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Writing Your Way to Wellness: The Power of Sacred Reflection
Therapist Sharon Jones shares her transformative journal "Flowing From My Heart: A Sacred Invitation to Alabaster Moments" and explains how journaling can help people process pain and increase self-awareness.
• Sharon explains that "Alabaster Moments" refers to breaking ourselves open to release the precious qualities within
• The journal is designed as a 31-day journey using the same prompt each day to track personal growth
• Journaling helps build self-awareness by revealing patterns in thinking and behavior
• Healing takes place from the inside out, with journaling being a tool for inner transformation
• The journal guides users to circle words that resonate with them on particular days
• Sharon describes the journal as creating an "inner sanctuary" where people can restore themselves
• The concept comes from the biblical story of the woman with the alabaster box
• The journal is available on Amazon, but Sherri offers to send free copies to listeners who reach out to her on social media
Reach out to Sharon on Facebook at Alabaster Spirit or on Instagram as Alabaster Moments to request your copy of "Flowing From My Heart" or find it on Amazon.
Hey y’all hey, don’t miss the next episode of Koffee Chitchat!!
Hey y'all. Hey, it's your girl, paula, with another exciting episode of Coffee Chit Chat. We will introduce our guest of the season in just a minute, but you know how we do it. We're going to go ahead and shout out the coffee of the week. It's a white chocolate mocha latte. Be sure to grab one from your favorite coffee shop. So our guest this morning is Ms Sharon Jones. You know she has become one of our most beloved guests on Coffee Chit Chat. She's our resident expert.
Speaker 1:Sharon was born in the city of Streetport, louisiana, and raised in the rural area of Chattah, louisiana. She currently resides in California and is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She has been doing this work for over 30 years. She has experience providing services and support to diverse communities on suicide prevention and stigma reduction. Sherri has taken her experience and developed Alabaster Moments Consulting LLC, where she provides counseling, coaching, custom courses, training and workshops. Welcome back to the show and Sherri. Today we're going to talk about this beautiful journal called Blowing From my Heart. A Sacred Invitation to Alabaster Moments. Welcome, welcome, yes, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:Glad to be back. Oh, I know we are so happy to have you back. So what sparked the idea for Blowing From my Heart?
Speaker 2:sparked the idea for uh, for going from my heart. Uh, it was sparked from my first book, alabaster moment, celebrating moments of healing and transformation, and over the years, so much has happened. There's so much chaos, uh, people are having so many issues and disappointments, and so one thing that can raise self-awareness for people is when they go inward and they work on themselves, and so journaling is one of the processes that they can take a closer look at themselves, because oftentimes it's difficult and you get stuck in the pain and you just kind of stay in the pain, but journaling can kind of help get you out. So my goal is to help people get out of that pain and to move toward wellness get you out.
Speaker 1:So my goal is to help people get out of that pain and to move toward wellness, okay, so kind of just like release a lot of those thoughts that are all write it down, okay. Okay. Alabaster moments is such a unique phrase and what does it mean to you?
Speaker 2:What it means to me is that at any given time in your life, you can go through situations that are not good, and, just like the alabaster box in the Bible, that holds something precious. We all hold something precious, and sometimes we have to be broken to release that and to refocus ourselves. And so alabaster is a precious gem that holds great things inside is a precious gem that holds great things inside, okay, and how do you see your journal helping make people's lives better every day?
Speaker 2:Well, I think oftentimes we can go through life and we're not even aware of the choices that we keep making, the problems that we keep sometimes creating for ourselves. And I think that if we could just pause, sit down and take a look at where we are, we'll be able to move forward better.
Speaker 1:Okay, and I know that writing a book is not easy, and then creating this journal. What do you feel was the hardest part about creating the journal?
Speaker 2:I think, scaling it down so that it could be purposeful and scaling it down so that it could really reach the heart of the person, you know to foster change, because there's. You know, when you are a writer, a hard part of it is condensing, because you got so much you want to say, and then everything is about flow, and that's why I entitled the book flowing from the heart, because we got a lot flowing from the heart and mind these days, and so we just have to get it in perspective and harmony.
Speaker 1:I love that and I'm sure you are right like you want to say so many things, but you have to kind of like condense it and say, okay, this is what I'm going to say, I want to write this here, and then you can ask him about your thoughts. Because as I was writing thoughts, I was like this is so thought provoking. You really took your time to make it where it's just like you just can't like sit down and think you're just going to write whatever. It's very thought provoking.
Speaker 2:I love that. Yes, we have to go inward, because our soul needs to be fed and oftentimes we're so externally focused where we're just almost like in a panic, chasing after things and we never, ever pause and just sit down and say what is my life like now, what am I doing, what's happening, what do I need to be doing? You know, and so that's that's one thing journaling If you do it right, it'll definitely help you that way.
Speaker 1:Slow you down for a little bit. Just think about it. What do you think make your journal stand out from other journals?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I'm kind of unique, and so the way I did my journal was more like a book. Everybody think they're getting ready to read a whole novel, but that was the strategy, because when they look at those back pages and they find out that it's all about them and what they're going to be writing, I think I'm shocking a lot of people. You shocked me, yes, and so I think I carved out 31 days of you just taking a look at yourself yeah, yeah, because I was looking and I was like, okay, it is a journal, I'm so excited, you know, I?
Speaker 1:because I was looking and I was like, oh, okay, it is a journal, I'm so excited, you know, I thought I was going to be like taking like little notes, but then when I started reading, I was like, oh, wait, a minute, now I got to reflect on this. Wait, wait, yes, and it's the same prompts.
Speaker 2:What is it now? I said it's the same prompt for each day and as you go through that, you'll see if anything has changed, you know. And then you'll come out with a cumulative perspective. You'll be like, oh, on this day I started out like this, and 31 days later, maybe I'm saying something different.
Speaker 1:So yeah, because I love how you have a circle in the words that resonate with us on that particular day. With us on that particular day. That's major. I like that Because I don't think we ever sit down and just think about a particular word that resonates with us on a particular day. So I love that about this journal.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, and so the ultimate goal of doing a journal is I have bought so many over the years you know, I have tons of them at home and I said, well, I'm going to create a journal with helping people to really turn inward and help themselves, because when something is outward, it's already manifested, and so I want them to manifest good things.
Speaker 1:That exhort good things. Are there any scriptures or quotes inside here that are especially close to your heart?
Speaker 2:Yes, there's one. For years I used to kind of speak in the church and I even heard this in the church. You probably heard it in your church. Let the words of my mouth and I even heard this in the church, you probably heard it in your church.
Speaker 2:Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable, and and so I kind of put that in there. That's something that I try to do before writing. I don't want nothing to hurt people or traumatize people. So what I do is I I speak those words before I even start writing, and I and always listen to spirit. Because, you know, the other spirit was saying girl, don't do that hardback book, it's going to cost more. You know, why are you going to hand that out to people, you know? And then I said but this is what the spirit told me to do and I have to follow the spirit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Amen, hardbooks are more expensive and I know it probably costs you guys more to get these printed than it would.
Speaker 2:Just a soft, or you know, bag book or whatever they say soft cover yes, but the thing is that you want to give someone a special gift, and getting something nice that's well put together makes a person. It brightens up their day, as opposed to just being the ordinary. And I nice that's well put together makes a person. It brightens up their day as opposed to just being the ordinary. And I think that's what Alabaster Moments is about too. It's not just staying sitting in the ordinary, but breaking yourself open so that you can experience, so that you can transform your life.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Cause I know when I received mine in the mail.
Speaker 2:oh yeah because I know when I received mine in the mail.
Speaker 1:I wasn't expecting a heart back and I said, oh my goodness, this is nice. The cover is just so. I mean, even just the cover to me is just kind of relaxing. It really is. So we're gonna tell you guys how y'all can um purchase this book, but we're gonna keep talking to share right now. Uh, can you um share one of your own alabaster moments with us?
Speaker 2:Yes, I think I've talked about this before, but I have a few of them, you know. I'll start with the smaller one. I remember I was in home economics when I was in school and they had those raffle prizes and everybody was winning Everybody. And you know, I wanted this bunny rabbit. I saw they had a bunny rabbit up there and I was hoping so in my spirit that I would win. But I didn't feel like I was going to win because you know, like many of us say, we never win anything right, we never get selected. All of a sudden they said my name, oh, it lit up the room. I couldn't believe it and I won that bunny rabbit. I was just like, oh my god, that was an alabaster moment for me.
Speaker 2:And then other, the biggest alabaster moment for most people is Christmas. That anticipation, waiting, you know the Santa Claus thing, oh my god, you can barely sleep that night and you want it to end. You can't wait till the morning if that's your tradition, where you get up in the morning and see all these toys and all this stuff, oh my God, it's just like oh, and that's an alabaster moment. But then it doesn't even have to be that deep, it can be just what you're doing, paula, with the coffee chit chat, how you can sit down with a book, your favorite coffee.
Speaker 2:You always have these different kind Caramel macchiato and all this kind of stuff, and just clear a safe space for yourself, out back or sitting in the park, and begin to reflect, begin to, like they say in church, look back over your life, think things over, you know, think about them. Testimonies, things like that.
Speaker 1:And yeah, over, you know, think about them, testimonies, things like that. And yeah, you know how I often say that too, because I said sometimes I'm walking downstairs I'll just stop for a moment and just look and I'm like, thank you, jesus. You know, you just have that moment, like a very good spirit, to just come over you because you're saying, well, look what god has blessed me to do, you know, and I just, you know, just the little things. Or you know, just waking up in the morning, yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:Or the gratitude of looking at the house that you grew up in, thinking about the house that you grew up in and the house that you're walking in. Sometimes we take gratitude for granted.
Speaker 1:You know? Oh yeah, I think sometimes we do.
Speaker 2:So anything can be an alabaster moment. It can be going to a hotel room over the weekend, a nice hotel, and just taking time for yourself and relaxing away from the kids, if you're a parent or, you know, even if you're not a parent. And all of this is based off of the woman in the Bible who had that little alabaster box.
Speaker 1:Based off of the woman in the Bible who had that little alabaster box.
Speaker 2:The thing about it is that they were putting her down, they were talking all kind of noise about her and I think everybody can kind of identify with. Sometimes people are just not nice. But she held something precious in that box, just like we hold something precious inside. And when she cracked it open they no longer call her adulteress or the prostitute or all that. She became the woman with the alabaster box. So her name was upgraded. And not only was her name upgraded, when she cracked herself open, she gave you know to Christ, the Messiah, you know that oil. She utilized the very best, she gave the very best that she had, that precious oil, and so we all have that precious oil.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, oh yeah. We just got to, like you say, break it open and see it for ourselves.
Speaker 2:Oftentimes we don't take risks or we don't even follow the voice of God because we feel like we're going to fail. But we've never tried it to try to get to where the voice is telling us to get to. That's true, that is so true, you're always.
Speaker 1:Typically, you have to have faith over fear. Okay, you just got to walk on out there, that's it. So let's see. How do you want people to picture using this journal, like daily or during their prayer time or reflection time?
Speaker 2:Well, so far I've received feedback where some people, those who do have reflection time they use it for reflection time, or they use it when they have a moment to pause, or they use it early in the morning when they rise, with their music and the Bible and the journal, and so, basically, it is my belief that healing takes place from the inside out, and so anything that is going to foster that healing from the inside out, that's, you know it could be. They could take it to the park and look at the birds and you know, and do one and there's no pressure. It's not like a school assignment where you got to get through all of it, but it's encouraged for you to just kind of look at yourself for 31 days. They say it takes 30 days for a change. I've added one day, 31. You added one more For the person who might be moving a little slow you know, there you go.
Speaker 1:What you say may take 30 more, yeah, yes, that's true, though, because I always say a lot of people have that microwave mentality Anything that is worth having. It takes pressure and it takes time.
Speaker 2:It's just not going to happen overnight, and I think the the idea behind this one is is to get it out to people. You know the to kind of start building what we call capacity for people to get comfortable, kind of reflecting and and looking at their situation so that it don't just blow up and then all of a sudden they say well. People say well, nothing was really happening with the person. But we want, I want the person to be working on themselves yeah, because a lot of people don't feel they can journal.
Speaker 1:Well, journaling is not for me, it's like, but have you tried it?
Speaker 2:yeah, and it may not be for you, but you know, healing comes in different forms and oftentimes people won't execute anything to help themselves and they kind of sit in it, and so I'm trying to rise them up, you know, even if it's a one day a week, you know, just write it down and answer it, yeah, and then sometimes, like at the end of that week, you may just go back and revisit something that you wrote down and it can just kind of like soothe the spirit because, ok yeah, I did say X, y, z on Monday.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, it's kind of like that scripture write the vision and make it plain. You go back and look at where you were and where you are now. That's the testimony right there, because sometimes you don't even know how you made it through. You're like, wow, now I don't even worry about that. I used to worry about that all the time, and so it gives you a track record of how you have transformed.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, write the vision and make it plain. So this probably just leads right on into our next question what kind of impact do you hope it leaves on those who use it?
Speaker 2:I hope it leaves the impact where they can, you know, share how it transformed their life, and I want them to pass it on to other people, kind of like you were speaking earlier about that gossip. You know, I want a vortex of healing and not gossip. You know how to say, oh, I had this book, this journal, and I thought it wasn't nothing and I really don't do journaling but as a result of me just stepping up, it's helped me and now I can see some areas that maybe I needed to strengthen or some areas I needed to remove from my life. So that's what I'm hoping. I'm hoping for change, positive change, and where they'll share it with others.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. I love that. And for someone who I know we've been talking about it a little bit in the conversation but for someone who doesn't usually journal, what's your encouragement? To just start, how would you encourage?
Speaker 2:them to just Well. My encouragement to them is don't see it as a daunting task, you know, like a school assignment or anything. See it as a new beginning where you're going to take a look at yourself, because most people have behaviors they don't even look at how they are and for some people, everybody else is talking about oh, I wish she was kinder, I wish she would do this, I wish she would do that, and the person has no self-awareness on how they are. They've just always been like that. I'm hoping to break them open, just like she broke the alabaster box open to a new beginning, yeah, a new way of seeing life that can help them and balance their emotions out, get them in harmony.
Speaker 1:That part, try something new.
Speaker 2:Yeah, try something new.
Speaker 1:You know how they always say with the exercising or whatever they just say just start yeah.
Speaker 2:Paula, they also say in church you can try everything else. Now try some journaling.
Speaker 1:All right, I like that. That is very good, Sharon, that's a good one there. So you can try this, you try that. How about let's try journaling? See how you like it. You may like it. You may find yourself saying hey, I didn't realize. I would love doing this activity, but since I've been doing it it doesn't feel like work. It's not something that's burden, you know, making me feel bad or it feels like I have to do this. It's just something that I want to do. You know quiet moments.
Speaker 2:It leaves a it leaves. It's encouraging because I remember years ago I journal my aunt was ill and she was in the hospital. I think maybe she had had open heart surgery or something. And my aunt is still kicking today and I found that journal. I was praying Lord let her live. And I think she's 84, 85 now and that's Johnny and Jerome's mother. That's my aunt, Mary Cox. I remember I had written in that journal Lord help her, and all of that. And I picked the journal up and I said she's doing better than me now. That was a while ago, you know, and she's still moving forward. But that journaling gave me that account on how people can overcome and transform. I went back and read that. I said wow, she's doing pretty good now.
Speaker 1:Wow, I really like that. So you just kind of like start talking about it, then you're writing it down and now you go back and she's actually doing better. That's awesome. I love that.
Speaker 2:She was doing better and everything. And so I said I like to say it can. You can see patterns of hope. You know how situations may have looked so bleak and so hopeless and you were in that spirit of fear and then all of a sudden you turn back the pages on the journal and the next thing you know, you see how the person has come up and out and even better, yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, oh yeah. And, like I said, you know, just kind of, just from Monday to Friday, go back to say, well, this is what I was kind of like you know, worrying about or wondering about. I wrote it down, Let me see how I have improved this. On Friday oh yeah.
Speaker 2:And the spirit will help help improve it for you, because when you look back, you're almost in amazement like, wow, I was so worried about this. And if it's somebody you're dating or something, you may have been worried Lord, I want to keep them. And the next thing you say, lord, I'm so glad I got rid of that. And so it really does help to increase your confidence in God. You might just see it as a plain book when you're writing stuff down, but I think the one thing about journaling is it connects you to the five senses. You know, touch, feel, taste and smell and things like that.
Speaker 1:Because I also I have the I think it's called like journal moments or something but it's on my phone, so I do that often as well. And, like they say, as you look, think back over your life or think back over your past month. I'll go back and say hey, you know, this is what I said I want to accomplish. Let me see what I've done since I wrote that down in this journal.
Speaker 2:Let's say that this is what I wanted to achieve this is what I wanted to achieve, yeah, and so what I hope to foster in people with that journal is, when they're writing, it may start out feeling terrible, they may start out feeling hopeless, but I want them to. When they finish with it, they sing in that song better days are coming, better days are coming.
Speaker 1:Amen, amen. Okay then, sharon, we need to tell people how they can get this flowing from my heart, a sacred invitation to Alabaster Moments. Let them know how they can get this journal. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, it's on Amazon, but they can also just message me on Facebook at Alabaster Spirit. Okay, and so one thing that, as of late, it's not that I'm a rich woman from Cachette or a billionaire, but if they just send me a message on Facebook and say hey, I would like to try your journal, I'll mail them a copy.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, y'all hear that Chet Chetters. She is such a sweet lady. She said she'll just mail them a copy. Oh wow, y'all hear that Chit.
Speaker 2:Chattis, she is such a sweet lady. She said she'll just mail you a copy. I'll mail you a copy. Yes, I've already sent my cousin. I've sent a few people. Ora Bacon, my cousin, I already sent her one, she trying it out. And there was another lady, some people I don't know. But I'm all about just creating healing as I look at the behavior of people in the world. You know, I want to be a healing agent, so I'll just send it to someone If it's going to help out. I don't want Christ to get in the way and see she's on Facebook Alabaster Moments.
Speaker 1:You guys better go follow, follow, follow. So you're Facebook Alabaster Moments. You guys better go follow, follow, follow. You're on Facebook now Are you on.
Speaker 2:Instagram. I am, I think I'm Alabaster Moments 2020 on Instagram. Okay, what about TikTok?
Speaker 1:I haven't evolved like that yet.
Speaker 2:But you can even reach me at Alabaster Spirit on.
Speaker 1:Facebook. Okay, you guys see that. Yeah, tiktok is a good one. You need to be out there on that one, giving them all this encouragement. Yeah, so make sure you try to get out there on TikTok as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so if they reach out to me, you know it's a part of my transformational ministry helping people and I get good feedback back transformational ministry, helping people and and I get good feedback back. You know it's for me it's not about trying to make money, because I feel like if I do the right thing, the spirit will usher in anything I need.
Speaker 1:I've never lacked for anything and so I'm all about, you know, getting it to the person and what god has for you is for you, right, right, yeah, I love it. I absolutely love it. So follow her guys Instagram, facebook and you can get this lovely book from Amazon as well. But she also said, if you just reach out to her on Facebook or Instagram, she'll send you a copy. But you can also get this guys on Amazon and I'm going to tell you it would definitely change your outlook on life. So, sharon, we thank you for sharing with us again, and I know we will hear from you on the next season as well, because you have become one of our favorite guests based on all the analytics. Really, really, oh yes, oh yes, really, really, oh yes, oh yes. So so, paula, I'm gonna read right from the book while we closing it up on why. Please do that. You know what you'll be our quote of the week.
Speaker 2:We'll use you, okay okay, it's getting kind of deep here with this, but, but basically the journal is for releasing brokenness to make beauty, reimagining the future through sacred truth and reconnecting with the divine and restoring your inner sanctuary. I think restoring your inner sanctuary is so very important.
Speaker 1:I love that. That is just excellent. Thank you so, so much. So y'all make sure you are tuning in next week for another exciting episode of Coffee Chit Chat. Okay, Thank you.
