Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Dear Friend: It's Been a While

Dear Friend,

I saw you today.

It's been a while since I reluctantly picked up the pieces of my shattered heart and walked away from you. The pain and fear that held me hostage have grown into a strong vulnerability, a quiet faith in myself. 
I still miss the idea of you, the ways I imagined it could be.

The reality was broken promises and empty words meant to keep me hanging on. I have accepted my part in the drama, and released myself from the guilt I created in my core.
As you walked out the door carrying your burden without a word or glance my direction - I realized I had waited long enough.

I could say hello and goodbye in the same breath without breaking.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Dear Friend: Broken

Dear Friend,

My Friend, you are so beautifully broken. 

All your pieces bent and twisted, a mosaic of life carved out of sorrow and regret. Shattered and destroyed so deeply by your past, your future seems lonely and love forsaken. I see your injured soul, your frightened determination to keep out the demons of bygone mistakes.


The fear and mistrust keep you from experiencing the love you can have, just a breath away. I see your yearning, the bitter taste of past disappointment keeping you locked away in the dungeon of your own creation. You don't realize the chains that bind you are made of misunderstandings and regret.

You are so beautifully broken, like a stained glass masterpiece created from the splintered shards discarded after an unspoken promise is shattered. Standing alone in your pain, no one allowed close enough to touch your essence.


Time and again life has tossed you into the waves of despair and you have drowned without a safe haven. I feel your desolation, trapping you beneath a sea of sorrow.
Pause a moment my broken friend, breathe in and feed your heart and soul with an unending acceptance of you - as you are. 

Breathe, trust and step into a beautiful tomorrow. 




Sunday, September 20, 2015

Dear Friend: Rising Up

Dear Friend,

My dear, you have arrived! You have found your power and joy, you are no longer afraid of what you might become.
You are accepting your reality, creating beautiful growth from what used to be paralyzing pain. You have learned to speak your truth with love, and hold the pain of another in your heart without being overwhelmed by it. 

Lucky you! You have touched a deep joy many yearn for at the core of their being. Better yet, you are lifting up those around you effortlessly just by being yourself.

What a beautiful gift you have my friend, it grows each time you give it away. There will be moments of self doubt and pain, you are only human after all. When those times happen, reach out and touch your faith, it's there for you too.

Don't be afraid of your power, you were given this gift for a reason. Let your intuition guide you toward your greatest good. 
Break down the walls of shame and sorrow, melt away the years of darkness.

Be kind, love hard, share joy. 
You my friend ARE the gift.




Sunday, June 14, 2015

Dear Friend: The Aftermath

Dear Friend,

I didn't realize, I didn't know. I thought I was free when I left you. I thought I had healed, I thought I was whole after I walked away. I couldn't see the damage you had done, so clear to those on the outside.
They were silent until now, in the aftermath.

I know you didn't mean to, you abused yourself as much as me. You didn't consider the pain your actions caused. I still flinch when someone reaches out, I freeze when asked how I feel. 
I thought I was safe, until the aftermath. 

I couldn't see that I was your emotional punching bag, until after I walked away. I told myself you loved me, you just didn't know how to show it. I told myself I had gotten past the torment. 
After years of emotional abuse I am numb, until the aftermath. 

I didn't want to believe you meant what you said, I didn't want to feel the pain you caused.  I thought I had found security and love, I thought you were different. 
That doesn't change the scars left behind, in the aftermath.  

I gave you my all, my love my heart my trust.
You told me I wanted too much, you gave so little.
I thought if I just tried again, gave more, asked for less.

You didn't have enough to give, not even for yourself. 
Now I know, in the aftermath.

Now I am alone, and realize I always have been. 
You were never there, you couldn't give love when you didn't have it for yourself. Maybe I thought I could heal you, maybe you thought I could too.
I am letting go, rebuilding myself in the aftermath. 




 

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Dear Friend: Breaking Apart

Dear Friend,

Our hearts are like a puzzle box that can only be opened through some obscure, complicated series of manipulations. Some boxes may require only a simple squeeze in the correct area, whereas others may require the subtle movement of several small parts to open the box. Inside the box is a secret - a secret to your heart.

At times we break apart the puzzle box so we can put the pieces back together in a different order. The key to moving forward is to not lose the pieces to the box, but keep it whole until the next time to open the puzzle box. The puzzle becomes new, and the trick to opening it is different.

Truth, loyalty and love open the puzzle box, these are the keys to the secret kept within. Once open, the puzzle box may seem solved, but it takes effort to keep the pieces together. Without each piece, the heart begins to fade, and the breaking apart begins to create a new puzzle. Like a lost dream, the pieces of the puzzle box fade and change into a new mystery. The box closes again, and the puzzle box holds a new secret.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Dear Friend: Divorce



Dear Friend.... Its been a while, and a long journey to here. 

Today, I want to talk about divorce. People's reactions are based on their own perception and experience. They can't change that, its like breathing. 

Regardless of your opinion, Be KIND. 

You don't know what the situation was like, nor do you know the reasons/experiences leading up to a decision to follow through. What you believe is less important than what you do when someone says they are going through a divorce. 

Try not to judge, regardless of how much you know about that person or the situation, you don't know the whole story.





Note: This post was originally written on November 17, 2014 

Copyright © 2015, Sandra J Oliver. All rights reserved

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Dear Friend: Hello Again


 



Hello again.......

 
It's been a while, and I miss you. We used to talk every day, and now time has passed by like a stranger.


You still live in my heart, your laughter rings out from my soul. We took comfort in our closeness - understanding the darkest moments and celebrating the light.

It's been a while, since I knew you. 
Time and distance are an excuse, time and distance are the reason.


Its been a while and I miss you.

Hello again my friend...