 2010 the price will go to $15.00 (plus $3.00 shipping).  If you are interested in pre-ordering please email me at sheryl@sherylgriffin.com and I will email you a pre-order form.  If you are reading this after the December 31,2009 deadline, please know you can still order the book, but it will be at the $15.00 price, just email me

My friends please pray for me as I walk through this new season in my life. I confess I have been anxious all day as I have started marketing my book. I know that I know, this is what I was suppossed to do, but it makes me feel very vulnerable.  This has been a journey of faith for me.  Thank you for being here with me!

Let me know if you would like an order form or if you or someone you know would be intersted in receiving a press packet for future speaking engagments.

Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragments! (*pls. forgive any formatting issues you see-I am still getting use to the new blog format)

Parades

Everybody loves a parade! The only parade I ever recall participating in was an Easter Parade in Hayward, California when I was a child around five years old. My cousin and I wore Easter hats that our mom's made for us from paper plates. I don't really remember much else about that day or the parade. I am sure I have been to other parades in my childhood, but I don't really remember any details.

Recently my son and I were in our second parade. My son is a Boy Scout and with that activity comes the opportunity for many action packed adventures. Last year was our first experience participating in a parade and we had a blast. This year I realized why I love it so much. I enjoy being around people and you have an opportunity to share in a moment, quick as it is, with total strangers. For a brief moment you can share pure joy with someone. It is exhilarating as you ride through the parade route, you have this freedom to wave, smile and shout out MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone AND the wonderful thing is, they are waving, smiling and shouting back at you. Its a moment in time where two strangers can look each other in the eye without the worries of life and smile at one another. It's a moment of peace between two people. I also love when I recognize people in the crowd and you call their name or they call out yours. It's like two long lost friends who are so glad to see each other-even if that person is someone you see regularly. It doesn't seem to matter whether your skin color is black, white, brown, or tan. It doesn't matter if you are old or young. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor. It doesn't even matter if you speak the same language. A parade brings everyone out and it seems that you are able to put aside the stress of your life for a moment and make eye contact and smile at someone whether you know them or not.

This past experience has really challenged me to make a point to look strangers (and even more so, the people I do know) in the eye as we pass by one another whether its in the grocery store, the doctors office, out on a walk, or in the work place, and smile and say hello in a more meaningful way. The challenge is to take a moment to connect with someone you don't know or even connect deeper with those you do know.

*the photo is of my cousin Stacey and I wearing our homemade Easter bonnets for the parade

Papa

November 18th 2009, would have marked my grandfather's 91st birthday. Some of my best childhood memories are when I would spend weekends at Papa and Gonga's home. Papa was the name we called my grandfather and Gonga was the name we called my grandmother (Gonga came about when my cousin and I tried to say Grandma-somehow it came out as Gonga and it stuck) . They were my dad's parents. Sadly, Papa passed away on October 4, 1997 from Lung Cancer.

I am sure he was not always the perfect husband nor the perfect father, but I do know he was ALWAYS the perfect grandpa! He loved all of us grandkids more than life itself it seemed. I hope to carry on his grandparenting legacy of unconditional love and desire for quality time with my own grandchildren someday.

In honor of his birthday I wanted to tell you a few of my favorite memories or facts about my Papa, Gordon Silvy Tinsley.

1. He worked at US Pipe for 45 years. On an occasional Saturday, when he had to work or check on something, if my cousin and I were spending the weekend, he would take us with him. We loved going with him. He would always make it an fun adventure. US Pipe was on a very large piece of land and there were lots of empty space and wild critters around. He would drive around looking for things to point out. Our favorite was when he pointed to the Jack Rabbits as they would run from den to den as we drove around.

2. He was a hard worker, honest and fair in all areas of his life.

3. He was always friendly to everyone.

4. He loved when my cousins and I would race to greet him at as he got home from work. No matter how much stress was in his day, when he saw us, he left it all behind.

5. Whenever we spent the night we never brought PJ's because we ALWAYS slept in one of Papa's white tee shirts.

6. He always slept with the window open (he loved to hear the sound of the rain splatter against the aluminum patio cover and feel the coolness of the night).

7. He was always very affectionate. Hugs and kisses were freely given for all hello's and goodbye's

8. He loved when my cousin Stacey and I would comb his hair (the few he had) and shave him (with his electric razor).

9. He always took time to ask how you were doing.

10.He affectionately called each grandchild "stinker" or "Knucklehead" from time to time.

11. He loved to eat (and Gonga was a good cook),

12. He loved sweets and always had a drawer full of cookies and junk food "hidden" in the kitchen (every grandchild knew exactly where this drawer was).

13. He was generous. Christmas was one of his favorite holidays. He always made sure my grandmother bought LOTS of gifts for us to unwrap under the Christmas tree. He loved to see us unwrap each and every gift.

14. He liked to camp, fish, and garden.

15. He served in the US Navy.

16. He always made me feel safe and important.

17. He would laugh at all the right times even if what you said was not all that funny.

18. He loved to watch (and read) Old Westerns.

19. Family was important to him.

20. Before his death in 1997 he accepted Christ in his heart. I look forward to someday seeing him in Heaven, and if I know Papa, he is probably sitting down on his favorite heavenly couch (my grandmother is sitting on the other side of the couch and my dad is sitting on the love seat diagonally across) surrounded by lots of children and listening to them tell stories, laughing at their jokes, and letting them comb his hair. He probably has a stash of cookies in a drawer somewhere and a smile on his face as he looks down and sees his daughter, all his grandchildren, his great grandchildren and even his great great grandson born this summer! We love you and miss you Papa!

*the photos: me and Papa 12/68, Papa approx 95/96, my cousin Stacey, Papa, me 08/68*

Keep Moving Forward

As you know by now I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder along with panic/anxiety. I started therapy almost three years ago. I have made a lot of progress in many areas of my life. In fact the book I wrote deals with my PTSD and panic/anxiety issues-why I have them, what I know now, what my life is like since my diagnosis, how everything in my life ties into this, and more importantly where does God fit into all of this.

There are still a few areas that I have not been able to fully deal with head on yet. I am diligently working towards that. I say "fully deal with" because I have dealt with these issues to some degree but to another degree I have not. Part of this means facing a certain person. Not necessarily having a confrontation or finger pointing session but just simply facing this person. My concern is that there will be a day when I have to face this person. It will be at my daughters wedding. A day I am looking forward to and a day I want to truly enjoy with her. This will be her day. A day everyone will put aside everything from the past to see the future in Lauren and Stephen's life together.

Part of my "stress" in realizing the reality of seeing this person face to face after many years, is all that I have been through since our last conversation three and half years ago. I am not the same woman I was then. I am also not willing to follow in certain patterns or paths that we once did before for many years. I have worked very hard to get where I am emotionally and mentally. My faith is strong, stronger than its ever been and I trust in Gods timing and purpose. Without my faith I would be lost and hopeless.

Its interesting to me that I can talk a strong talk and mean it with all my heart and have control of my thoughts and emotions during the day, but then night time comes, and my subconscious mind almost taunts me and I have awoken this past weekend one night with a panic attack and last night with a very vivid and frightening dream. In God's perfect timing of this weekend I had a doctor appointment already set for today. After talking things over with my doctor she helped me see that my subconscious (brain) and my body (via the panic attack) where letting me know that yes, you are still dealing with certain issues, and my brain and body are doing what I need them to do in helping me reprocess (not erase but reprocess) memories, situations, and feelings from the past. She told me this is a good thing. You, see the trigger was that this person is here in town visiting and although I wont see this person at all its the fact of knowing this person is here that triggered my subconscious.

Knowing that my brain, body and heart are all working together to keep me on the path of healing and wholeness gives me such relief. Once again it shows me Gods hand is on me and His timing is perfect. I am trying to live out my quote...One day at a time. One moment at a time. There is hope!

I wanted to share this blog because I know there are many others who struggle with similar situations and I was almost feeling discouraged by my recent panic attack and dream. I felt like I must be going backwards but my doctor assured me that I am not. Its part of the healing process. Part of moving forward is sometimes having to look back, acknowledging and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Never give up hope! I also chose this photo of two friends walking forward together...because we are never alone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OsyiGgSlqY (I am technology challenged but here is a link of one of my favorite songs and a great reminder to me this day)