To be completely honest, I have realized in the last year or so, that I have built some pretty interesting walls in the area of relationships with other women. The walls were constructed after a few years of what I felt were betrayals, hurts, and abandonment from some close friends.
I had no trouble reaching out to the women in our church and loving them and supporting them in their lives…
I was just afraid to let them get too close to me.
My “safe people” list was pretty small.
Blogging became a bit of an escape from “real” people.
It was a safe place to bare my heart, its pains and its joys.
I could be as deep and serious, or as lighthearted and frivolous as I wanted to be, without too much fear of judgment.
And then God began to deal with me about these walls.
He began to tell me it was time to take some risks again, to open my heart to friendship again, to trust Him to protect my heart.
One day I was invited by a blog friend to meet face to face.
We had been slightly acquainted years ago and somehow found each other in blogland.
So we met, and met again, and emailed and shared and opened our hearts.
Last week she invited me to meet with some other bloggers to tour an historic home, have lunch, and go antiquing.
It was a really busy week for me, but I knew I needed to say yes.
It was part of the tearing down the walls process.
We had a lovely day, and I met some very lovely women.
Here are some photos of the gardens and outside of historic Deepwood Estates in Salem, Oregon.
I took over 150 photos that day, so I will have to share some inside photos in another post.
The grounds are full of gardens and lovely meandering pathways.
The estate was going to be purchased by a tech company and torn down.
People pleaded with the city to not let this happen.
The city bought it and so the estate is now open for tours and for event rental.
Many weddings are held here.
This is the carriage house.
It’s my favorite.
I want to live in the carriage house!
Hope you enjoyed the tour.
Now go out and make a friend!
Still following,
Elizabeth
i hear you. all of it. yes. and the isolation, sometimes necessary, leads to higher walls. in my case anyway. so thankful you're taking steps to let people in. so thankful i am too. a little. you're a dear, warm-hearted lovely lady and i'm blessed to know you. may His light shine and work through you in ways you never dreamed! thank you for making me feel welcome. big step - actually.
ReplyDeletethank you for the pictures of deepwood!!! i still can't believe i didn't charge my camera battery. sometimes i'm such a dork. :o/
hug,
"jAne"
It was very nice to meet you Elizabeth and it was a fun day!
ReplyDeleteHugs, Sharon
I'm so glad the people and the state saved it. It's just wonderful. I'm also glad you had such a nice time with your blog friends.
ReplyDeleteI read this post sort of nodding my head. I have built walls in recent years too.
wow...I could have written part of your post...well not as good as you...but the story...God is dealing with me...taking risks after getting hurt...I am new to blogging...God is using this as part of that process...
ReplyDeletethe pictures are lovely...
thanks for stopping by...
Blessings~
Oh, my dear friend, I'm so glad you opened your heart to me and the women who come into your life. It was something God knew you and I both needed - and He wanted to 'send' you into the world of other gals who need to know the Jesus you are following! It was such a lovely day. You captured it so well in your photos and your words. Now, if you move into the carriage house I guess I'll just have to move into the mansion!
ReplyDelete~Adrienne~
It was a beautiful day to tear down walls in wonderful surroundings. I love your photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing those beautiful pictures and your words. That is so neat you all got to get together.
ReplyDelete