tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post5981867889065355181..comments2023-10-25T11:13:03.295-04:00Comments on something glorious: Lenten ReflectionLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09412050271204879522noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-38572964112984081752010-02-27T09:38:49.976-05:002010-02-27T09:38:49.976-05:00amber- i agree with everything you said! which is...amber- i agree with everything you said! which is why i find it perplexing how it is so often those who claim to love us most, who would also have us silence our stories, and temper our tales of pain and heartache...Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09412050271204879522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-4688218358147837632010-02-27T09:33:37.818-05:002010-02-27T09:33:37.818-05:00kristin- having had the opportunity to observe (al...kristin- having had the opportunity to observe (albeit from a distance) some of your "desert years" it is wildly encouraging to hear you speaking of lushness and greenery! i particularly love this part of what you said: "Sweeping things under rugs, and surface tidying is tiring work, and doesn't really help heal the gaping wounds in the floor." amen, sister! therein lies the irony. if we burn up all of our energy polishing the exterior, while neglecting the broken bones of the house, we'll just keep spinning in circles of productivity that ultimately keep us busy, but get us nowhere. running to stand still, and all of that. but if we can muster the courage to do the more taxing work of throwing back the rug and getting to the cause of those rotten floorboards, then we'll find that the healing begins to radiate outward, and the 'superficial' tidying takes care of itself!Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09412050271204879522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-64561786457079990202010-02-27T09:21:14.157-05:002010-02-27T09:21:14.157-05:00"anonymous"- not sure who you are, or if..."anonymous"- not sure who you are, or if you'll come back to these comments or not, but thank you for telling your story. there certainly are generational 'rules' and taboos that make these issues even more convoluted and complex for women of older generations. i think it is the echoes and reverberations of those times and their social mores that continue to affect what is considered socially acceptable today. sure, great strides have been made, but there is still a long way to go. and certainly, your gentle drawing out of the woman at your lunch table was one more brave act that brings us that much closer to the sort of transparency that has the power to heal- not just on an individual level, but systemically!Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09412050271204879522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-41589244736655778002010-02-27T09:11:11.263-05:002010-02-27T09:11:11.263-05:00stine- yes, Yes, YES! i don't think i've ...stine- yes, Yes, YES! i don't think i've ever cringed in response to anne lamott (or anyone else telling the brutal, no-holds-barred truth) without simultaneously breathing a momentous sigh of relief. there is freedom in setting our truth free- freedom for us, and freedom for those who know that they need to let their own 'demons' take flight, but are hesitant, for whatever reason...<br /><br />thanks for listening, and for chiming in. you are one of the few raw & beautiful souls who makes me feel truly free to roll around in the desert sands as long as i need to. you also remind me of the beautiful watercolor sunset that's being brushed across the sky above me, if only i'd open my swollen eyes and cast my gaze upward...<br /><br /><3Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09412050271204879522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-79505538745534262862010-02-27T09:00:22.338-05:002010-02-27T09:00:22.338-05:00monica- i too have wrestled with depression, and t...monica- i too have wrestled with depression, and that particular desert is blistering, and can be so very lonely. one 'comfort' i've found in those times, has been the company of other women who knew the road i was walking. but that sort of companionship requires a level of honesty and vulnerability that, frankly, is too scary for most. i also find that when i allow myself to say out loud what's going on inside, instead of stuffing it down in an effort to alleviate other's discomfort, the depression begins to dissipate. i think we feed depression with silence, and cripple its power drastically when we bring it out into the light for a public flogging ;) easier said than done, i know.Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09412050271204879522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-30793107320756446882010-02-27T08:44:10.005-05:002010-02-27T08:44:10.005-05:00robyn- thanks for being one of the few i don't...robyn- thanks for being one of the few i don't think i could ever drive off, not matter how gritty i get.<br /><br />ronna- you know how deeply i've appreciated finding your words in the wilderness. thanks for taking my hand, urging me on, and showing such compassion.<br /><br />alana- i am so, so sorry for the loss you've endured :( i'm glad to hear, though, that you're allowing yourself to shed the mask of 'everything's fine", in order to grieve your loss with honesty. i feel certain that your healing will be deep and enduring, because you're taking it at your own pace, without apology. may you have all that you need to get you through this desert. ((( hugs )))Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09412050271204879522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-52438190880938081342010-02-27T00:36:09.972-05:002010-02-27T00:36:09.972-05:00Thankful for my "real-deal" friends and ...Thankful for my "real-deal" friends and hubby. If you can't be your honest self, what's the point? The best friends are the ones who can sit with you in your desert, listen to you and say to your face, "That really sucks." They don't try and fix it, they just love you in it. As a mom, I'm the furthest thing from "having it all together". I just want to love, experience passion and live my life with purpose. Unconventional is fine with me. Thanks for sharing.Amberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03833115037180168281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-44893713051186739472010-02-26T21:58:25.836-05:002010-02-26T21:58:25.836-05:00As I feel like I'm currently moving out of a s...As I feel like I'm currently moving out of a stage of "desert years" and into lusher green, I look back and wonder just how much time may have been spent tidying things up to be presentable. Sweeping things under rugs, and surface tidying is tiring work, and doesn't really help heal the gaping wounds in the floor.<br /><br />Also, the closest I came to serious public exposure (if you will)...I was amazed at how much good came of it, despite the discomfort and pain of the experience. Airing the less than pristine laundry in public can be painful, but amazing things can come from it.K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03305065875652544708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-60756711916286775902010-02-24T20:54:35.263-05:002010-02-24T20:54:35.263-05:00some say my tongue gets me in trouble - but you ne...some say my tongue gets me in trouble - but you never have to guess what i am feeling! i had lunch today with an older member and she started in tears and then shushed herself - saying "these are things i am not to speak of". how sad i thought and i instantly reassured her that at my lunch table is a safe place for any conversation. she got off her chest what she needed and soon the laughter started again. wouldn't that be great if everyone could feel free to do that - think of all the angry car horn honkers, the hand slapping parents, the grumpy old men, etc. that could benefit from sitting at a table where you feel safe to say what aches in your heart - let it go and you are FREE! move on!<br /><3 u lauren!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-56884662268659148502010-02-24T11:08:53.770-05:002010-02-24T11:08:53.770-05:00I love this. I literally finished reading Anne La...I love this. I literally finished reading Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions a few days ago and it resonated with me deeply. Ithink those of us who are in touch with our true emotions didn't really find anything despairing about that blog post. It didn't seem out of the ordinary at all to me. I think the key is what you said here: "they're not likely to shy away from talking about the really shitty stuff. And precisely because of that, they seem to be able to get a handle on it. To bear up under it. Even to thrive in spite of it, while also finding the strength to help other people do the same."<br /><br />That's what I see when I read Anne Lamott. Sure, she is blatantly honest, sometimes BRUTALLY honest about her struggles in life, sometimes to the point of making you cringe - but there are few of us who can deny having had similar feelings. That's LIFE. And the thing about Anne is that she always returns to truth in a fresh way, and through the tremendous struggles in her life, her faith is firm because of and amidst them. <br /><br />So, I'm glad you spoke up!Christinehttp://dreammore.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-11815286700894191592010-02-24T10:25:04.845-05:002010-02-24T10:25:04.845-05:00PS I had to do that under Jon's account , but ...PS I had to do that under Jon's account , but it was me :)<br />MonicaJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05019796811887497717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-79263472916641051602010-02-24T10:23:56.096-05:002010-02-24T10:23:56.096-05:00I love the pic! I struggle with depression and hav...I love the pic! I struggle with depression and have to live with those feelings and yet still remind myself of what's to come and what I have been promised in Christ daily!! Glad I have a Savior who identifies with our suffering. May He continue to meet you in your specific struggles.You are such a beautiful person. LOVE YOU!!!! Monica PittsJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05019796811887497717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-26144425352001429492010-02-24T08:19:08.696-05:002010-02-24T08:19:08.696-05:00I didn't hear despair there either, just flat ...I didn't hear despair there either, just flat out honesty. My mother died a month ago, and in the beginning I would go out with a happy face and tell people I was doing well...after a few episodes of that I realized that wasn't too healthy and began to be honest when asked how I am doing if...if it is a bad day I say so...simply giving the sadness going on inside a voice has helped with my grief. yAlanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16720359445477278652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-76948337803023998922010-02-24T00:37:09.557-05:002010-02-24T00:37:09.557-05:00Lauren: As you might imagine, I'm totally trac...Lauren: As you might imagine, I'm totally tracking with (and supporting) your words. Yes. Yes. Yes. <br /><br />Speak. Scream. Rage. Cry. Vent. Be totally honest. Tell the truth. Live out loud.<br /><br />There are SO MANY messages that tell us to play it safe - and keep others safe from our voice. And again, as you might imagine, I TOTALLY disagree with them. <br /><br />I can only say this because I've lived in this world of editing, censoring, and saying what's expected, approved, appropriate on behalf of everyone else...constantly silencing myself, my heart, my deepest truth.<br /><br />Keep speaking, Lauren. I hear you! You're worth hearing!Ronna Detrickhttp://www.ronnadetrick.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-38926049147726863952010-02-23T22:40:25.270-05:002010-02-23T22:40:25.270-05:00i agree... i didn't hear despair in it.. just ...i agree... i didn't hear despair in it.. just reality. :) love you, my sweet friend..:)Robyn Jones Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07394722949549191691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-40008600719861916042010-02-23T21:44:59.704-05:002010-02-23T21:44:59.704-05:00Interesting, but not surprising, I'd say. I t...Interesting, but not surprising, I'd say. I think that those who own and unleash their voices have much less fear in general, and are able to see all of the shades of grey in what just looks frighteningly dark and black to those who are still being silenced. Thanks for chiming in, friend!Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09412050271204879522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12789564.post-40839253265776010322010-02-23T21:40:22.906-05:002010-02-23T21:40:22.906-05:00It's interesting to me that those who understa...It's interesting to me that those who understand and aren't shushed by well meaning friends and churches are those who didn't hear despair or darkness at all in your facebook comment or the post you linked to.Makeeshahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08494813094595978277noreply@blogger.com