Five Minute Friday:: Friends

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is friend. GO.

I watched a gaggle of third grade girls yesterday on a field trip to the aquarium yesterday. Their friendships are still built on simple things, like pouring over a book, or watching the world fly past on the bus ride. But yet, I can see how their friendships have evolved since pre=k. Their friendships are now based on more than just running around the playground. I see that they have built alliances based on trust and common interests. I see girls with fat books in their hands for the long bus ride clamor to ride next to each other. I see girls braiding hair with each other. It begins. Finding someone to share your passions and not get made fun of. Being yourself without letting tears betray how sensitive you are. Exploring the world and doing so with someone next to you that's safe to be yourself with.

I don't think that ever stops, does it? The way we feel in third grade about friends? I still want to make those friends. Perhaps the desperate need for it is less because I've gone through those challenges and learning experiences. Family surrounds me, by choice, and I choose to lean there, alongside my friends that support me like family.

And STOP.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate you reading, and I appreciate loving comments.

Five Minute Friday :: glue

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is glue. GO.

What's that saying about mean words? They bounce off of me and stick to you like glue? I can't remember the saying, but it's the first thing that comes to mind as I see the word glue. It's amazing the things that stick with us forever. I mean, mommies kisses will stay. The usher from church when you are a baby still giving out candy stays. Little things stay, too. The things I remember from childhood can be incredible random. I'll have occasion to ask my mom about something, and she won't remember, because it was something that impressed me, not her.

I wonder what my children will remember. They're getting to the age I remember as a child. Fifth grade. I remember that year. Third grade, I remember it, but not quite as much. Kindergarten, I have vague impressionistic pictures of in my brain. And they're part of me, stuck like glue. What will my fifth-grader, third-grader and kindergartner remember from childhood? I hope they'll remember the kite-flying and museum-going we've done. I hope they remember that we adapt as we need to. I hope they remember to stick to each other like glue. Yeah. That.

And STOP.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate you reading, and I appreciate loving comments. Have a Happy Passover and Happy Resurrection celebration (aka Easter)!

Five Minute Friday :: paint

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is paint. GO.

 

Five minute writing always makes me word associate. Paint makes me think of painting a rainbow, which makes me think of reading rainbow. But rainbow isn't the word. Paint is.

I was given a great deal of freedom when I read a blog, and this mother didn't let her children paint all the time. Painting can be messy, and in need of a great deal of preparation. And it was okay for me not to always let my kids paint.

But I need to digress again. Painting walls is different. I have this love/hate relationship with painting. I can do it, and make it look good, but there's so much preparation and messiness that goes along with it. It also takes up a good portion of the day to paint a room. I seem to get stuck half-way through painting projects, with a half-painted wall somewhere. And then, the wall stays that way for years due to my lack of momentum.

I'd rather paint a picture with music or words than get out the messy stuff that changes color.

And STOP.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate you reading, and I appreciate loving comments.

Five Minute Friday :: Writer

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is writer. GO.

Part of being a writer is to believe. I can write, I know that I do. I know that I am skilled at writing well-constructed, reasonably grammatically-correct sentences. I've been trained in such things. Give me a topic, and I can likely write something up for you. But to do real writing, to be a real writer, what does that mean? I feel like I'm pretending sometimes. 

I talk about writing, I write a little, and I wonder why I bother. I did this week. Then, I read about five posts that had similar messages: write your story. That was all in one day, mind you...and the day after that. 

To write sometimes feels different than being a "writer". Such a word holds connotations like "important" and "artist," someone who knows what she is doing. I went to the Yale Art Gallery yesterday, and looked at Van Gogh's painting, The Night Cafe. Did you know that the table in the center of the painting isn't square? I mean, it's not a great table if you were going to use it as a blueprint to build one. And yet, his art is famous and beautiful!

I suspect being a writer is a little like that.

And STOP.

Thanks for stopping by! While you're here, will you check out my Shabbat Devotional and my Passover series? I appreciate you reading, and I appreciate loving comments.

Five Minute Friday :: Mighty

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is mighty. GO.

Word association activities come to mind today. Mighty Mouse. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. A Mighty Fortress is our God. God is Almighty.

Then I look at the word, "mighty" and think I just wrote that so many times that it looks wrong, but there's no squiggly red line underneath, so it must be fine. Might looks like it's part of mighty. It is. In one definition. Might, power, strength. With all her might, she held back tears as the boys in her classroom teased her. But then I might or might not. Now my love of words and their meanings comes to the surface. How is the word mighty related to the word might? How is a word that means strength and power connected to a word that means pretty much the opposite? 

And STOP.

Egads. My five minutes is up. I'm going to have to go look in my dictionary, because now I'm curious.

Ok. According to my Concise Oxford Dictionary of Engish Etymology (which I got in High School, and is falling apart), Might means, "quality of being able, power, strength....hence Mighty." It then refers us back to "may" as in "Mother may I? Yes you may." or "Might I have a bit of earth?"

Flipping to "may" reveals that, although the use is obsolete, the conjugation of "may" is indeed related to "mighty."  "may (past tense) might - be strong; be able; be allowed....The primary sense was 'have power'...hence maybe". 

When we say I might, then, we use the word that does indeed mean power. When you look at the history of the word, you essentially are saying that you have the power or ability to do something. "I might write a blog post" should be more certain that we intend that statement to be. Modern English has transformed a word that implies power into a word that implies weakness!

Fascinating.  What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate you reading, and I appreciate loving comments. Oh! And if you have a chance, will you swing by this week's Shabbat devotional?

Five Minute Friday :: Joy

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is joy. GO.

I sit in the pizza place listening to a daddy on a lunch date with his young daughter. She's maybe three or four by the way it sounds. What joy to hear the conversations a daddy can have with his little one.  I, on the other hand, have a lunchdate with myself. Isn't that a nice treat now and again?

I went to Woolesy Hall today with my fifth grader's band. They played on the stage with New Haven school music departments with T. S. Monk. What a joy it was to hear these children play in such an amazing music hall? I felt honor that that I could tag along as a chaperone!

I find it easy to discover joy in the little things, in the amazing acoustics in an old hall to the friendly service at the pizza place. I remember last time I was here, eating pizza with all my kids, keeping them quiet while they waited for their dinner. That was a different type of joy. This is the quiet , being alone among people type of joy I have today. And I appreciate both types.


And STOP.

Thanks for stopping by. I love these Five Minute Fridays, they give me a groove for my writing. Any suggestions on how to get a groove for writing?

Five Minute Friday :: Crowd

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

GO.  The word today is crowd.

I'm odd in a crowd. It's not that I dislike people, at all, or even crowded areas. I'm just not always ready to be in the midst of a large group of people all the time. There are many times when I gather myself to the edges of the crowd, to watch from a different perspective. Sometimes you can see different things when you're looking from the outside of a crowd, in than from the inside looking out. You can get a perspective change, I think.

In the end, I'm the girl who appreciates her solitude. Don't get me wrong - love being with people. I think my favorite crowd is my family. Family is the smallest of communities, the bedrock of other communities. Living in family Fivemakes me happy. In college, I yearned for my own family. I loved the freedom of living on my own, but I lived on my own. I love being with my husband and my children, and I love my times of quiet when I can think and be a little balanced.

And STOP.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate you reading, and I appreciate loving comments!

Five Minute Friday :: Willing

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is willing. GO.

Okay. Five minutes, focused writing. (When I free write, I always need to talk to myself!) I've been thinking recently about what I haven't been willing to do to say yes to other things. One thing about being a mother I treasured even before I had my own kids is that time early morning when your kids jump into bed with you and snuggle. Oh! It's the sweetest thing in the world with little ones! To just have time to be with them and to hold them. "They" always say to treasure your babies while they're babies. So I have been.

I am not necessarily a morning person. (Or a night owl, for that matter...) So getting up at five (or six...) in the morning is hard for me. When mothers say that they get out of bed before their kids get up, I always say, but my kids get me out of bed. I have not been willing to give up that sweet time with my children just to have moments to myself. My moments come, or will come.

Something happened recently, though. My kids haven't come in to wake me up before I'm awake so much anymore. Some mornings, I'm even up before all three of them are. At the ages of 10, 8, and 5, snuggling Mom in the morning may not happen much anymore. And that's okay with me. It's just a season of time. I did my part to treasure the babies, and I don't really have them anymore. Now, I need to treasure my young school-aged kids. And that means taking advantage of them not needing to snuggle in the morning, and getting up and using those early(ish) hours for focusing on myself.

And STOP.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate you reading, and I appreciate loving comments. While you're here, will you drop by and read my devotional on this week's Torah Portion?

Five Minute Friday:: Small

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is small. GO.
When I do my Five minute Fridays, the first thing that runs through my head is the word association game.  Small means little makes me think of this song I've heard, I thought it was called "Little Armpits" but it's, "Armpits" by Mike Phirman. It's the perfect tickling song!



But my kids aren't very little anymore. My house doesn't have small clothes, or small shoes, or diapers really. I know they still need me, even as they stop being small. I still need my mommy and daddy all the time, so I know that they need me. I can't get away with using this song anymore. They're bigger, and their legs hurt when they kick me!

Its not a small thing to mother. It's not a small thing to shape their world. It's not a small thing to tickle armpits...well. It occurred to me that when armpits get big, they might stink, and then my kids could get back at me with ARMPITS!

and STOP.

Thanks for stopping by! And check out my Shabbat Devotional for this week!

Five Minute Friday :: Garden

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is garden. GO.

It's funny to think about a garden right now. Snow covers my world, the world of New England, and I can't even see the ground except where we've shoveled. It seems so permanent sometimes, when you're in a deep freeze. Ten inches of snow, snow fortresses and walls surround you.  In the parking lots, there are four or five mountains of snow that will still have remnants in May.

But underneath the snow, the frozen ground is getting ready. Once the earth warms up just a little, (well...maybe alot) and the ground is workable, it'll be ready for the beginning of a garden. Peas and lettuce can be started as soon as the ground can be worked.

I think life can be thought of in seasons. I'm thinking of my dear friend who has a baby girl and two five-year old boys. It seems in that season of life your world is covered in a foot of snow. What good can come when I am frozen in place and it's impossible to move forward with just about anything?

But underneath is the garden. When things warm up, dear one, the ground will be moist, roots will be able to take hold, and the flowers will be beautiful.

Trust me, I'm in the melting of early spring.

and STOP.

Happy Valentine's Day!  Enjoy all those who would fling their arms around your neck and deposit slobbery kisses! Thanks for stopping by!  While you're here, will you check out my devotional for this Shabbat's reading?

Five Minute Friday:: Write

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  Her rules:

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.

The word today is write. GO.
The written word is so powerful.  As powerful as the spoken word, or any word for that matter.  But the written word sustains and is lasting.  Oral traditions eventually fade away.  But when we look at history, it is those who write that have a legacy that lasts long beyond their generation.  Incredibly, in our society, we have access to documents created hundreds of years ago, thousands of years ago, and many thousands of years ago.  To write is to express one's inner thoughts. To read is to hear, and hopefully, understand the thoughts of others. It's a give and a take.

We can read documents from the first century and earlier and know that human beings have not changed throughout most of history.  We can read documents from a hundred years ago, and find that things we have as every day were science fiction at that point.  Or we can see that even if our technology has advanced, we haven't burned all the books like it was foretold in Farenheit 451.

To write is amazing, and I'm glad to be able to share it with you!

and STOP.

Thanks for stopping by!  While you're here, will you check out my devotional for this Shabbat's reading?

Five Minute Friday:: HERO

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  The rules:

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.

The word today is hero. GO.
Hero.  Sandwich?  Yeah, okay.  Let me start again.  I'm having trouble not writing about children again.  Who is the hero?  The hero is the one who stands up for what's right, in the end.  The hero is the one who knows that it's not okay to let someone get in trouble for something they didn't do.  I don't even like what's coming out of me, do you have the days?  I'm not certain five minutes will be enough for me to be coherent about my thoughts.  Heros are so many different things.

My heros.  My heros are those who follow their dreams and succeed.  I suppose my heros are those who have failed and keep trying.  Here I go, again, illustrating my point.  I didn't like my thoughts, and so I kept going.

I admire those women who have a vision and don't stop until they get there.  I admire men, too, but I connect especially with a woman who can give her persona to her family, and still manage to follow her dreams.  She keeps at it until she arrives.  I want to be a hero, too.  I want to follow in the footsteps of the heros ahead of me.

and STOP.

Thanks for dropping by!  Check out my thoughts on this week's Torah Portion.

Five Minute Friday:: Visit

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  The rules:

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.

The word today is Visit. GO.

When Daniel was born, he spent 5 weeks in NBSCU (Newborn Special Care Unit).  He'd had surgery the day he was born, and needed to stay until it was safe for him to come home.  That wasn't the birth plan I wrote for my first child.  It was different.

I visited my first child in the hospital for 5 weeks.  It was an odd time.  I had a baby come out of me.  I stayed in the hospital after a c-section for the right number of days.  Then, I went home.  But he didn't.  When I was home without him, I looked at the nursery, and the bassinet ready for him.  At home, it was as if I were still pregnant, but yet, the baby wasn't with me.  I spent as much time as I could at the hospital.  I told myself that he lived at the hospital.  But how else is a mama to wrap her brain around the fact she can't bring home her baby?

Ten years ago I visited my first child in the hospital every day in December.  Except the one day it snowed a good bit and we couldn't get out of the house.

and STOP.

What I love about free writing and word prompts is that you don't know what's going to come out when you start with a word.  I didn't expect to write about Daniel.  I've never written about him before - it's always been to close, too hard.  Today, it just came out.

On a different note, I'm very excited this week that I've had an article published in the Messianic Times!

Thanks for dropping by!

Five Minute Friday:: Encouragement

I'm joining Lisa-Jo Baker for her Five Minute Friday.  The rules:

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.

The word today is Encouragement. GO.

Encouragement.  I need it.  I'm really good at it.  I can see when a friend, a child, a family member, needs some.  I have a hard time giving it to myself.  I'm always surprised when some comes my way.  I can be encouraged by small things.  The chance to wear tall boots encourages me.  Why?  I like them.  They make me feel a little trendy and cute.  I feel encouraged that I'm not just a mom wearing mom jeans.  I'm encouraged when someone tells me my story matters.  Or tells me that my musicianship is professional and good.  I suppose I worry too much about what others think.

I'm good at telling my kids when they do a good job.  I mean it when I say it, too.  I want my words to reflect truth.  I want to emphasize the encouraging truth.  It is encouraging when things go the right way.  It is encouraging when hard work pays off, even just a little.  I've been spending at least 5 minutes a day working on guitar.  I started working on "Simple Gifts" reading guitar tab and plucking out the tune.  I was getting discouraged, then the next day, I realized I had it memorized!  Just a little victory, and it encouraged me!

and STOP.

I really roamed in my writing today.  I'm working on getting my thoughts out.  Thanks for stopping by!

Five Minute Friday: Reflect

Five Minute Fridays are a challenge for me these days, but I really like linking up to Lisa-Jo's writing community.  For me, Friday is full of wrapping up the week, and getting ready for Shabbat.  Now that the time has changed, candle-lighting for Shabbat comes just a little after 4 pm.  So.  I'm doing this week's Five Minute Friday on Sunday.  Because the link-up is still open.  Because I can.

This week's writing prompt is Reflect.

And GO.

I reflect on this past week.  It was crazy, totally crazy.  Birthdays hit, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, and a nasty nasty virus.  I feel like I need to hole up in a corner like a bear and hibernate for a few days before I can move on.   There were some fantastic moments, though.  The reflections of the Hanukkiahs in the dark window was stunning.  It reminds me of how we reflect when we let our lights shine in the world.

The moon has no internal light of its own, yet it shines brightly in the night sky.  The window does not have a light, but it certainly looked like it was lit up.  The moon reflects the bright sun, and even though we can't see the sun at night, we see the effects of its light.  My house was twice as bright for the window reflecting the Hanukkah candles.

and STOP.

Five Minute Friday :: Fly

I'm linking up again to Lisa-Jo Baker's blog where she hosts a Five Minute Friday Party where she invites other bloggers to write freely for five minutes.  This week, the prompt is fly.

GO.

Fly
Fly away.

I think some of my favorite dreams are those in which I'm flying.  I feel powerful, full of possibility, like I can do anything.  I don't fly in an airplane, or like a bird.  Generally, it's like Peter Pan and Wendy, just flying.  It feels an awful lot like swimming, but swimming in the air.  I've done somersaults in the air before.  It's quite beautiful, actually.  I get to see a different perspective of life from way up high.  I get to fly over conflict and danger to get myself where I need to go.  I can even share the power with others in my dreams.  Sometimes I can teach others to fly.  I remember once in a dream I taught my children to fly with me.  It was such a joy to fly with my little ones!



I wonder why the word fly brought out my dreams.  I could have thought about flying in airplanes and cellphone usage (that was on the news this morning).  I could have thought about flying creatures.  I could have thought about flies.  But I think about my dreams about flying.  I used to think that it would be amazing to learn how to go hang-gliding, to soar like an eagle from the Alps.  I suppose when you have the ability to fly, you no longer have to fear heights in the same way if you don't know how to fly.  Flying means you can control your descent as you jump off the cliff.

Flying means you don't fall anymore.

STOP

Five Minute Friday:: Tree

I'm linking up again to Lisa-Jo Baker's blog where she hosts a Five Minute Friday Party where she invites other bloggers to write freely for five minutes.  This week, the prompt is tree.

the last oak tree before school

I walk my children to school, rustling the leaves as we go.  My mother taught me to rustle, that it was worth going out of your way just to make noise in the leaves.  I, too, tell my kids to walk through the piles of leaves directly in front of them that I might miss.  We walk under the few trees to the last oak tree before school.  It's where we kiss and say goodbye before school, because otherwise I don't get goodbye kisses before school.  As soon as they hit the door at school, my kids go directly where they need to go.  They have a life of their own at school, and almost don't need me anymore.  They need me, I know, but they're all set for the few hours they're at school.

I'm happy to have the last oak tree before school.  It has become a line of demarcation, our place to stop and say farewell.  If I'm ever in a rush, and forget to stop, my kids remind me.  "Mom, THIS is the tree we need to stop by."  I chose it because it's far enough away from school not to be seen for a growing fifth grader, but it's close enough to school to be at school and no longer at home.

And STOP.  Wow.  Five minutes goes quickly sometimes!

I haven't written enough this month.  I'm trying to find the right rhythm for my life and my blog.

Five Minute Friday :: Grace

I'm linking up again to Lisa-Jo Baker's blog where she hosts a Five Minute Friday Party where she invites other bloggers to write freely for five minutes.  This week, the prompt is grace.  I wrote this on the train to NYC on Friday, but I was not able to format the way I wanted before posting since I left my computer at home!

Grace.  Grace to my husband because he tried his hardest, and was still late.  I had plans.  My plans needed to go just right.  But they didn't.  I tried my hardest, but I couldn't change any of the delay.  It just happened.  So what do you do when your best laid plans are foiled.  (Ha! Foiled again!)

You move on.  You have grace.  Even though things don't go as plan, you can be gracious about things rather than anxious.  I was getting anxious.  Dinner starts at 7:30, and if I'm late, I'll miss it and have to make other dinner plans.  I'd rather not change my plans.  I like going with plan A, not usually plan B.  Plan C makes me anxious.

Now.  If my husband had deliberately messed up my plans, I would have had the right to be angry.  Even still, it's best to have grace.

I love the Newsboys song that goes, "When you get what you don't deserve, it's a real good thing, When you don't get what you deserve, it's a real good thing."  Grace and mercy go hand-in-hand.  Grace is when you don't get what you deserve.  So.  My anxious self wanted to deal out anxiety to those around me in response to being excited about this trip, and making the train.  But in light of grace, I can swallow the anxiety, trust in God, and make it on the train. 

I made the train.  Not the 5:24 train I'd hoped to be on, or the 5:33, but the 5:53.  I didn't have to wait until the following train at 6:50.  There are so many things to be thankful for.  Me being anxious doesn't help the situation any at all.

So, now, New York City. People. Worship. Connections.  I don't even know what to start hoping for. 

Maybe a little grace?

Five Minute Friday :: Together

I'm linking up again to Lisa-Jo Baker's blog where she hosts a Five Minute Friday Party where she invites other bloggers to write freely for five minutes.  This week, the prompt is together.

GO

Together we go to the Fall Bash at school.  Costumes on, cash on hand for the PTO-provided dinner of hotdogs, drinks and juice.  It's not our usual Friday night dinner, but we were together, and that's what's important.

Together with other parents and kids, we got together in the gym and enjoyed each other.  A couple of pumpkin crafts later, some face painting, and dancing, we come home, together.  Exhausted.

Shabbat is about being together.  Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, it is good to do something different and say "yes" to an event on our special family night.  We did something different together tonight, and it was exactly what we needed.

STOP

I write slow today, so that was five minutes.  It is good to be together, and fun.  I love my family.







day nineteen: Shabbat Shalom!
day twenty: Zoo Day
day twenty-one: Memories
day twenty-two: Spelling Words
day twenty-three: Inspired
day twenty-four:
day twenty-five: Five Minute Friday :: Together

Five Minute Friday :: laundry

I'm linking up again to Lisa-Jo Baker's blog where she hosts a Five Minute Friday Party where she invites other bloggers to write freely for five minutes.  This week, the prompt is laundry.

GO

The thing about laundry is that it never is completely done.  Neither are the dishes or cleaning the counters and the floors.  Are any projects completely done?  All we can hope for is to embrace the rhythm of the days.  I'm already influenced by Lisa-Jo's Five Minute response to laundry.  The ebb and flow of daily life is a rhythm we should be proud of, is a quick summary of her text.  And that is so true.

I guess the trick, then, is to find meaning and purposeful rhythm.  Laundry, chores, for that matter, when done haphazardly become haphazard.  The ebb and flow of life is haphazard.  But being routine oriented, taking the time to just do it is really important, and can make the days not haphazardly.  I woke up early for me this morning, and was downstairs at 6 am.  The laundry is already going, and by 6:30, the post will be posted.  Two things for my Friday already started, instead of me looking at the clock at 4 pm in the midst of homework and dinner preparation, and freaking out because the laundry needs to be done.

And STOP.  That was five.  Writing consistently this month, I'm noticing themes that creep through in posts during a week.  I talked about FlyLady this week, and doing things that make me tick.  Those things creep through in my Friday post.

day one: 31 Days of Being Me: day one
day two: who am i?
day three: standing in the waves
day four: playing piano
day five: Five Minute Friday: write
day six: My friend the uke
day seven:#31days blogs I'm reading
day eight: being me
day nine: Wacky Wednesday: random things, like TV
day ten: my normal
day eleven: Five Minute Friday:: Ordinary
day twelve:
day thirteen:
day fourteen:
day fifteen:
day sixteen: FlyLady
day seventeen: Koffee?
day eighteen: Five Minute Friday:: laundry