Tag Archives: fmf

Five Minute Friday – Grateful

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Featured Five Minute Friday:
Here’s the deal. Five Minute Friday. You go find the little prompt at the wonderful Lisa-Jo’s blog, set the time and write for five minutes, and then just stop. Where you are, no edits, just publish raw words.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on the word:::

Grateful
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Some mornings, I look around and wonder if it’s really worth all of the hassle and effort. It would just be easier to stay in bed and hide from the world. I listen to that inner voice that keeps telling me that I’m not good enough or that I’m failing in some way. But, I’m reminded of the truth in Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” And, I remember.

I remember that no matter how sad I may feel at time, God is there to lift me up. He provides friends and encouragement. I don’t need to spend time thinking about what was or what will never be. God has my life planned. He has “eternal pleasures” for me.

I remember the gifts He has already given to me: a good (if too short) marriage, true and faithful friends that listen and encourage, beautiful kids that have joined with me to overcome the grief that death brings, a supportive and loving family. How can I doubt?

When life doesn’t go quite as planned (or even reasonable close for that matter), I am still grateful. Not always for the events in life, but definitely for the experiences, the learnings and the love.

I am grateful.

Five minute Friday – Encouragement

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1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::

Encouragement

My son is an athlete. Actually, a very good athlete. He was recruited to play football and to wrestle after high school. I watched him mature as an athlete and was amazed at how different coaches got different results from him. One coach was sure he had to break every kid down before he could build the athlete he wanted. The other coach saw the need to encourage my son and tell him how good he was and what he was capable of accomplishing. Coach O’Connell knew that the secret of success is encouragement. And my son won lots of medals because of him.

When I was in high school, my band director treated everyone of his band students as if they were state qualifiers. He spent as much time with the clarinet player with no rythmn as he did with the State bound flute player. There were students in his program that had never heard words of encouragement from any one. Mr. Streit was an encourager. And he produced an all state band from that little Texas town.

I have tried to incorporate those ideals of encouragement as I raised my own children and as I work with children and adults in my ministry areas. It’s so important to find the parts of our lives that God wants to use. When we think we are not good enough, God reminds us that He loved us enough to send His own son for ME. I need only to look up to see the encouragement of God’s love.

Five Minute Friday – Tree

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Featured Five Minute Friday:
Here’s the deal. Five Minute Friday. You go find the little prompt at the wonderful Lisa-Jo’s blog, set the time and write for five minutes, and then just stop. Where you are, no edits, just publish raw words.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on the word:::

Tree

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Trees.  Strong and tall, steady and dependable. I grew up in North Central Texas.  There weren’t many trees in that area.  We had pecan, mulberry and a few others, but mostly we had mesquite and juniper bushes.  My heart still warms at the sight of a pasture full of red dirt breaks and mesquite bushes.  That’s home to me.  My dad’s favorite tree was a Crepe Myrtle.  His mother had planted it when he was a boy,  It grew to be over 10 feet tall and in the summer would be covered with beautiful hot pink flowers.  After Daddy had his stroke, he would sit in the back yard and look at that tree.  Whenever we would come into the back yard with him, he would point at it and say “Good, good, good!”

My family tree is made up of lots of different branches much like the mesquite.  Strong and protecting with broad limbs and those long thorns, the mesquite was vital to the survival of early settlers.  My family provides the roots and the strength that I need to survive.  My tree has also been grafted with beautiful crepe myrtle branches, the family of my heart. My heart family is precious and special and important.  They have been there when I didn’t know I needed them.  They love me often in spite of myself.  And I love them as one can only love family.  There aren’t many in my heart family and I treasure those that have taken hold in my life.  So when  I look at my family tree with its’ thorns and flowers,   I say “Good, good, good!”

Five Minute Friday – Truth

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Featured Five Minute Friday:
Here’s the deal. Five Minute Friday. You go find the little prompt at the wonderful Lisa-Jo’s blog, set the time and write for five minutes, and then just stop. Where you are, no edits, just publish raw words.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on the word:::

Truth
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We say we want it. We say we live in it. And yet, it seems that we often shy away from the truth. Whether it’s by dying our hair or just not saying anything to “upset the apple cart”, we don’t always stand by the truth.

The true is straightforward. The pain comes in straightening the bending and winding paths we are following. The truth is light. And light exposes those things we aren’t always comfortable with displaying. The truth means being honest about one’s feelings and ideas, dreams and goals. If I cannot be honest with myself, how can I share truth with others? Our world bends the truth, grays it out, and hides it behind words that mean nothing. When truth becomes uncomfortable, we “change” was is true. And truth becomes unrecognizable.

We must decide to stand by truth. And it starts with being true with myself about my life, my dreams, my goals.

Small

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Featured Five Minute Friday:
Here’s the deal. Five Minute Friday. You go find the little prompt at the wonderful Lisa-Jo’s blog, set the time and write for five minutes, and then just stop. Where you are, no edits, just publish raw words.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on the word:::

Small
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I remember small. When it was time to take my son home from the hospital, I looked at that small baby and cried. What if I wasnt’ a good mom? How would I know what to do? I couldn’t believe that they were letting me go home with him after only 2 days of instruction.

When we got him home, I would sit and watch while he was sleeping. I thought that was what I was supposed to do. He was a month old before I realized that it was ok to do other things while he slept. He wouldn’t just disappear when I turned my back and he would let me know when he needed me again.

I remember the first time he told me I looked “just like Cinderella”. That small little man had already stolen my heart and he really believed I looked like Cinderella. It was just icing on the cake. And then, he started school. And he realized that I might not know “everything”. And that small little boy grew up.

He’s twenty-something now and at 6′ 2″ not at all small. I look forward to the times I get to talk with him. He still calls for advise and asks questions. And, in this mom’s heart, he will always and forever be that small little man who loved me and thought I was beautiful, “just like Cinderella.”
zac

Beautiful

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Featured Five Minute Friday:
Here’s the deal. Five Minute Friday. You go find the little prompt at the wonderful Lisa-Jo’s blog, set the time and write for five minutes, and then just stop. Where you are, no edits, just publish raw words.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on the word:::

Beautiful
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Well this beholder sees beauty so differently in this season of life.

Beauty is:

Uncontrolled laughter at nothing particularly funny.
Late night hugs from an adult child that still needs a “mommy.”
Holding hands, just because.
A kiss on the cheek or the forehead that conveys nothing more than I care.
Memories of times long past, but still so vivid.
Birds singing and squawking and bombing the neighborhood cats.
Sunrise/Sunset too often missed because the body is too tired.
Trips to the zoo to build more memories.
Faces of friends as their voices blend in worship and the joy found in singing the “old songs” that mean so much.
Love that is given without requesting anything more than the love be returned.

In Between

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Featured Five Minute Friday:
Here’s the deal. Five Minute Friday. You go find the little prompt at the wonderful Lisa-Jo’s blog, set the time and write for five minutes, and then just stop. Where you are, no edits, just publish raw words.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on the word:::

In Between

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Most of my life I’ve been a mom. I was either “mothering” friends and classmates, or later in life my own kids. By the end of 2013, both kids will be on their own. I’m at that strange place of still being a “mom” but needing to stand back and not “mother” so much.

So the question arises, Now What? Where do I go from here? For the first time in almost 25 years, I will have no one that directly depends upon me. I can make choices. I am free. And it scares me a bit not to be anchored. Vaguely reminiscent of that time between high school and college or college and my first job, I’m caught in between holding on to the familiar and excitement for the future. What’s out there in the world for a middle-aged widow lady? Am I a butterfly ready to fly from the cocoon? Will my fear of flying cripple me? I’m looking to what God has to show me for my future. It could be that I’m right where I need to be. And, that would be fine. Or, there could be a great adventure in my future. That would be exciting.

Maybe, there’s a bit of both!! Here we go!

Rhythm

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Featured Five Minute Friday:
Here’s the deal. Five Minute Friday. You go find the little prompt at the wonderful Lisa-Jo’s blog, set the time and write for five minutes, and then just stop. Where you are, no edits, just publish raw words.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on the word:::

Rhythm…

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We talk of the rhythm of life. The easy movement among and between friends and family. Easy conversations and interactions, normal stuff makes up the rhythm of our lives. But, what happens when the rhythm is upset, when an extra beat is added or removed. What then? There are times when it’s just a small blip, much like 2/4 measure stuck into a 4/4 piece in music. You just make a short adjustment and then you go back to the way it was. But, then there are those times in music where you switch completely from 4/4 to 3/4. It’s not easy. It takes work to change the downbeat, to change the rhythm until it feels normal again.

That’s much the way life is. There are days of feeling so normal and then the blips come along. And sometimes there are more than blips, and we have to adjust to a new normal. A new rhythm of life. Not always easy and very awkward at first. But, eventually, it feels okay. Maybe even right. The rhythm of life.