Lady Traveler : 06/01/2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Lady Traveler Found her Faith For Forgotten Dreams...have you?

I had a dream to travel the world...

Perhaps because it's Sunday that I find myself thinking on the subject of faith.

Finding Faith For Forgotten Dreams is one of the main themes of my book, Lady and the Sea, so I thought we'd chat about it today. We all dream. We all have dreamed (past tense). We often lay those dreams aside, thinking that our circumstances govern where our dreams will end up ... tucked away in a closet, or tossed away in the trash. When I was young my dream was to travel the world, but after two failed marriages and two children to raise, I threw that dream aside. My mistake. But through the years I have found that by activating these few simple steps, dreams can actually come true ... in God's perfect timing ... not ours. So here's our little Sunday School lesson:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him... Hebrews 11:6a

Faith is a combination of several things:

TRUST: It causes us to say by our actions, "Lord, I trust you. Your Word says You can be trusted and I believe it." Faith in God is trust in God.

CONFIDENCE: Our confidence is not in the abilities or cleverness of man -- but of God. Faith is confidence that God will keep His promises.

ASSURANCE: Assurance tells us that God is everything His Word says He is. It tells us that He is intervening on our behalf. Faith is assurance.

COURAGE: Faith is the courage needed to approach God with a list of needs and know He hears our prayers and answers them for His glory and honor ... not ours. It's the courage to look to the Lord in any time of need and not allow our circumstances to intimidate or dictate to us.

ACTION: Faith has a passive side. It can be received as a gift of God, but it also has an active side. Faith prompts action. Hebrews 11:33 tells us that faith subdued, faith worked, faith obtained, and faith even stopped the mouth of lions.

Until I put my faith into action in my own life, these were only words not understood in my mind. Faith in action allows your heart and mind to see the fullness of the Lord working in your behalf. How exciting is that? The living God hears us, listens to us, and answers us ... all in His perfect timing. My life is a testimony of God's faithfulness ... my dream of traveling the world for God came true and you can read my story in my novel, Lady and the Sea.

In the days ahead, let's all begin to live by faith in a more alive, exciting way! Until next time...

Istanbul, Turkey 2008

I wish you smooth sailing and
oceans of faith for those forgotten dreams!

On board Restoration 1995
Stockholm, Sweden

Lady Traveler sight-sees in Savannah

Oldest oak tree in Savannah

I can hear Ray Charles singing that old sweet song, "Georgia" as we make our way down Interstate-95, heading for Savannah. This is our second visit since moving to South Carolina seven years ago, and I make a mental note that we must return every year. Savannah is my favorite southern town, so I couldn't think of a better place to celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary. If you have been to Savannah, then you know what I'm talkin' about.

Rob and I feasted on scrumptious shrimp and grits, low country boil, prime rib ... well, you get the picture.

Crab-filled sauteed mushroomies

We took a carriage ride at dusk, strolled the river front at twilight...

My new friends

We dined overlooking the river and lighted bridge

and walked on the beach at Tybee Island and Edisto Island.

Tybee Island, GA

Edisto Island, SC

We had a wonderfully fabulous anniversary, but what made it so special for me is that I was with my prince charming, the man who God sent to me at just the right time in my life. Together, we have made a wonderful life together. Whether we're on the other side of the world, or relaxing in our cottage-style home on the golf course, we are two happy Leafs, blowing in the wind, wondering where we will land next.

Until next time, I wish you a smooth sailing 4th of July and oceans of blessings.

May your footsteps set you upon a lifetime journey of love.

May you wake each day with His blessings and sleep each night in His keeping.

And may you always walk in His tender care.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day to those near...and far.

My handsome Daddy

Today is a special day to honor the special men in our lives...our fathers. Like me, there are many of you who have lost your fathers, so this is the day we linger over the heartwarming memories of them.

This is the first Father's Day that I won't be calling my Daddy, which feels very strange. He's with his heavenly Father now. That is my comfort. But today I will celebrate all the years of fun, laughter, adventure, and love that he gave me. Most of those memories he probably forgot over the years. But I haven't. I hold them close to my heart.

For those of you who still have your fathers, be sure to make them feel special; it doesn't take much ... a visit, a phone call, a little gift or an endearing card.

Here's wishing a Happy Father's Day to those we still have in our lives. Our brothers. Uncles. Step-fathers. Fathers-in-law.

Happy Father's Day and oceans of blessings to all!

Daddy & me in Zion Nat'l Park 2010

www.sharonleaf.com

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Lady Traveler, the painting

"Lady Traveler"

We had just moved from Southern California to South Carolina in the summer of 2006.

Rob had to fly back to California to finish up details in Huntington Beach.

Tired of unpacking, and weary from my latest case of writer's block on my novel,

Lady and the Sea,

I decided to take a few hours off to explore and stroll the local mall.

That is when I came across a lovely painting in an art studio, titled

Lady Traveler.

As I stood gazing at Lady Traveler,

I felt inspired. I sighed.

"She is me."

I had traveled the world. I loved hats. And I was a lady.

I knew if Lady Traveler were hanging somewhere in my new home,

she would inspire me to complete my book.

So when Rob returned, I took him to the little art shop and showed him the painting.

He smiled. "That is you. We must buy it."

Do you have a dream that needs a little inspiration?

Are you finding yourself at a crossroads and asking yourself,

shall I just drop the whole idea OR

shall I continue pursuing my dream?

I hit the wall many times as I pursued writing Lady and the Sea.

Was this book part of my destiny? Part of of my DNA?

Was it a life-changing project? Perhaps.

But how would I know until I completed this task-at-hand?

Through hours of toiling at my computer, laptop, iPad, anything that I could write on,

I continued on until ...

... September 2011 -- my D-day of publication!

I was estatic! I was thrilled!

I stood next to Lady Traveler and clutched my first copy of Lady and the Sea.

We did it!

Then I launched my Lady into the world.

And that's when my world slowly changed.

Receiving emails, phone calls from as far away as Norway, Sweden,

telling me how Lady had given them faith for forgotten dreams.

Two women completed and published their books because of my words of encouragement.

I can't even remember their exact words I spoke to them, but who cares?

They know. God knows.

I'm sharing this with you to say,

Don't give up on your dream.

You have a special gift that can touch others.

You may think it's small, but that gift is very BIG in the eyes of God.

Your dream may be to reach out to help others.

To help people live a healthier life.

To feed the poor. To paint, or to start a blog or ... write a book!?!

My word to you is GO FOR IT!

Be a Dream Maker.

Take baby steps, keep taking them, and before long,

you'll find your dream unfolding before your very eyes.

Your challenges and your passion will take you to the finish line!

Until next time, I want to leave you with two verses that

encouraged me on days when I was discouraged and asked,

"God, did you really call me to write my story?"

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.

Psalm 26:7

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publish peace...that publish salvation; that sayeth to Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Isaiah 52:7

Happy days while writing in Belize

My Lady, my dream

Comfort or Challenge? Decisions that direct your journey

I was living a comfortable life in Southern California when the opportunity came for my husband and I to volunteer on a World War II ship to transport Russian Jews from Sochi, Russia, to Haifa, Israel. Rob jumped at the chance to live on a World War II ship for 14 months, but this 48-year-old lady panicked. You see, I couldn't swim, so I had to face my biggest fear--water. Sailing across the Atlantic was my worst nightmare, so I had to make the decision: Comfort, or CONFRONT my fear. Comfort, or step up to the CHALLENGE. After much prayer and inner conflict, I inhaled a deep breath of faith, waved farewell to my safe shore, and dived into a new ocean.

I had gotten my sea legs by day four, when out of nowhere, off the gulf of Mexico, the MS Restoration caught the tail-end of Hurricane Hector. Panicked, I dropped my cleaning bucket and staggered to our cabin and jumped in my bunk. My life jacket fell from the rafter above, so I grabbed it, wrapped it tightly around me, and prayed as I fastened each buckle. If I had been Catholic, this would have been the perfect time to repeat the rosary. Instead, I cried out, "God, help me! Remember, I can't swim!"

As the ocean's surge tossed the ship with a vengeance, my Bible fell off an overhead shelf and landed on my bunk. With trembling hands I thumbed through the pages until I stopped at Isaiah 43. I tried drowning the sound of the waves beating against steel by shouting, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you." While the Pacific raged, it was God's peace that flooded me, and I knew we would somehow survive Hector.

I had read this scripture before, but it had never given me as much comfort as it did that day at sea. I love how God gives us the right words of encouragement at just the right moment.

Now, back home on dry land, whenever I feel challenged, I recall the sound of the ocean's mighty roar, and I quote Isaiah 43:16, and once again, I am at peace.

A Season for Love...my short love story

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

For the single, for the lonely, there is hope, and a season.

Here is my seasonal love story:

The year, 1984. Forty-one-years-old. Two failed marriages. The recent loss of my beloved Mother. 1987, life didn't look too promising. After working all day, I'd come home, and after a three-mile run and a cold shower, I'd indulge myself in my latest adventure-filled book. But this night I threw the book across the room. "God, please tell me there's more!" Then the phone rang. It was my friend, Tia, begging me to accompany her to a new singles meeting at a nearby church.

"I don't want to go alone," Tia moaned. After surviving her own divorce, she was tired of dating too many I-like-you-I'll-call-you guys. That's why I'd given up dating months ago. Stop-looking-and-let-God was my new motto, thus the reason for my nightly runs and cold showers. Tia, on the other hand, had been visiting churches with large singles ministries. "You have to go with me," Tia pleaded, so what could I say?

So the next night Tia headed for the front row. I insisted on the seats nearest the back door. I yawned as a young slightly-built blonde announced their upcoming March beach trip, and I glanced at my watch as the mild-mannered speaker closed the meeting. The only intriguing part of the evening was a tall, tanned, blue-eyed man wearing cowboy boots who was giving directions and moving chairs. Stop-looking-and-let-God I reminded myself. It didn't matter anyway. I had no plans of returning.

The following Thursday night I was half way out the front door for my evening run when the phone rang. "Ignore it," I whispered, but something inside said, Answer it.

"I'm Rob and I'm calling to thank you for attending our meeting last Friday night." Within minutes we were talking like we knew each other. Now I was curious.

"Are you the guy in the cowboy boots?" That made my heart skip a beat?

"Guilty," he answered.

My heart began to pound as I dove in. I had nothing to lose. "I was married sixteen years."

"I was married sixteen years too."

"I have a twenty-year-old daughter."

"So do I."

This will cause the conversation to come to a screeching halt. "I also have a thirteen-year-old son," I added.

"Me too."

An hour later he asked, "Will you come to our meeting tomorrow night?"

What could I say?

The next evening I scoped the room, but the cowboy was nowhere in sight. I turned to make my exit, but as my shaky hand pushed the door handle, a voice inside said, Don't leave! I reluctantly found a seat on the back row, and unknowingly, the handsome cowboy sat in front of me. I tapped his shoulder. I had nothing to lose.

"Are you Rob?"

"Yes. Are you Sharon?"

I nodded.

I returned that night to check out the stranger who invaded my life over the telephone. Little did I know that the next season of my life had just begun.

I proposed a year later.

What could he say?

A major moral to this story: Always answer your phone. You never know who is on the other end.

(For more details, read LADY and the SEA, a novel based on a true story--mine. www.sharonleaf.com. Available on Amazon.com and e-books.

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