Tag Archives: Five Minute Friday

Five minute Friday – messenger

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20140613-095031-35431905.jpgSeveral years ago, after Uncle Bill died, his family gave us a Bible

We didn’t know it at the time but it was actually not an heirloom from his side or his wife’s side of the family

It actually belonged to his brother-in-law who happens to be my husband’s dad

photo 1This Bible has sat in our closet since then, the pages so tattered, there was no chance of getting it restoredphoto 2

But there is something about owning an old family Bible that warmed our hearts

Recently I began looking through the book

I don’t know what I was looking for, I mean I own plenty of well-made contemporary Bibles that I study regularly

The illustrations and the lessons contained in this particular version discovered, ancient and true – brought a richness of family history

Thumbing through the pages, I see that this Bible was given as a giphoto 3ft to the new Mrs. Ella Virginia Hartley on December 20, 1893 in Washington, DC.

Now it sits in an air-conditioned suburban home in North Carolina, 2014 read by well, me!

The Bible might be antique

But the messenger is timeless

Those family members who read the Bible served the same God as we do 121 years later

Tucked in the pages

I don’t even know how it stayed so perfect

Was a four-leaf clover

A messenger of a different sort hid it away

photo 4How curious to find this

How symbolic to remember that God’s Word contains many undiscovered treasures if we would just open it and look.

5-minute-friday-1Special thanks to Lisa Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday writing prompt! I never know what I’m going to be writing about! Join us and see what it’s all about!

Five minute Friday – hands

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photoI usually quantify how interesting my life is based on where my feet take me

But too seldom do I consider my hands

What they do, where they go, how they have traveled in some ways differently although my hands and feet are connected to, um, photo me – DUH!

Have you ever thought about your hands?

Their magnificent versatility and productivity? Their ability to create, love, maneuver?

Clap your hands about your hands! Raise the roof about your hands! Lift those bad boys up to the Lord in praise!

In the last several weeks, my hands have grasped balls of Kleenex as I spoke a tribute to my middle son the night before he got married.

They tearfully carried a bouquet of flowers as I walked down the aisle and found my seat as the mother-of-the-groom.

My hands cupped around my son’s handsome face as we had our mother/son dance. Gracious!10172643_10203755528669758_7964348490121130609_n

And since

My hands have prepared a meal for a cancer patient whose family is burdened and needed a respite.

They have turned pages in a book and my Bible.

They have pointed to paint colors as we redecorate a room to welcome our married kids into our home one day for visits.

My hands also have gone to the women’s prison and helped inmates.

Their shaking hands

The ladies often move the fabric harshly as if those hands haven’t seen much love.

sewing simple quilts and pillows – many can’t even thread a needle or make a knot at the end

And that’s when my hands sweep into assist

So today, on this Five minute Friday, I will appreciate the gift of hands, what they are able to give and 5-minute-friday-1receive. Give thanks to the Lord for the splendid design of hands!

I’m not the only one writing about this word. Check out the other folks writing about hands by clicking here!

 

Five minute Friday – nothing

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photoNothing –

that endless pit of despair

consuming, feasting on my sadness like a tick on my soul

This was the place I dwelt for months

Nearly unable to do anything but weep

A friend encouraged me to attend a weekly prayer time for moms

I agreed since nothing else was working and crying was becoming a full-time job with no chance of promotion

Nothing –

That’s how I entered the room at the church

devoid of all hope, ashamed of my grief and dashed dreams

Nothing but Kleenex hid my tears

Unable to even wear mascara because all it did was smudge

And during that sacred time of lifting up other moms’ burdens to the Lord

Only for an hour, nothing fancy or fake

Simply a bunch of real moms who believed

They joined me praying and understanding

No judgement or condemnation

Just love and compassion

I learned I wasn’t alone

My situation and sorrow were different but gosh, we had a lot in common

Suddenly I was able to wear makeup, laugh, see hope and promise

Nothing but the prayers of others

And the inclining ear of God

Gave me the courage to praise the Lord on a beautiful Saturday when my son and his wife were married

I wore a smile as I walked down the aisle

My orange hair, freckle face olive shoot escorted me

And I wore mascara2014-05-24 09.31.47

A silk dress given to me by one of those praying ladies

Nothing stole my joy that morning. Everything about this journey is testimony to my Savior God who rescues and redeems.

photoFor you – We probably haven’t met but I pray that you are encouraged today hearing some of my story. Your cir-  5-minute-friday-1cumstances are different than mine but the Lord cares about you as much as He does me!

Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Five minute Friday – a group of people who are given a word and then write about it for five (or so) minutes. Check out the other thought-provoking posts here.

 

 

 

Five minute Friday – close

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photo 2Today we’re close to a life changing moment

Tomorrow amidst a throng of observers and before God, my middle olive shoot beholds a beautiful woman adorned in the loveliest of linensphoto 3

Walk down the aisle and become his wife forever.

For all these years, we have been a close family

Priding ourselves on raising our three olive shoots to be men of God, to be ready for this moment when they go from not only being our children but

Being someone else’s beloved for life

We are so close.

Tonight I prepare my heart and pray

Tonight I speak and cry

Tonight I welcome family and friends and the woman I have prayed for since Aaron was a wee one

And my prayer is that we will be close – my sweet boy and I and the woman we welcome to our family

10171703_10152894953923018_2252761905675416999_nHow could I not want that considering I never had a daughter biologically?

Moreover though I pray that these two young kids who really have no idea about the enormity of marriage

Because let’s face it, no one does and I’m 27 years into this thing

That they will have an intimacy with the Lord, a closeness to Him

photoI am so close to becoming a mother-in-law, I took a seminar about it and learned many “inside” tips!

It is scary, like I’m about to jump off a diving board and plunge into the unknown

Entering what has been called the most complicated human relationship

And my heart’s cry is for a closeness with the Father during our lives together

And with her, if that is her desire and the Lord’s.

Today we’re close to a life-changing moment. Amen.

Five minute Friday – paint

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photo 32 photo 31“We are going to do something fun on Sunday and I’m not going to tell what anything more.”

Taunting and bold words coming from a mom of an orange hair freckle face and a borrowed Brazilian olive shoot. Them’s is fighting words!

Two 17-year-old boys mused all week about the surprise.

They even tried to lure me to tell them more about the fantastic journey I had planned but no major clues were shared.

It was only when we pulled into the parking lot that the guys realized what was going to happen.

These very sports minded fellows were going to get artsy.

They were going to paint.

After some initial nervous fidgeting and awkwardness, they set about the task of enjoying themselves. Soon their blank canvases were lacquered with color, even a flickering shadow of creativity emerged. The Hubs was steely eyed as he painted a beautiful scene that almost seemed to scream to be made.

Soon these paintings will be hung in my kitchen.

A remembrance of a colorful moment off the beaten path of manhood

Much thanks to Five Minute Fridays, this is always a fun writing adventure!5-minute-friday-1

 

Five minute Friday – writer

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photo 1 photo 10 The first time I thought I might be a writer was in fifth grade

The new girl in school

I burst into tears during a math lesson

Numbers – I don’t get them, they’re dumb and stupid

But the teacher,

I wrote her a story

And slipped it to her in class one day and said, “Don’t tell anyone.”

I was afraid people would laugh at me

Because words – I get them, they feed me.

That blessed woman gave me hope

She returned the story with encouraging cursive words on my whimsical story

Kindness like bowl a slightly warmed vanilla ice cream with salted caramel served with a non-sticky spoon, that’s what it was like to my new girl heart.

Then I started giving stories to her regularly

Her praise fed my creativity, affirmed the longing in my heart to be a scribe of sorts.

Ophoto 30h Mrs. Schindel, I love you, if you only knew how you made me feel like a writer.

Is there someone who has inspired you? I could go on and on about this word!

Thanks for stopping  leave a  comment, writers love to know someone has read their work!

photo 9This blog post was initiated by Five minute Friday, so cool! 5-minute-friday-1

Five minute Friday – joy

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photo 28Because crying constantly throughout the day was exhausting

I needed a new hobby

A fresh focus

Something to bring a measure of joy over circumstances

Transcending struggle and sorrow

“I want a dog,” I tearfully told my husband.

And he knew I was serious.

We drove 800 miles to meet a four-legged 27 pound corgi/cattle dog thanks to an amazing program called Canine CellMates.

The wag of his tail, the jaunty way he carried his frame.

A dog that should for all practical purposes not be alive

Rescued in every way

Oliver Winslow1896954_10152767953028018_25996553_n

A stray near death, he spent seven weeks in the hospital re-  covering from his injuries

And then three months in Fulton County jail working with a handler who rehabilitated this forsaken boy

Oliver Winslow

Put sunshine back in my heart

A gift from the Creator, a sign of joy and pleasure from the Lord

An adorable, affectionate display of hope and redemption5-minute-friday-1

I began to smile and laugh again.

What does joy look like to you today? Special props to Five minute Friday for this happy word prompt!

Five minute Friday – small

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photo 15Take me back to those days

When I lived on Roosevelt Road in suburban Chicago

And though the cars and trucks sped past my little house

I would grab my sit-upon

(That I proudly made with my Girl Scouts troop)

And steal away from the traffic and the noise

A small girl

Both in proportion and power

And among the pussywillows and milk pods

Upon that treasured craft made of cloth and newspaperphoto 18

I’d read a book and

Go anywhere

A little girl in pigtails, not really a nature girl at all

Feeling small and invisible

Tucked in the woods near my house on the road

Hidden away – immersed in words, my sanctuary…

Today I ride my bike

A middle-aged woman fresh out of clearance to be able to use my foot again

And I pedal past nature

And hear the frogs chirping in unison

As they beckon me to remember

Those small times

I ride past the cat tails and the brush

Wishing I had a book and the courage to hide away again

5minutefriday(Oh this felt so good, to write again and to find a subject I could safely share). Others are writing about the word “small” today too. Check out the rest of the small people here and if you have an inkling, I’d love to hear your thoughts about the word “small.”

Five minute Friday – visit

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photo 17It was a Sunday night

Another Sunday night where my mobility is limited

And I am challenged to fight off another unwelcome visit from Depression

Too often these days as I sit on my bed and count the hours until I am FREE, Depression is my companion.

Nothing made this Sunday night any different until my son walked in with two of his buddies

And instantly the doldrums were lifted

Without any extra food, no advance planning

A spontaneous dinner party with four teenage boys ensued

Cheerfulness and hospitality visited

Friendship and fellowship stopped by

photo 18We supped on homemade pao de quiejo, (a dish that was visited upon us thanks to our borrowed Brazilian olive shoot), fresh green salad with homemade dressing, fried zucchini rounds and some leftover chicken. We all made the food together, no complaints, just fun and teamwork.

Those boys do not realize their arrival brought sunshine to this tired foot and soul

And in a way, we entertained angels unaware

How about you? What memories come to mind for you about the word “visit?” Any recent “visit” that especially encouraged you?photo 19

5minutefridayCheck out what other people are saying about this word on Five Minute Friday! It’s so interesting to read different perspectives!

Five minute Friday – encouragement

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2014-01-03 18.44.52 photo 14Encouragement is doing something because you want to not because it feels like an obligation.

It is going beyond a perfunctory one-word statement on a facebook wall – which I have done also to be fair

Unexpected flowers from my orange hair, freckle face olive shoot and a family friend - fragrant encouragement!

Unexpected flowers from my orange hair, freckle face olive shoot and a family friend – fragrant encouragement!

Those usually produce the opposite of encouragement, quite honestly

But encouragement is a stretch of action and heart to make an effort to say

You matter

I care

I want to help

You are not alone

Many times when I am feeling low, it’s hard to acknowledge I crave help and attention. What if people don’t follow through? What if they said they wanted to help but now suddenly, they make it clear it wasn’t really sincere? 5minutefriday

As I begin week three of recovering from foot surgery, the Lord has used unexpected people to encourage me

A visit from a busy mom after my surgery which then allowed my husband to take our son to see his fiancée in Delaware2014-01-03 19.45.57

A meal prepared by Brazilian friends who wouldn’t let me lift a foot or a finger!

A delicious choc olate/caramel apple beautifully wrapped and other tasty delights delivered with smiles and happiness

Homemade dinners and offers to take me out to run errands

A lunch after Bible study, a ride back home ❤

God has also used certain family members to make my immobile life bearable –

Encouragement gives the heart confidence to carry on

Thank you to all who encourage me on this blog and throughout life. It means so much!

How have others encouraged you this week?

This post was inspired by the sassy gang at Lisa-Jo Baker’s weekly Five Minute Friday!